David: Los Angeles, Ditto, OFWGKTA, & The Grammys

Los Angeles

Yes, I know it's been weeks and I've been promising this post, but things have been so hectic lately that I haven't been able to get to it until now. This is Ditto's trip to Los Angeles featuring our homies in OFWGKTA and the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards.

Friday

To start, Alan South and I got into Los Angeles on Friday, February 11th and of course had to make the first stop at the famous In & Out right by the airport.  For those of you who don't know In & Out... I'm really really sorry, but it is the best thing to hit the United States. This trip was Alan's first time out west so it was also his first time to an In & Out. The reaction was priceless. Check it out below:

After In & Out we retreated to our hotel where we hung out for awhile before figuring out our plans. Within an hour or so we went to Taco from OFWGKTA's house, which is also the location where all the OF rap albums and mixtapes have been recorded. When we got there I was introduced to Syd (also Taco's sister), Mike G, and the homie Toony TuneS, which was funny because neither of us realized who each other were until afterwards haha. Alan South, Taco, and myself had a long conversation about what seemed like everything from us, to OF, to girls, to music, and life in general. That whole conversation and atmosphere to begin with at the studio made me realize how smart and put together OF is about everything they do. Below is a little video of the recording booth where all the OF albums were made. It's a little hard to understand what's going on in the video, but Taco is explaining all the graffiti on the wall from meanings, to when they were drawn, etc. Check it out below:

After Taco's Alan and I went to meet up with our homie Anwar, who is also the manager of Casey Veggies. Some of you may recognize the name Anwar from Tyler's recent song Yonker's where he says,

"Rappin' as I'm mockin' deaf rock stars

Wearin' synthetic wigs made of Anwar's dreadlocks"

He was also in our Two Kids From Vermont vs Los Angeles video last year.

He invited us to a Stone Throws event on Hollywood Boulevard at this store called Freak City, but by the time we got there it was already pretty late so we didn't stay for too long. The scene was pretty cool though and there was a good amount of people even at the time we arrived.

From there we went back to the hotel to start over.

Saturday


On Saturday, Taco invited us to hang out at their normal spot where Gray and I met them last year. Pretty much all of the artists from OFWGKTA were there except for Hodgy Beats (who I met quickly last year at the Diddy Riese event with Johnny Cupcakes), Syd, Mike G, and Frank Ocean. I did get to see Tyler, The Creator again though and shot a quick video of him, which you can check out below:

Unlike what many people might think about OFWGKTA and their personalities, these kids are some of the funniest people I have ever hung out with in my life. I don't think I went a moment without laughing the whole time I was there because something funny was always being said or happening. 

As the day went on though, Alan and I met up with my good friend Aaron Rovner who is a student at USC. We spent the rest of the night with him going to some USC parties and just catching up. Rovner was the lead trumpet player in my Jazz Band two years ago when he was a senior and I was a sophomore. I saw him last year in February as well during Gray and I's trip to LA. This time around though there was definitely a lot more going on and Alan and I returned back to our hotel tired and ready to start the next day... Grammy day.

Sunday

53rd Annual Grammy Awards Ticket

On Sunday, Alan and I spent the beginning of the day getting ready for the Grammy Awards, which my very good friend Mei Mei Zeprun invited us out to. We arrived at the Staples Center and the day really began. 

Staples Center

Our first stop was the red carpet, which unfortunately I did not snap any pictures while I was on it, but Alan, Mei Mei, and I were able to walk with some of the worlds biggest stars. After the carpet we went inside, where the show began.

Inside the Staples Center

There's not much there is to say about the Grammys because I'm guessing many of you watched them on TV at home. The show is pretty much the same, of course, besides the awkward commercial breaks in the middle where they countdown warning everyone that the show is about to go live and everyone needs to get back to their seats. Also if you're sitting close enough that you're on TV they send in extras to fill your seats so that the crowd doesn't look empty when you get up to go somewhere. Below are some videos shot by Mei Mei Zeprun on her iPhone below though. Check them all out:

This was the opening

Rihanna & Eminem performing "Love the Way You Lie"

Katy Perry performing "Teenage Dream"

Dr. Dre & Eminem performing "I Need A Doctor"

Drake & Rihanna performing "What's My Name"

Me, Mei Mei Zeprun, & Alan South

Ditto

And that's pretty much Ditto's trip to Los Angeles back in February. Yes, once again I know a long time ago, but I finally put the post up for everyone to read here at TKFV.

Huge thanks to Mei Mei Zeprun for making this trip possible in the first place and also a shout out to the homies in OFWGKTA for letting us kick it with them again. 

http://dittodd.tumblr.com/

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David: Spain Trip - Day 14

Sofia & Manu talking at the TIE Spain exchange farewell banquet

The Spain TIE exchange is coming closer and closer to till end. And on top of things my converter blew out this morning so I can't charge my laptop or anything else I own besides my iPhone since Manu has what I need to charge it. I'm without a razor though, so I might be a little grizzly when I come back. 

Today we went to the school for the whole school day and went to classes and played with the younger kids in the school. Connor and I were assigned to a classroom of four year olds and for about 30 minutes we played blocks and attempted to start a domino line, but it kept getting knocked down by the kids after we put up more than four. After the class Connor, James, Matt, and myself played basketball outside for a few hours to kill time before we went downtown. I slowly was getting my shot back and for those that don't know, yes, I used to be an athlete, but these days I'm 100% for TKFV, music, fashion, and I guess school can be cool too... sometimes.

Connor

Pooja, Becca, & the little kids at the school

When school was finished, Manu and I went downtown to meet up with Connor. Manu and Sofia had to work on their presentation for the farewell banquet tonight, so Connor and I had a little time to ourselves to just hangout and relax. The weather wasn't that nice out later today so we went to a bar to just sit, talk, and watch the soccer games that were on... and for the parents reading here on TKFV, going to bars is just a part of what kids do here in Spain. People simply go to just hangout with friends or watch a big sporting event. Seems like everyday we've been going to bars, but parents we are the most amazing kids in the world and you have nothing to worry about :). Anyway after Manu and Sofia were done we met up with Lucia, Amanda, and our friend Maria. We were with each other for a few minutes and then we went to the farewell banquet.

At the farewell banquet, Manu and Sofia began their speech talking about memories and things we experienced in both Vermont and Salamanca. At the end every Spanish student talked about their American students and gave us a gift. Manu gave me churros (a Spanish food that's really good) and a University of Salamanca hoodie, which I've wanted this whole trip. So Manu if you're reading this, thank you for everything you have been the best host anyone could ask for!

After the banquet we had our dinner. I was munching on the churros for a bit earlier so I was a little full, but I was still able to eat when I was there. The whole time we just socialized with each other as a big group and had a good time. 

Me & Sofia

Gonzalo & I

After dinner Gonzalo, Sofia, Manu, Santi, Alyssa, James, Jose Juan, Matt, Cristina, Sarah, and our friend Kata went downtown to the same bar we were at last night with the pool table. I sat and watched Real Madrid win seven nothing and then I completely destroyed in fusbol and got destroyed in pool. One more full day to go and I hope it ends up being a good one. I really am going to miss everyone here. It's going to be hard finally leaving. But for now I'm signing off. I can't charge my computer and now I'm down to 60% battery life. Just enough to hopefully do another one tomorrow.

The end of the game

Santi

Adios!

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David: Spain Trip - Day 13

Downtown Salamanca (Plaza Mayor)

Today was the day we had to present our presentations to people in the school. Pooja, my partner, and myself presented about skiing and snowboarding in Vermont and a little bit about Burton. Our presentation went really well all four times we did it and our video got a really nice response. Below is the video we used for our presentations. We started it around 1:20 each time. Check it out:



After our presentations, Manu and myself went to his grandparents house and ate lunch with them and his uncle. It was my first time meeting all of them and they were all really nice people. I really enjoyed my time with all of them and all the food that they had prepared. Even though it was so short, it was definitely a highlight to this trip so far.

After lunch Manu and myself met up with Connor to head back to his house for a little bit. We hung out and I beat Manu at a soccer video game again (I'm just too good). Connor finally had the chance to get onto a computer too since Luis, his host, doesn't have a computer. The good news of the day came after he checked his email. Congrats to Connor for getting accepted into UVM!

About an hour later Manu, Connor, and myself went downtown to meet up with another big group of people. Matt, Jose Juan, Santi, James, Amanda, Luis, Rachel, Luna, Kata and more were all in our group today and we went to two bars in the area. One of them had a pool table and Kata and myself played against Santi and Manu. We both got down to the 8 ball and unfortunately Manu hit the luckiest shot of his life and made it... after cheating for the whole game haha.

Pool

Matt & Connor

After playing pool it was down to just Manu, Kata, Santi, James, and myself. We all walked out of the bar and called it a night. Manu has me rushing all over the place these days. I don't think there hasn't been a day he's had me running for a car or bus haha. Manu, Manu, Manu.

Adios TKFV!
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David: Spain Trip - Day 12

A part of the cheese factory/farm

Today we had a tour around a cheese factory. We started off walking to check out some of the animals on the property and saw a few sheep to start. Next we saw some tamed bulls that weren't harmless and kept their distance and never charged. So we were actually able to walk into their area and try to interact with them. The whole time I found myself dodging poop piles and hoping my nice dress shoes that I wore on this field trip stayed in tact. But don't worry TKFV I was successful and kept my distance and kept my shoes clean!

Sheep

Tamed bull (at least I think that's what they said it was)

After our outdoors visit we went over to the factory where they make the cheese. They had a nice little lunch ready for us too with fresh cheese, meat, water, and bread. I swear I haven't eaten much cheese as good as what I had today. I couldn't stop hogging the plate just to myself I loved it that much. I'll even be carrying a small package of cheese back to the US with me because it was so good.

Food they prepared for us

After the cheese factory we stopped in a small town to walk around for a few moments. I snapped one picture of the view of the town when I was there.

Once we returned back to the school, James and Matt came with Manu and myself to my house. Manu had to study so I worked on my Spanish presentation on snowboarding and skiing for tomorrow morning and then played a soccer game with them (of course I won I'm too good). Afterwards we went downtown where we met up with Luis, Connor, Amanda, and my new American friend, Kata, who I mentioned yesterday. We all went to the same bar we've been going to almost the whole time this trip and just talked. Jose Juan, Matt's host, our friend James (pronounced Hi-me), and Luis' cousin all came later to sit and enjoy the rest of the evening. Everyone then left except for Manu, myself, and Kata and then our friends Sarah and Cristina joined us for awhile and we watched the first half of the Manchester United versus Chelsea game. Once the first half ended we said goodbye to everyone and went home.

Right now I need my sleep for this presentation tomorrow though. I'll be letting everyone know how it goes! Adios!

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David: Spain Trip - Day 11

Inside the cathedral in Salamanca

Sorry everyone, but I didn't take many pictures today. I'll try to explain everything with the few pics I have though.

To start, we walked around downtown Salamanca and checked out the cathedral, some of the monuments, and the university. The tour was okay, but it was very windy and kind of cold this morning so it was kind of a distraction when we were outside. It seemed like we had stepped into our 50th cathedral while we've been on this trip too since I've seen or been in so many. Besides the cathedral, the monuments, and the quick stop outside of the university though, we stepped inside a cafe where we ate churros and drank hot chocolate. Definitely the highlight to my morning that's for sure.

Another picture inside the cathedral

After our morning festivities Manu, Connor, and myself, met up with a friend of mine who I met on a bus named, Kata. She's also here for an exchange program with a group of American students, but she'll be here until June... so she'll definitely be 10 times better at Spanish by the time she leaves compared to me haha. All of us met in Plaza Mayor and went to a bar for a little bit. We hung out and talked and just chatted about whatever happened to come up. We also started the beginning celebrations for Connor's 18th birthday. After the bar Manu, Connor, and myself had to head to our friend Fermin's house who was having people over. Everyone from the exchange was there and once again I ate way too much to handle. It's been such a struggle over here when it comes to food haha.

The birthday boy Connor enjoying his 18th

After Fermin's Manu and myself went downtown to meet up with Kata again for a quick second. We were only able to walk around for a few minutes before we had to go though. We ran home... and by the way TKFV readers I recommend you never run in two jackets, a t-shirt, skinny jeans, semi dress shoes, and a beanie in low 50 degree weather. I felt like asthma when I got back. And since I still feel like asthma I'm going to get some sleep. I've never been so tired in my life haha. Goodnight!

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David: Spain Trip - Day 10

Segovia

Lazy Sunday wasn't so lazy today. Manu, his family, and myself all went to Segovia and Ávila for the day, both different provinces in Spain. First we drove about an hour and a half to Segovia where we spent the first half of the day walking around town, checking out El Alcázar (a castle in the city), and finished off the rest of our time there at a restaurant. I've eaten a lot this trip, but I think I ate the most today. I started with lamb and a salad accompanied by bread and finished off the meal sharing two desserts with Manu. When I'm back in the United States I think all I'm going to be eating is salad for about a month or two.

Another view of Segovia

Manu & myself 

Manu, Myself, Manu's dad, and Manu's sister Claudia

Claudia, Manu's mom, and myself

The cathedral

Another view of Segovia

The menu (I ordered the cordero lechal asado with Manu)

Myself & Manu

Lamb

After Segovia we drove about 30 minutes to walk around in Ávila for a few minutes. We were only there for a little bit because we had to get home, but Manu's family wanted to show me another area of Spain. I enjoyed the views and watching the sun set for the few minutes we were there. After Ávila we got back into the car and went back to Salamanca.

Ávila

Another view of Ávila

When we got back to Salamanca Manu and myself met up with our friends Sofia, Alyssa, Santi, James, Amanda, and Lucia. We hung out for about an hour and then Manu and myself went back home. We ate dinner (and I don't know how I did after all that food I had for lunch) and now I'm about to head off to bed. Goodnight TKFV! 

P.S. - For those watching the Oscars tonight can you let me know how they are?

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David: Spain Trip - Day 9

Breakfast

Right now I am extremely tired, but I cannot go to bed without doing a blog post. So, excuse me if this one is a little short haha.

This morning I had churros with hot chocolate. I really love Spanish food I can't get over it. Everything that I've had out here has tasted amazing. It's kind of weird though. America is well known for being fat, but I've eaten so much more while I've been here. For breakfast I had everything that's in the picture above and for lunch I had a potato soup, bread, some egg dish, and then a dessert. I swear my stomach was about to burst.

For most of the day, Manu and myself just relaxed. We played Pro Evolution Soccer on his computer and I beat him every time until our last game where he beat me by one goal at the very end... So lucky haha. Afterwards we went with our friends Santi and James to a DJing/breakdancing event. We were all expecting something a little different, but I was able to itch my scratch for a bit and get my craving out of my system.

Turntables

Santi

Immediately after we went downtown to meet up with all our friends. Unfortunately it was too dark to get any pictures and I only took one that came out really bad which you can see below. We went to a few bars and clubs in the area and just had a good time. I was a little mad since my good friend Connor couldn't stay that long and his birthday is on Monday so I wanted to celebrate with him early. I guess we'll have to figure something else out and I'm sure we will. We are in Spain after all haha. 

Horrible picture in one of the clubs

Anyways I am really tired so I'm off to bed. I'll be heading out of Salamanca for the day tomorrow! Adios!

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David: Spain Trip - Day 8

Salamanca at night

Today was by far the best day that I've had while I've been in Spain. The day started off kind of boring and slow, but it got a lot better as it went on. To start, we went to a farm where they raise bulls to be used in bull fights and cows to breed them or be killed for food. I probably could've phrased all of that a little better, but that's roughly a summary of what goes on at the farm. There were hundreds of acres and different sections where they kept different cows and bulls. Unfortunately the tour got a little boring after seeing the same animals, scenery, and poop piles for an hour.

Bullring

Bulls

More bulls

Cows

After the tour was finally done, Manu and myself rested a bit before we went downtown. Once we were done resting we met up a group of kids, both American and Spanish. We started off with our friends Sofia, Alyssa, Matt, Rachel, Lucia, Amanda, and James and just walked around for awhile checking out a little more of downtown Salamanca. By the end of the night we were easily with a group of 20 or more. And at one point it was 4 guys and 14 girls which was definitely a highlight to my evening :) haha. While we were downtown we began at our friend Alba's (who is a part of the exchange) father's bar. Afterwards we began to walk around and I was able to meet a lot of new people (which is always what I look forward to on any trip I go on). We stopped in a few other bars and just hung out and had a good time. At the end of the night I was talking to my new friends Maria, Celia, and Marta. They taught James and myself some dirty Spanish words and sentences and some Spanish songs. So parents reading this back at home... We are learning so much Spanish haha. Afterwards everyone left and Manu and myself got some pizza again and now I'm at his house watching the NBA All Star game that I missed while he's passed out on the couch. Adios everyone! Tomorrow should be the busiest day of them all!

The Cathedral

Lucia & Sofia

Rachel & Matt

Food at a bakery we stopped at

Manu eating pizza at the end of the night

P.S. - I am officially a part of the family :)

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