Thursday, April 28, 2011

So much school and a bullfight.

Since Sunday night I feel like I haven't stopped moving and I've gotten no sleep. Sunday evening my friends and I (about 11 of us) went out to dinner, a few boys and us girls. It was so yummy and nice to be with everyone after Semana Santa. Then a few of us got a beer afterwards at the food festival. It was the last night of it so there was this big dance thing going on, sort of fun to watch.
                                                           My friend Cate and I

Then Monday was just a full day of class, didn't do anything Monday night. Tuesday layed out at the river all day long. But I studied for a few hours because I had a final the next day and a presentation. Like literally from 11 until 4:30 until I went and bought a swimsuit for Canary Islands and bought my bull fighting ticket. Then went home, had dinner, and got read to go out for the night. Had a great night out, and didn't get home  until 3 in the morning and I had a final at 9 AM....woops. But it actually went totally fine, I mean I'm getting a C in the class, but I feel like that is acceptable while abroad...and for a history class that is completely in Spanish so I have no clue what's going on. Then had class for another 2 hours, home for lunch, and had to memorize my presentation on bull fighting for my next class. Turns out I didn't even have to memorize it though because everyone just basically read of their paper. So I ended up doing that too. Except it got a little awkward when she asked me what a "muleta" was and I didn't know because I had translated it on google and didn't really pay attention to what google had transferred from wikipedia...so instead of me explaining it to the class she had to...haha. So we'll see what I got on that presentation. Then Alicia and my plan was to go to a café and work on our presentation that was due the next day, but instead we decided to go to this pub and watch the Real Madrid vs. Barcelona soccer game...(great game, Barcelona won by 2, Messi scoring both goals) It was totally worth it to go because our friends came and we ended up having a great time BUT the game didn't end until around 10:00 pm, so we didn't get back to her homestay until about 11:00 and started the project and I finally left her place at 3:00 in the morning. Had the class at 9:00 am. AND THEN WE DIDN'T EVEN END UP PRESENTING because the class ran out of time. So that was awesome. I literally feel like a zombie. Then came home, organized my room, ate lunch. Met my friends Jesse and Alicia for sangria before the bullfight.

The bullfight was definitely an interesting experience. The plaza is called La Maestranza and it's one of the oldest bull fighting rings in the world, the first fight there was in 1765! So at first all the participants come out and present themselves and there is really fun music and stuff. And then the first bull comes and runs around, and then the matador comes out, and these 2 men on horses come out and stab it in the back of it's neck so it weakens it. And then the bull like runs through capes and these other participants run from like the opposite side of the ring with these other 2 weapons and stab it to weaken it more. And you can sort of see  the blood gushing out. And then the matador comes out and uses a red cape (to hide the blood) and the bull runs through that a little bit more. And then the matador grabs a sword and somehow manages to stab it in the heart. And this is the worst part, when the bull is like totally fine one second, and then suddenly it's legs sort of collapse and it stumbles around for about 30 seconds and then just drops to the ground. And the matador like stands up really proud and boastful that he just slaughtered this bull. THEN these 3 horses come out with this thing attached to them and they put a chain around the bulls neck and attach it to the thing on the horses, and the horses DRAG the bull around the ring in a full circle and drag it out of the ring. I'm pretty sure they use the meat in restaurants though. During one fight the horses ran away from the people that lead them to the bull and one guy got trampled...but he seemed fine after it. And then they repeat this 5 MORE TIMES. So they kill 6 bulls every time they do this and there are like 5 bull fights a week now in Seville, and they started like last week and go through summer I'm pretty sure. I'm really glad I went but I don't really need to go back. Then me, kyle, cate, and alicia got tapas at Levies and now I'm home. I need to pack for Madrid tomorrow and Canary Islands, and we leave at 7:15 in the morning...so really I haven't caught up on sleep at all. Sucks. Here's some pics of the bull fight!


 So ya this is when the bull gets dragged around the ring....just a little cruel...
You can sort of see here the sword, and that thing hanging off the bull is stabbed into it to weaken it.

Alright well I have lot's more pictures that you guys can see later. I won't be blogging for quite some time because I won't be back until late Thursday night (one week from now). 2 weeks until I'm home! 

Friday, April 22, 2011

Back In Sevilla

Woke up this morning in Alicante and it's beautifullll out. Typical. I got up, showered, ate a great breakfast and got ready to leave. Cristina picked up me, Carmen and Paco and they took me to the airport. They were all so nice and walked me in and waited for a little bit until I needed to go through security. We said our goodbyes and I already miss them! Such a great week. Paco made me a delicious bocadillo (sandwich) before my flight so I ate it while I waited for the plane to board. It was with that really good jamon and this yummy cheese and oil. Delish. I added some pictures to the last few blogs so make sure to take a look at those! Scroll all the way down to the beginning of my Alicante posts to see them all. Hope you like them. I'll have much more to put in my scrapbook later this summer. Now I have the weekend in Sevilla but apparantly everything is closed for holy/good Friday? I don't really know but I wish I had known before. Also it's pouring down rain here.

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Calpe and my last day in Alicante : (

Today was my last full day in Alicante : ( but it was a great one! This morning Cristina and her daughter picked up Paco, Carmen, and I and we went to Calpe, a little city in Valencia up the coast a little. It is beautiful there! The weather was veryyy cloudy, but it wasn´t that cold. Seriously there are these beautiful big houses all up on the mountains and on the cliffs that overlook the mediterranean, and theres a big port where all the boats are docked, and the little center where all the fish and food and restaurants are was so fun to walk around in. When we got there we climbed up this big huge stone. Penyal d´ifac or something? I got a brochure on it. It is basically a huge rock that is preserved by the community and you can hike up it and then at the top sort of climb through it but you have to use a rope to help you climb and it was pretty slippery so I was too scared to do it. Once we climbed so high we got to see the prettiest views of the city it was beautiful. It might have been a little prettier if it was sunny but you could still totally see how great the view was. Only Cristina, the daugher and I made it to the very top and even I was really sore afterwards so it´s a good thing Carmen and Paco didn´t climb any higher than they did. Like I´m for sure going to be sore tomorrow...probably because I haven´t worked out in 4 months..After the climb we went back down and wandered through the areas with all the information on the land and all the different types of animals you can see there and the rocks and trees, etc. It was so cool I´m so glad they took me there. Then we ate the best lunch ever oh my gosh. We got calamari and an assortment of fried fish to start, and then Carmen and I split a seafood paella. It was SO GOOD. Usually I don´t like paella in restaurants, my señora told me its because they cook it like 2 days in advance, but I could tell this stuff was really fresh, and the fish gave it such a good flavor. Apparantly this place has some of the freshest fish around. Throughout the center each little stand was trying to compete for your business to buy their fish. After lunch we just wandered around for a little bit, and on the way home little Cristina and I both fell asleep in the car. When we got home we all rested for a little bit, then I caught up on some shows and chatted with my friends for a while and skyped my dad. For dinner we had delicious cauliflower and the reallllllyyy good jamon that we had bought the night before. They are going to make me a bocadillo tomorrow for the airport with it. Yum. For dessert, strawberries with whipped cream, and a little later, ice cream. Needless to say it´s been a great week here. I´m not really ready to leave. I really hope all of them come visit Portland at some point. They treated me so well here. Tomorrow my flight is at 12 so I pretty much just have to get up, eat breakfast and head out the door. I think Cristina is taking me to the airport so I will get to see them one more time. I´m definately going to miss it here I´ve had so much fun. Maica pleeease tell your parents how much I enjoyed it because I don´t think I´m expressing my gratitude enough through my limited spanish skills. Also, it´s been so nice to be able to blog everyday of my trip...it´s going to be annoying when I go to Madrid and then Canary Islands for a week and can´t blog the whole time..Pictures will come tomorrow, and if not, Saturday. I apologize in advance for how many self-pictures I took...sometimes it´s just more interesting to have a person in the picture...and a lot of those times it´s just me...taking it myself. Hope you enjoy though!
                                                  Calpe!
                                      Walking up to the big stone, Penyal d'ifac

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

More Alicante

Today I woke up and it was so sunny out! After I ate another delicious breakfast Paco and Carmen took me to the beach that is right in front of the Melia Alicante hotel. We took the bus because Carmen´s knee was hurting I think? She got surgery on it last year. I feel so bad, I feel like I am really wearing them out. Also, Paco keeps talking to me in English for some reason and Carmen gets mad at him, it´s quite funny. I don´t really know if he is trying to practice or if he thinks I don´t understand spanish...haha. AnywaysI layed out for a couple hours on the sand while they walked around I think, and then they sat at a restaurant for a while. It was sooo nice I just slept and listend to music. The beaches here are so clean. So many people were out there too, and a lot of topless people as well. ew. At about 2:00 we got took the bus home and Paco made lunch. We had this really delicious garbanzo soup and bread. Borris dropped little Cristina off while we were eating so she ate lunch with us. For the rest of the day I just ended up playing with Cristina and it was so fun! We played with some dolls/muppets and watched tv and I took her downstairs to this little playground they have in the building. She is so adorable and she´s always yelling my name, ¨Raquel! Raquel!´´ and telling me to ´come with her and look at stuff. I also have been eating sooo much here. They just have really yummy snacks like normal people do. They have these really good almonds, this good yogurt, and also chocolate. I don´t really get that sort of stuff at my homestay in Sevilla so I´ve sort of been hoarding it and now I feel a little ill.

After hanging out with Cristina for a long time I showered and got ready for the night.  We walked Cristina to her house and then Carmen Paco and I bought some jamon iberico de bellota (Maica I think this is what you told me to try, or at least that is what they said, and it is SO good) apparantly you can´t get it in the America, besides like New York or something, and it´s more expensive and the grease is like good for you. It was sooo good. Then they took me to Corte Ingles and we walked around the centro for a few minutes. We ran into Cristina, Borris and little Cristina on our way to this restaurant called Piripi, and so they decided to come with us. (Maica apparantly you really like this palce?) It was so good! I really liked the atmosphere. We all had some beer and ate chorizo, DELICIOUS calamari and also croquetas. Super fun. We stayed there for a while and then it was time to go home. I am so tired, I didnt get my siesta in today...Cristina holds my hand the whole time wherever we walk it´s so fun. And Borris and Cristina (Maica´s sister) are just like the nicest. They are just really cool and fun to talk to. I feel sooo bad because on our way home Carmen and Paco weretalking about how tired they were and I just don´t know what to say! I really hope me being here isn´t too much on them. They really don´t need to do anything! I´m actually having such a great time, they are so nice and always make sure that I´´m getting enough food (which I obviously am) and that I´m comfortable with everything...etc. I know I keep saying it but I really don´t know how I can thank them. (Maica tell me what I should do, I feel like a thank you letter isn't sufficient!) I´m so full right now because when we got home they offered me ham and cheese and I just can´t say no because it´s so good. Like I literally feel like I might explode. Also, I´m going to need something to thank your sister as well!! I love hanging out with her daughter, and Cristina and Borris have taken me to el castillo, the centro, this other neighborhood, AND tomorrow Cristina, her daughter, Paco, Carmen and I are going to a city called Calpe that is up the coast a little. I´m so excited but sad because it´s my last day here! Maica and Jamie I know you are coming here in June but you have GOT to get your parents to visit one more time to Portland...and your sister and her family. I´m going to sleep and to watch the end of the Barcelona vs. Madrid soccer game. Its the final cup...Sorry I am writing novels. And also there might be a lot of pictures coming too. But not all of them because it´s too hard and I will put them all in my scrapbook this summer!




                                            At Piripi's!

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Alicante!

 Cristina, Borris and their daughter Crstina at el castillo

                                            Paella Paco made one day
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                                  Barrio de Santa Cruz I think?


                                              Semana Santa processions...




On Sunday I arrived in Alicante! Maica´s parents picked me up at the airport, I recognized them right away, and we drove to their apartment. They are being soo great and nice. It´s so fun being here. I can´t post pictures because I am using their computer but I wanted to blog a little so I don´t have a HUGE one to write when I get back to Sevilla. I´ll post all of the pictures on Friday or Saturday.

So we got to the apartment and they gave me a tour. It´s huge compared to my apartment in Sevilla. I´m staying in Maica´s old room which is fun, and I get my own big bathroom. The kitchen is so nice and modern, I think they just got it remodeled recently. There are pictures of Maica, Jamie, and the kids all over. It actually sort of made me a little homesick haha. After I unpacked my stuff, Maica´s sister Cristina, her husband Borris, and their daugher Cristina came over for lunch. They were so nice and fun to hang out with. Cristina is 4 and sooo cute. The 2 Cristina´s is sort of confusing, they call the 4 year old ´´la niña.´´ After we had a delicious lunch of chicken, french fries, and fish, Cristina, and Borris took me to el castillo. The big mountain/castle here. It was such a pretty view of the Alicante. I saw the hotel we stayed at when we came for Maica and Jamie´s wedding 10 years ago, and recognized a little bit of the centro and stuff. After el castillo, Cristina, the daugheter, and I went to this mall/play area and walked around for a bit. It was so nice of them to take me around for a few hours. I was so tired I came back, ate a little and went straight to bed.

The next day, Monday, I woke up at about 10:30, ate breakfast, which was great because I got to eat cereal which I haven´t had yet in Sevilla because my family doesn´t offer it to me, and fruit AND toast. Biggest breakfast I´ve eaten since I´ve been in Spain. It was really sunny out so I wanted to lay outside by the pool for a while. I knew I couldn´t swim in it but I had some reading to do for school and I wanted to be outside. Everyone thought I was crazy though because they thought it was freezing or something. It was like pretty hot though...just a little windy. But I thought it was perfect. So I layed outside for a while until lunch time. For lunch we had paella. MY FAVORITE. It was so good. Paco is a great cook. After lunch I took a little nap and then Paco, Carmen and I walked to Cristina´s apartment which is only like a 5 minute walk away, It´s super cute and has a really nice big terrace. Then Cristina, the daughter, me Paco and Carmen got in the car and Cristina drove us to the centro. We walked through this really cool neighborhood. Barrio de Santa Cruz I think? Really small streets and lots of stairs that led us up really high so we saw a great view of Alicante. And it was during sunset so it was beautiful! I also saw some Semana Santa processions which are a little creepy...when I post pictures you will understand. People walk around in huge groups with either really tall cones on their heads with robes and masks so they look like the KKK. Or they don´t have the tall cones but they are wearing white masks so they just look like weird ghosts. And then they carry these HUGE things with Jesus on them....I´m not really looking forward to going back to Sevilla where I think it´s going to be ten times more people and processions. And then I was watching the news today at lunch with Paco and Carmen and people like pretend they are Jesus and get attacked to wooden Crosses...We stopped in the church where Maica and Jamie got married I´m pretty sure. I didn´t really remember it but it was beautiful. And we got tapas for dinner at this cute tapa place. Ate this really good pork sandwich and mushrooms and potatoes. Yum. Oh and delicious sangria. Seriously I don´t know how to thank Paco, Carmen, and Cristina enough. They are being so nice to show me around and take time out of their day, and take me dinner, etc. I´m having such a great time, it´s just so relaxing. It´s exactly what I wanted to do. Then we got home so late, like 11:00, so I just showered and went straight to bed. Another great thing about being here is that I don´t have to take a 4 minute shower. (In Sevilla my water gets cold after about 4 minutes) so that was very relaxing haha. The new appreciation I have for certain things now is sort of funny.

Today I woke up around the same time, ate a great breakfast and got dressed. It´s very cloudy here but warm. So Carmen and Paco took me to their apartment at the beach San Juan about 15 minutes away. The apartment is great, super cute. I´m jealous Jamie and Maica and the kids get to spend 2 weeks there in June! And it´s like a 30 second walk to the beach. And the beach is beautiful!! It is SO clean, and there are bunch of play structures for kids. It was so warm out, it just wasn´t sunny. But it really didn´t matter because we still walked up and down the boardwalk and touched the ocean and sand for a bit. Then we stopped and had a beer and a tapa of this really good fish at this restaurant right on the beach called El Mayoral. They knew the waiter I guess, I got introduced to him, very nice man. And every so often someone would walk by the Carmen and Paco knew and they would introduce me and we would chat with them for a bit. It was so nice and everyone was so friendly. I actually loved this beach though, I reallllly want to come back to it some day. Then we drove home and had a delicious lunch here. We had this reallyyy good fish and veggies, and then strawberries and whipped cream for desert. It´s a good thing I´ve slowed down my eating here because I was about to just eat the whole fish but when I waited for Paco and Carmen to start eating first I noticed that they like took apart the whole thing because it was like a bunch of bones and skin that I wans´t supposed to eat haha. (In Granada I accidently ate a shrimp that was still in it´s shell and had the tail and legs attached to it still...it sort of hurt my throat) I´ve noticed here in Spain that you usally have to pick apart the fish from the bones and the tail before you can eat it. I still forget sometimes though. Then after lunch I took a little siesta and now I´m just browsing around on the internet and I might study a little because I have one of my finals next week. I´m just having such a great time. It´s so nice not having to worry about meeting up with people are going to a disco teca. I needed a little break. I don´t know how I´m ever going to thank them for having me! Again, sorry for no pictures right now, this weekend they will come.
                                   This is San Juan beach where they have their beach house.


                                            Us having some tapas and cervezas
                                      This is the outside of their apartment
                                        One of the rooms inside
                                 Lunch that day was fish and veggies that Paco made.

Monday, April 11, 2011

Lagos, Portugal!


So Lagos this weekend was the most unbelievable place I've ever been to. As you can see the water is the prettiest I've ever seen ocean water be. The cliffs are amazing, and the sand is perfect. I've never been anywhere like it. Friday we arrived around 2 p.m., checked in to our great hotel and went straight to the beach. We went with this group called Discover Sevilla. A business here that sets up trips for students studying abroad. Lagos had a set price, and we got the hotel, transportation, drink tickets, and some other things, and then we could pay extra to learn how to surf or to take a sangria sailboat cruise. I think there were a couple hundred people who went with them. A few friends and I decided to the sail boat cruise and it was completely worth it because we got unlimited sangria, took a sail boat out in the ocean and then got in a smaller boat to go into all the small grottos.



These were the grottos that the smaller boat took us through. The water seriously looked like you could drink it. Sooo nice, and it wasn't too freezing either! I went swimming in it a lot. After the sangria cruise the boat dropped us off at a new huge beach where there was this great restaurant that I had the best tuna sandwich at. We literally just spent the rest of the day lounging on the beach listening to music because my friend Brett bought speakers, and just having the best time ever. The bus picked us back up at 6 to go back to the hotel so we could get ready for the night. Me and my friends went out to dinner and then went to the recommended bars for the night that we had some drink tickets to. It was so much fun I never wanted to leave. Luckily we had all day Sunday there as well so we went back to the smaller beach near our hotel and layed out there all day long. Swam a lot in the ocean and just relaxed. It was SO hot. Mid 80's at least, so I stood in the ocean a lot of the time. Lagos will definately be some place I travel back to. The houses there are so cute as all, all different bright colors. It was just really amazing. Had to spend a lot of money because we only got breakfast included with the hotel, but it was totally worth it. I really recommend going there. 

Only 32 days left here! So crazy, and 5 of those days I'll be in Alicante, and then I have a few days of class, and then I'm in Madrid/Canary Islands for 7 of those days! It's going to end so soon I'm getting so sad. But I'm also getting a little homesick as well! I know I'm going to miss it so much, but some things are just going to be great to come back to. I really just miss my family and friends and wish they could be here with me. Madeline told me that everyone is celebrating Easter together next week and I got a little sad. But I thin Semana Santa will distract me from it! I'll get to have a nice relaxing week in Alicante and then I can see the processions here on Saturday and Sunday which I heard is the perfect amount of time to be here for it because it's just so crazy and crowded on the streets. 
 This is Brett, Ryan, me Grayson and Cj. They all go to Wisconsin and Penn state. Just like everyone else in my program...
 This is just random pictures from Seville. Me, Alicia and our friend Andrew are in the neighborhood Alameda. The really bohemian one that we went to during my favorite week here.
And this is just Alicia and I spending 8 hours at the río the other day because I get done with class at 11 on Thursdays soo just had a really great day there!



Saturday, April 2, 2011

Best week ever

I just had the BEST few days of my life. First of all, the weather has been about 80 degrees all week. Tuesday night, my friend Alicia's brother got into town. We went to dinner at this amazing tapas place called Los Coloniales, followed by some beers at the International Beer house, followed by a great night at our favorite club Demo, where we stayed until they turned the lights on and made us go home at about 5 in the morning. Naturally slept through my a.m. classes at 9:00 and 11:00. Woops. Made it to my writing class at CIEE though. Then Alicia, her brother and I went to this place called Cien Montaditos, where on Wednesdays everything is 1 euro! It's a restaurant/fast food kind of where they have over 100 different types of mini sandwiches, and beer and tinto de verano, (red wine with some fanta). So, got a huge meal there for only 4 euro with a big tinto! Then we just sat by the river for a while, and we went home. Thursday was about 85 degrees! Alicia and I went to our 9:00 a.m. anthropology class and met her brother afterwards. We bought some towels and went down to the rio where unfortunately as most of you know, I was filmed...I swear I speak better spanish than that. first of all, I really didn't think we were on tv cuz the camera men looked like they were from some sketchy place, not a legitimate tv station, and also I didn't know what he was asking us so I thought we would get cut out. Well I receive an e-mail from my mom a couple hours later saying that Maica saw me on tv...and now the whole family was being sent the link. Come home and my señora tells me she saw me as well, wow...so embarrassing. Went home and napped and at around 8 we went to go pick up Alicia's brothers friend/roomate back in the states, from the bus station. (They were both on business trips in London/Germany and wanted to make it over to Seville to visit Alicia!) Then the 4 of us went to to dinner at Los Coloniales again because Adam (Alicia's brother) loved it so much. The boys bought dinner for Alicia and I. Then we went to this awesome neighborhood called Alameda. It was very different than anywhere else in Seville, and all of the guidebooks say it's a must-see. It's a very bohemian part of Seville, lot's of hippies and reggae music. It was so fun, and we ran into a couple of our friends there. We just had a great night hanging at different bars and chatting. Made it home by about 3 that night because we had kayaking in the morning!
Alicia and I are in that sports interest group so our activity was to go kayaking and our leader of the group, Alberto, allowed Alicia's brother and his friend Chris to come. We had to be there by 10:30 so we got the boys (actually they are 26 so not really boys) at their hostel, went to Starbucks, and walked to the river. Alicia and I shared a kayak, I was in front and she was in back. And the guys shared one as well, and then there were about 8 other people there from our interest group. It was SO beautiful out, 90 degrees, and we were just kayaking down the Guadalquivir. I didn't take any pictures but the guide did so he is going to e-mail them to us, I'll post those when I see them. It was so fun but my arms are SO sore. It was hard work. After about 2 hours on the rio, we went to the international food festival to grab some lunch. I had a gyro and chips and guac, and of course a margarita. We hung out there for a while and then went to go see Plaza de España because Chris had never been to Seville. We showed them our university and we had a drink at Cien Montaditos. Afterward we got ice cream, they bought some tourist stuff, and we all went home to nap.
That night Alicia and I walked to the guys' hostel, and we went to get dinner at a place called Mr. Pizza. Oh my gosh it was the best pizza ever. Probably because it was very American. So good. Then, this was the best part, we heard that we should go to the top of a hotel, sit on the patio on the roof and get a drink. OH MY GOD IT WAS SO COOL. The place is called Hotel Eme, it's one of the nicest in Seville I'm pretty sure. The roof was huge, had a pool, a few bars with glasses and glasses being prepared for mojitos, and a DJ for later. The patio literally faces the cathedral/giralday (the tower connected to the cathedral) I'm posting a picture from the internet because the picture we took is on Chris' camera.
That was our view. Alicia and I got a table and the boys were just going to bring us over some beers because drinks were 12 euro (beers were 6) so quite spendy. But then Alicia's brother suprised her and I with MOJITOS. They were the best thing I have ever tasted in my entire life. So the four of us just stayed and chatted for while and took in the scene. Very swanky. Then we continued on to show the guys what we do at nights before we go to clubs. Botellon. We bought some drinks and took them down to the river to drink before we went to Abril, the club for the night. It was such nice weather and it was so nice to hang out the 4 of us. Took a cab to Abril (because Alicia's foot is like broken, she got tendinitis from walking too much here) and had a great time dancing until 6 in the morning. Also, one of my best friends from home Katherine, is studying in Madrid and her program came to Seville for the weekend so I saw her there! It was so fun to be with a friend from home.
Alicia's brother and Chris left today, were both pretty bummed because we literally had the best days of our lives in Seville this week. I can't believe I only have a little over a month left. It's going by WAY too quickly. I'll hopefully have pictures to post soon. They are mostly only Adam or Chris' camera so I'll have to wait until they put them on facebook.