A serious change in life plans....

Nah, not really. At least not for me :)

Some of you may know, but I am still waiting on my response for my application to the School of Education in Madison. In the meantime, I had to register for classes "just in case". So, of course I have been looking into "backup plans". Turns out, if I don't get into the School of Ed, I have already earned three degrees in my first three years:
Spanish, Global Cultures, and African-Studies.

Haha, this cracked me up! I'm already a triple major if I graduate today:) I wonder if they have "shoe-tying" or "bike-riding" to add another one onto those....they seem to be in the same catagory as Spanish, Global Cultures, and African-Studies. REALLY?!?

I was really debating calling my dad to tell him the great news: that I could graduate in four weeks and be free from him and his $ forever! Think of it: three years, three degrees, two years abroad...in and out...like every parent dreams, right? The fact I would then spend the rest of my life in a cardboard box or his basement is the only real corkscrew in the plan.

In other news, it rained in Spain today and you would have thought Franco had returned to power. People were running, screaming, and throwing themselves into the street to apparently avoid melting. Chaos! It is one of only a handful of times (honestly like 6 or less!) that it has rained all year and it was MAD. The fact the sun came out literally 5 minutes later meant nothing, all the news channels will be covering it for weeks to come. Wow, people.

Hope you all are doing well! Miss you guys lots :)

Funny Story

Ok, Ok. I'll admit it: this next story is not mine...but I was there for part of it and everytime I hear it I laugh so hard. I thought you all could use a pick me upper...I need one because I'm sunburned and you all need one because you most likely won't be sunburned until August.

Characters: my friend Katie, her roomie, Alexandra, and their "senora", Victoria,(lady who's house they live in while they are here)

Friday afternoon. enter Alex, the apartment mate, frantically saying something about Victoria, the Senora.

Alex: Katie! Oh no! Victoria just called me and told me that she is in Barcelona and that she wants me to come! I can't go to Barcelona and I think that she is mad at me!

Katie: uh?

Alex: She said that then I need to go to Acuna with her...did she call you?

Katie: uh?

Alex: Well, I will call her....

Katie is now thinking...who's gonna make me my dinner?! shoot!
Alex calls Victoria but her phone suddenly runs out of minutes...so Katie steps in and calls Victoria...(plot thickens)

Katie: Hola! Are you in Barcelona right now? You never said anything about leaving and we are a little confused.

Phone voice: Yes I am in Barcelona, working! I am going to Acuna and I am expecting you to come.

Katie: Uh....well, I am going to stay here this weekend because I have a class trip. I didn't know that you had a job. So....what about dinner...can we use food in the kitchen to make something?

Phone Voice: What! Where are you from, and where are you right now!

Katie: I'm at the house and I'm from the USA...awkward laugh...this isn't Victoria, is it.

Phone Voice: No!!! This is Marcos.

conversation ends in a frantic and extremely awkward apology...Katie now realizing that she asked a random man if she could eat the food in his kitchen.


I was dying and thought this was so funny that the girls were so confused.... we laughed, yadayada. Well now enter me (Bailey). Katie, Alex and Bailey go to the movies downtown two weeks later to a theater Victoria recommends, but the girls get lost on the way. They call Victoria for directions.

Katie: Hi. It's Katie, Alex, and Bailey. We're lost! Can you help us?

Phone Voice: Sure. Where are you?

Katie: We're in Sol right now looking at the clock. Which way is the movie theater?

Phone Voice: I'm not sure.

Katie: Well, what is the address again?

Phone Voice: I don't know. What theater are you going to?

Katie: The one you told us to go to! The one with the movies in Enlis.....wait. (long pause....the girls all realize what is happening) Who is this????

Phone Voice: Marcos.

(click)


I was dying that they had called poor Marcos... again!!! But the plot thickens.
Two weeks later Alex's dad comes to visit her.

Alex and Dad at airport after a flight delay.
Dad: Hi, honey! I tried to call Victoria to tell her I would be a bit late, but some man answered the phone.....

Somewhere in Spain there is a man at Vodaphone changing his number...



My other favorite Katie story was this summer when she called me to tell me her bike chain broke while out on a ride. A kind elderly man saw her on the road, fixed it for her at his house, and then sent her on her way. Not more than two pedals later and Katie broke the bike AGAIN as she rode RIGHT into his CAR while waving goodbye!!!

I LOVE THAT GIRL!

Soulja Boy....

The next story: after our family vacation you'd think the stories couldn't get better....but they dooooo!

On Friday I went out to eat with my friends Katie and Alex. We decided to give our leftovers to the homeless man outside and agreed that we all wished we could help people like that out more often if we had money. So I came up the brilliant that we could MAKE money by dancing and singing in the Plaza Mayor of Spain. For the past 10 years, Katie and I have fed off of each other's ideas and this was no exception. Before you know it, there were three American girls singing and dancing to the likes of Soulja Boy, Britney Spears, and Queen in the plaza. The hightlight of it all was the group of black tourists walking past who broke into song while watching us dance at random for money in the #1 tourist spot in all of Spain....turns out they were the Harlem Gospel Choir here on tour. We made 5 Euro of small change in 45 minz, bought "hamburguesas" to give to the homeless people on the street, and made friends with the choir and their lead singer. By the end of the weekend we had been to both concerts of the Harlem Gospel Choir, were offically dubbed their groupies (aka the crazies from the plaza got dressed and came to the shows), and were friends with the band and Lois Giles (their lead)!


March 12-15 my friend Michael and I flew up to the northern part of Spain to a place called Asturias. We spent time exploring the area and then hiking in the mountains where were stayed for two nights (one down below and one at the top!) It was my favorite trip by FAR and I already can't wait for our next trip together to Santander in April. Instead of writing, I'll let the pictures do the talking.

Tom Curtis' European Vacation

Hand down, best Spring Break….ever. Our Curtis family vacation put Chevy Chase to shame, no doubts there.

I don’t EVEN know where to start! It started with mountain climbing in the north before my fam got here... That is a story in itself so I will blog about that in a few days. For now let’s just focus on the top 10 moments of the family vacation.

(Disclaimer: I dearly love my father and without him I would not be where I am. That being said, he alone provided us with endless entertainment on the trip; thus, the following is not meant to hurt him in any way, just relive the funniest freaking family vacation EVER!)

1.I had the great idea to convince my dad driving in Italy would be a good idea. The good news is the rental car company can only take out $500 of his account after the accident (and that covers the parking ticket and forgetting to fill ‘er up with gas upon return, too!), no one was killed the first time he rode over the pedestrian plaza, no one was killed as he backed out of the plaza down a one way street, and the officials apparently didn’t see him swing a U-turn on the freeway when we got to the toll booth by mistake.

2a.We rent the car in Rome. Not only do we have NO idea where we are going but this is all in Italian. And let’s face it, even when we DID know where we were going that didn’t make much difference. At one point we LITERALLY drove in circles around Florence for two hours. At one point Callan was throwing the map on the floor in the front seat announcing he was now “quitting our freaking family and sitting on my lazy ass for the rest of this vacation!!!” , my dad was scolding “why don’t you shut the heck up?” and my mom was in the back telling the boys to stop fighting. Are we having fun yet?!?

3a. We were lucky enough to meet hundreds of wonderful Italians, a true cultural gem! However, this was really only because we were lost at every, sinnnnngle city we came to. Because of this, my dad developed a wonderful spirit of language study while in Italy. He told every person we saw “gracias” instead of “grazi” but said it with an Italian accent figuring that would do just fine….then when we finally got to Spain where he could ACTUALLY use the Spanish, he told people “gracias” when he meant to say “hola”…apparently he was randomly thanking these people for just being alive???

4a.The circus continued in the car at every new hotel. 5 people, 6 suitcases, 5 backpacks…….Kennedy, my mom, and I sat squished in the back of the little Euro car and eventually we got used to the loud thud at every bump. The sound was Kennedy’s head hitting the roof of the car.

5a.As we passed the town of Liverno, I had that feeling in my gut this was NOT a good idea to get off the freeway to eat here. This small piece of hell on Earth eventually saw me screaming: “Dad, this is a road for pedestrians!” In the end, as it replays in my head, I see three heads (Callan, Ken, and Mom) ducked and covered in their laps so as not to be identified later on. My dad has his hands in the air (both of them) and starts to scream “AM I DRIVING?!?! AM I DRIVING?!?!” The looks of terror on the faces as we shoot across the pedestrian plaza of Liverno interrupt the book sale going on in the plaza as we zigzag out of the way of people and tables. We eventually backed up a one-way street to get out and then circled three times trying to figure out how the h-e-double to get out of this town without being caught by the police.

6a. By the end of this adventure, having the drunken cabbie take us to the Milan airport seemed FAR safer than the Audi rental. As my dad threw the keys to the lady at the Eurocar desk, I believe the exact words were “oh thank God, I am so freaking sick of this damn thing!”

7. The first day in Spain was a little rough. Without the car, out laughs were gone…..so we thought. I took my family to Segovia and explained we would go see the Roman aqueducts. My dad, however, thought I meant “aqua duck” like the rides in the Wisconsin Dells. When he asked me if we would be riding on a river or lake, I knew the Spain fun was just beginning!

8. We returned and my pops wanted to do some quick snack shopping Jingles. After the 5 minutes it took me to figure out he was taking about the “corte INGLES” we headed over. The hotel was great; things were calming down for what would be out last day together in Madrid…that was until……

9. Kennedy wanted a fake Burberry wallet. I knew where the street vendors are in Madrid; a big row of them right near the Sol metro. We headed down there and I stepped up to do the haggling in Spanish. As soon as he handed me the wallet, someone yelled “policia” and the street vendors all grabbed their bags of goods and shot off running. Before we knew what happened they were gone, the police were there, and I was holding a boot-legged Burberry wallet in my hand….I slid it in to my pocket as fast as I could and took off while my family was still at the corner going “what’s happening, what just happened?!?!” All I could see was me being deported for buying this illegal wallet….just our luck! But in the end, it WAS our luck….I didn’t even buy the thing as the vendors were long gone. Basically, I stole from thieves….only our family.

10.I have lived in Madrid for 7 months and never had anything bad happen to me. My dad comes to Madrid for 2 days and gets robbed. We were on the packed metro and a gypsy opened up my dad’s fanny pack (that alone should be #11) and took out his wallet….all kinds of cash, credit cards, etc. on the last day of vacation. Too bad for that little gypsy b**** she messed with the wrong freakin’ family! My dad actually realized it was HER and started to yell….then he grabbed her so we knew this was for real! So in pops my mom and she starts stripping the girl trying to get her coat and scarf off!!! All of a sudden the wallet drops to the ground (a tag team as it had been passed off) and we get it back. I had by now made my way to them and realized what just happened. SNAPS for her that I speak Spanish so she picked the wrongggggg train that day! I spun her around and started screaming as loud as I could in Spanish that she just robbed my dad. Then I started yelling that we weren’t tourists, that I live there and know their gypsy tricks, team of thieves, etc…That caused a lot of commotion in the train now since people understood what I was saying. Well, that and the fact I may or may not have said some things about their mother and what I though of her, but I’ll keep this the PG rated version. It was all so fast that they hopped off before we could do anything or even react more. In the end, we got it back and have a great story about the day we robbed thieves and foiled the gypsies! We’re such a classy bunch, no?

All in all, hands down, best family trip ever. So many laughs!!! Seriously, my dad really did do a fantastic job driving in Italy....I really DO think the pole he backed into with our Audi jumped in the way of the car. Now, after this longest blog in the world, I’m off to the bars where I will be for about the next week trying to recover from the family’s visit!

El presidente?

The gang of some of my favorite all-yearers!

Jacque (played golf with her in HS!), Taryn (my workout/study/dinner buddy), me, Michael (my Asturias/Santander travel buddy), and Reider (guy with the coolest name)


The Plaza de Cervantes in Alcala where I got sunburned (about an hour outside of Madrid)

Wooooo- where to start?

Friday night was super success as I went with my roomies to a hole in the wall theater production. It was an "abstract" piece and they were sure I wouldn't understand, but I got the whole thing! It was nice since they knew the two actors and the director so we got to stay after an have some "vino" with them. Made me feel good that my Spanish is up to that level.

Best part of the night was a chat I had with Andrea, my roomie. I was telling her how I don't understand why people approach me for directions when I have white tennis shoes on and look supppper American. She was asking if all Americans have shoes like that and when I said "most", she goes "yuck, they're so ugly!" hahaha as I'm WEARING them. As soon as she said it she knew.....her face...priceless. Before she could say anything I said "don't worry, you have two last names that are the same and you eat uncooked legs of ham that hang in windows. We're both pretty trashy."

Then last night was a big birthday celebration for 4 American friends of mine. I started the evening by studying grammar with my friend Taryn and then we made fajitas for dinner. About 10pm my friend Jacque came over (we played golf together in HS) for a little red wine before the party. When we finally did get to the pub, it was great! All of the year-long kids were there so it was great to have us all in one spot together. We had so many laughs! It's funny how fast we've all become friends in just 7 months and how close we all are now!

Anyways, enough of that boring stuff. On Wednesday night my friend Michael and I are going hiking in the mountains in Asturias (northern Spain)! Our hotel is a 5 hour hike from the base of the mountain and not reachable by car :) I am super excited to be out in nature again...I am getting a little sick of the city. We'll be there together until Saturday night and then Sunday morning my family arrives!!! I cannot wait to see them even though 7 months doesn't feel all that long with easy communication. We're hitting up Italy for a week and then spending 3 days in Madrid. will write all about it for you guys. Got a few more trip planned, too. In April, Michael and I are hitting up the beaches in Santander, Spain which should be a blast! Then in May to Portugal with two friends and then Ireland to visit volunteers I worked with in Malawi. Only three months left....sooooo sad this is going so fast.

(Oh, ps elections were today so tomorrow Spain will have new president. The elections aren't really "secret" from what I could tell when I went to watch. You pick up your party's paper and put it in an envelope. The ballots are sitting on a table out in the open so even though you go to the booth to put your party's paper in the envelope, everyone already watched you pick what party you're voting for. Only in Spain would that be a "secret" ballot haha.)

ouch....

...short and simple, I got sunburned TWICE this weekend. Soooo nice in Spain these days. On Saturday my friend Taryn and I hit up a town an hour out of Madrid called Alcala de Hernares. I've never taken the train yet, and am glad I didn't know the history of the one I was one! Turns out, four years ago nearly to the day, THAT train was the exact on that was bombed in Madrid. It was March 11th, right before presidential elections in 2004....Saturday was March 1st and the presidential elections are the 9th! Yikes. Either way, the town was sooo nice! It is the birthplace of Cervantes so we hit up the historical spots and then just chilled in the plaza for a day of people watching. Families out for the day, old men and women out for walks....just a fun European day! Today I went to Retiro park and took a nap for a bit....woke up super red from the sun! Can't believe the weather is so nice here ALREADY! wow.

te echare de menos

Before I start, this one goes out to a really special lady: Kathy Koehler, who I worked with at Kurtz Realty and knew through my dad. Sadly, she passed away today back in Milwaukee, but I will always remember her for her loving spirit. Before she got sick, I know she had been reading this blog so I'll do my best to make it a good one for her!

Well, I was a little tired after Fiday night (and Saturday morning) out with the girls. The bus driver told me he felt sorry I had to work so early on Saturday morning....I didn't have the heart to tell him I was still coming back from Friday night. Soooo...my friend Rebekah came over and we passed the day away drawing on my new gift. Ok, this is a story in itself, but during exams my awesome cousin Katie from Holland sent me this gift. It is an aquadraw mat that is basically like a big "painting" etch-a-sketch. Instead of paint you use water to draw and when it dries, it erases so you can start all over again. It says 18+ months on the box but these two 21 year-olds were eatting it up!!!!! Best gift ever....

Moving on...my roommate kept asking if I had done drugs this weekend because I kept saying "mi telefono ha muerto" (my phone has died). I guess the phrase "to die" doesn't translate to electronics like it does in the states so they were all thinking I was finally wigging out. Same roomie woke me up screaming last night at 4am when her countryman won the Oscar. I told her that mine would win all the rest and that I needed to get some sleep so shut the hay up. I never did fall back asleep but lucky for me I got her back. She has this "friend" (I guess the word "amigo" isn't exactly what they taught us in school!) named Ruben who she has been seeing. She keeps tellin me they are only "amigos" which is a big, fat lie. Anyways, I have never met him and today this guy rang our bell. I was the only one home. I answered the buzzer and he said he was Andrea's boyfriend. Of course I let him in the bulding and went to the door to open it since I was dying to meet this "friend" of hers I have been hearing so much about. I open the door and say "hola, Ruben?" and he says "uhhh no.....Miguel". I nearly wet myself right then and there. I then pretended I didn't speak Spanish since there was no way I could talk my way out of this one. Secret's out on this one: she's playing the field like the Real Madrid soccer team!

Another quick story: went to the bakery on my way to a friend's house, had my hands full so I stood at the automatic door waiting for it to open. I wiggled my leg out a little bit to hit the sensors when the man behind me walked around me and kindly held the door for me. AUTOMATIC DOORS DON'T EXISIT IN SPAIN! hahaha he must have thought I was the oddest American ever. Almost as bad as the first time I saw "tirar" on the door which means "throw" so clearly you'd think that means "throw forward". When I kept on walking forward, all cockily knowing Spanish so well and smashed myself into the glass door sending echoes down the hallway of out building, I finally learned "tirar" means PULL! Duhoo.


There is so much other stuff that happens everyday but I guess I can't write about it all or even remember it now. If I have learned anything from Kathy it would be to just keep enjoying these moments that God has put in my life and cherish everyday. So, I guess I'll just keep on doing that. In the meantime, you all take care. PS 3 weeks until my family comes!!!!! Cannot wait!!!! (ask me on the 8th day of the trip and that response might be a little different haha)