Only Two Months Left?!

Hello everyone,

I am writing this post with only two months left. I can barely believe it. This year has gone by so fast, but I have made so many memories and met so many people that I will never forget. I have been really busy since I last posted. In March I went to Sevilla, which is a big city in the south of Spain. Sevilla was one of the prettiest cities I have ever seen. There is so much history and everywhere you look is just so beautiful. We went and visited a lot of churches and also saw the cathedral which was amazing. I went with my host uncle and aunt, and it was an early birthday present from them. I can't thank them enough for giving me the opportunity to see such and outstanding city. The week after I traveled with my host family to Barcelona. My host parents in Spain own a gourmet food company and in Barcelona there was a food fair so there company went. My host family brought me along so that I could check one of Europe's most popular cities out. Barcelona was amazing as well. The atmosphere is lively and up beat. The city is very large and that results in a lot of things to do and see. I saw the Sagrada Famila (photo below) which was outstanding. As soon as  I saw it took my breath away, I couldn't believe it something so big and beautiful right in the middle of the city. I also saw a cathedral and went to a park that was designed by Gaudi and so much more. There is a girl who is from Canada who is also a rotary youth exchange student and she is spending her year in Barcelona. I met up with her and she showed me a bunch of cool things. I was glad to get the chance to catch up with her and being with exchange students always results in the best time. I was sad to leave Barcelona but more happy that I had the chance to see this spectacular city.  In mid April Semana Santa started. This translates to Easter week in english but really doesn't make any sense. During Semana Santa the cities have a lot of parades going on, but these parades are very religious and have a lot of meaning. I was lucky to be closely involved with this week. I was a costalero which means that I went under the images and carried the image while they were brought out on to the street. It weighed a lot but it was a really great experience and I am glad I had the opportunity to do something that many people never get to do. My birthday is April 22nd and I was really excited to get to celebrate my birthday in another country. On the day of my birthday my host family and I had a big dinner and they gave me presents. It was a really good day and the cake that my host family got me was really cool (picture below). Yesterday my friends threw me a surprise birthday party. I went out to dinner with some of my closest friends in Spain and then after I was walking around the city with one of my closest friends and then we walked into club/dance area and there was all of my friends and my host family and they all yelled surprise! It was so nice, I felt incredibly blessed that my friends would do this for me. It was one of the best nights of my life. We danced, talked, laughed and just generally had a blast. Spain has blessed me with some of the best friends I have ever had. My friends here are just so nice to me and they are people that I won't every forget. They have made such a big impact on my life and its hard for me to imagine leaving them. My 17th birthday is going to be a birthday I will remember not only did I get to celebrate it in Spain, but my wonderful friends threw me a party! This next week on Wednesday I am going to England for 5 days. I will stay with a  host family and  it is a class trip. It's normally for people to learn english but I am going because I love to travel and see new things. Then the second weekend in May I am going to a city in the north of Spain called Vitoria. I am going with the other exchange students in Alicante because its 30 years with the exchange program in Spain and they are holding an event there. So I will be taking a train on that friday and will spend the weekend there and come back to Elda on Sunday. I am also looking forward to that as I have not been in the north of Spain other than Barcelona. I have a lot more trips coming up, and a big festival in my host city that I have been hearing about all year long. I can't wait to experience it. In a month and half I will be leaving for euro tour which I can barely hold my excitement for! Then June 29th I will be on my way home. It's going to come so fast, as the time has already passed incredibly fast. I am going to make sure I enjoy my time left with the amazing people here in Spain.

Adios,

Brandon Dull

Sevilla

Sevilla

Sevilla

Barcelona

Barcelona

Barcelona

Barcelona

Barcelona

Semana Santa

Semana Santa

Birthday

Birthday