...lots of cuddling...

Less than a week...

Writing that phrase took all the energy I had, which isn't much because it's time for a siesta anyways.  I still don't want to leave.  But it's okay.  The girls and I have decided to reunite in Cabo, Mexico sometime in the next two years or so.  (This will happen.  I promise.  We all do.)  And today when Feli asked me when they could expect me back, I said within two years, after I graduate from Loyola.  That, too, will happen.  I'm convinced.  One thing that Spain and this experience has taught me is that you never have enough time with the people you love.  Never.  So nothing should keep you from the people you love most.  Not 5,000 miles.  Not money.  Not work.  Not time/schedules.  Nothing.  Family and friends are too important and even that is an understatement.  If only everyone lived with that mindset, people would be much happier and the world would be a better place.  But that's another "tema" altogether.  I have had the time of my life in Spain these past four or five months.  I have learned and grown so much.  I don't want to leave but I know the next chapter of my life will bring joy, growth, and love as well.  I hate endings.  And I hate goodbyes.  Chicas, when we leave Spain we are not saying "Adios" - only "Hasta luego".  Wow.  The more I sit here thinking about leaving the more I cry.  This is going to be worse than heartbreak.  Pues... no pasa nada.  I am just so thankful and humbled by these opportunities but more so by the people I have met here and come to love.  You all have made this experience what it has been.  Indescribable.  I am so blessed to have met you all and we have become best friends in such a short time.  And Feli and Alba have become my second family in only four months.  Spain and everyone Spain has brought me to know and love have stolen my heart.  Through the tears, I'm smiling because I am so blessed, so incredibly blessed.

Okay.  Okay.  I need to write about something else.  So... what has been going on in Alicante lately?  Well, let's see.  Last weekend can be summed up in one word - PLAYA (beach).  Amazing weekend of beachin' it, enjoying meals with my family, and passing the nights with my friends in the barrio.  Me encanta.  Last week was full of classes which have become even more incredibly hard to sit through with only a few days left...  I made banana bread for thank you gifts yesterday.  Delicious but the middle always is a problem.  Yesterday, I had to buy a suitcase to transport stuff home in... muy triste.  Since I don't have much stuff, I am filling it with turrón, datiles, vino, digestive cookies, and paella seasoning.  As well as a lovely pair of heels, that are quite painful but I'm dedicated to practicing.  :)  Last night all of us got all dressed up and passed the time at Morgen's apartment, hanging out, talking, laughing, breaking wine glasses.... again I apologize for that one.  *embarrassed*  Then we went to Havana Lounge in the barrio for some dancing.  The dynamic was great.  Everyone was having a blast.  It was the perfect night.  Tonight, ladies, lots of cuddling??? jajaja

However, that isn't the most important part of this weekend.  The most important part is today because today is Feli's birthday!  ¡Qué bueno!  Alba and I bought pastries and flowers.  In Spain, birthdays aren't a big deal.  Loads of gifts - no.  Lots of sweets and cakes - no.  It was perfect.  We had a delicious lunchtime meal of seafood paella, caviar, brie al horno, and then a few tiny pasteles.  ¡Qué ricos!  It was fun because during lunch preparation and lunch, I had my camera and we took some fun pictures.  One of all of our slippers, which embarrassed Alba because she thinks her slippers are ugly!  jaja  They kinda are but we love them all the same.  Even though it is her birthday, Feli did everything the same, including when I tried to help clean up, she protested until I talked her into letting me wipe off the table.  Tonight, there is no way she is doing the dishes.  

Hm... time to echar una siesta.  What a life!

Dos besos

Sarah

Queen of Pro-Con Lists

Buenos Días Todos
Today is another gorgeous day in Alicante, España.  Both Friday and Saturday I was at the beach, although yesterday was clearly a far more superior beach day (I even got a little "tan" or in my case slightly red/brown).  It has been so relaxing this week.  Going to the beach, cooking with Feli, eating tapas with friends, and just hanging out.  Since the weather is so amazing and the beach so tempting, it will be very hard to concentrate on the last few weeks of school.  Pues... no pasa nada. :)
As many of you know, I am very conflicted about leaving Alicante.  I am super-excited to see my friends and family and this summer will be beyond INCREDIBLE!  However, I have fallen in love with everything here (minus being clicked at by strange Spanish men).  I have grown so much in Spain, learned so much about myself, and met some wonderful people.  I think I would be more at peace with leaving if I knew for sure that I was coming back - especially WHEN.  The thought of never seeing my host family again (or for a very very long time) is very triste (Spanish word for sad).  As I am going through the ups and downs of wanting to go home and then not wanting to etc. I thought I would share with you the things I am excited about in the States (Pros) and the things I will miss here in Spain (Cons).


Pros
1. Friends and Family, por supuesto (of course)
2. Ocean City, New Jersey!!!!!!!!
3. Target (and other shopping stores but mostly Target)
4. Sushi (yes, they have sushi in Spain but it just doesn't feel right eating sushi in Spain when there is tapas)
5. Chipotle (aka good Mexican food - the Spanish idea of Mexican food is wayyy off)
6. My closet (I am very excited about having CHOICES for my wardrobe once again)
7. Straightening my hair (I can straighten my hair in Spain but its not worth it here and I just want to see what it looks like again)
8. Chicago (I LOVE Chicago)
9. Loyola (surprisingly I am very excited about all my poli sci and international studies classes this Fall)


The list is tentative and will be further updated when I think of more things.


Cons
1. My host family (Feli and Alba have been such a blessing from the Lord and I adore them in every way - This is definitely the biggest Con of them all)
2. Friends (Although we will still be somewhat close in the States, we probably won't go on anymore amazing backpacking trips and be getting coffee on a regular base together...)
3. The food (tortilla española, cocido, tapas, and all the other wonderful food Feli makes.  Also, I will miss how cheap all the food is here.  The fruits and veggies (and brie cheese) are so cheap here it almost feels like you're stealing.)
4. The blinds on my windows (perfect for taking naps and sleeping in because they block out absolutely ALL sunlight.  I am investing in some when I get back to the States)
5. Coffee (The coffee here is amazing.)
6. The culture, in general (Very laid back, much more focused on family and friends... Living in the Spanish culture has made me more relaxed, less worrisome, and less anxious.  Hopefully these are things I can keep incorporated in my life back in the States.)
7. The language (I will miss speaking Spanish all the time in my classes and then coming home and speaking Spanish.  When I get back to the States I will be on the hunt for a Spanish-speaking partner.)


This semester abroad has been so rewarding.  In more ways than one.  It is sad that it is coming to an end.  Life moves too quickly and time goes too fast.  The rapid passing of life reinforces how important it is to live in the present and enjoy each day as if it were your last.  I know that there is a time for everything ("a time to plant and a time to uproot" Ecclesiastes 3:2b)  However, it still hurts having to "uproot" even though I know I am going on to something else wonderful and that the Lord will grow me in that place like He has grown me here in Spain.


I'll continue to keep the lists updated.  Until then... Hasta luego.
Un beso
Sarah

Pues.... Spring Break 2010

Awhhh finally... back in Alicante, España and it feels amazing.  I never thought I would be this happy to be returning to Alicante and to my wonderful host family in a very clean home.  First thing I did when I got home (after hugging Feli (Alba is away for the weekend), talking about spring break, and eating dinner... real food) was to SHOWER!  Best shower of my life.  I have never felt more disgusting before and more clean after.  It was much needed after the hostel we stayed at in Venice but I don't want to get ahead of myself here.  So the story of spring break begins.... You all have already heard about Barcelona, Roma, and Florence.  Now you will read about the adventures had in Cinque Terre and Venice.  Get ready.  Brace yourselves.  And pues... ENJOY!!


Florence was amazing (like I previously posted) but we (Morgen, Sara and I) were very excited to get to the Cinque Terre in Northwest Italia.  Cinque Terre is a national park that holds five beautiful quaint and charming little towns by the names of Monterrosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore.  All of which you are able to hike between for a total of about 9km.  Anyways... we were actually staying in La Spezia but that's besides the fact.  We were supposed to call the hostel an hour before we arrived so they would make sure everything was ready, open etc.  However when attempting to call the number we had, it came up incorrect or invalid.  We tried numerous times but each time, failure.  Of course, we remained calm.  When we got to La Spezia, we found the hostel.... but no one was around... Uh oh.  Panic set in.  What are we going to do???  The number is invalid... Panic.  Then Sara, being friends with Italians, remembered that you must dial + before the number.  Hallelujah!  It worked and we got ahold of Antonio who was the owner of the apartment in which we stayed.  Best hostel stay of our trip because it ended up being an empty apartment that Antonio rented out the rooms to travelers so we had our own kitchen, bathroom, living room etc.  Amazing!  Although there was one room that had a lock on it that was questionable... we tried not to think about it, hoping nothing scary would pop out of it in the middle of the night.
Since we arrived in La Spezia on Sunday, there were no stores open for food except a cute little pizza place called Bella Napoli.  We went in and ordered a pizza and gnocchi... no wait... we ordered three pizzas and three gnocchi!  The Italian guys running the place (who we could not communicate with besides pointing to the menu and holding up fingers) thought we were crazy - "How could three little American girls eat THAT much food???"  Believe me, its possible :)  Oh, did I mention that later that night we went back for a Nutella pizza?  They definitely thought we were insane.  The more ironic part took place the next morning as we are heading to the grocery story before we left for Cinque Terre and I am eating left-over cold pizza for breakfast (as we are walking) and we run into the pizza guy from last night.  He recognizes us (me eating his pizza) and smiles.  Our response:  "Buongiorno!"  Story #2 - While in the grocery store (in the bottled water and pop aisle) we see a piece of meat setting out on a shelf unrefrigerated.  Thinking that someone was lazy and after deciding they didn't need the meat just left it in the soda aisle, I picked up the meat (and was going to take it back to the correct section so it didnt spoil) and started to tell Morgen and Sara how rude I thought this was... when an Italian man comes towards me saying "es mio, es mio, es mio" (meaning it's mine, it's mine, it's mine).  Embarassed but laughing to hard to care, I hand the meat back to the nice Italian man....
Cinque Terre.... absolutely the most beautiful place in the entire world.  Period.  If you ever have the chance to go, GO!  Although there isn't much to do IN the towns, the most beautiful part is hiking between them.  Some parts of the hike were harder than others, especially after going up a million steps up a mountain, but the view made our jaws drop open.  Breath-taking.  While on the hike, we befriended two cats by feeding them Sara's leftover tuna.  Sara, if you are reading this, you are a champ!  Way to save the kitties.  
During this trip, we laughed so much it was ridiculous.  We also laughed so much our stomaches hurt, we couldn't breathe, and there were tears rolling down our faces.  Not only the cheese in Florence made us laugh so hard we cried but in Cinque Terre, there was a malfunction with the toliet seat... Speaking of toliets and toliet seats for that matter... Italians do NOT believe in toliet seats.  Rarely will you find a seat attached to the toliet.  It makes you want to BYOTS - Bring Your Own Toliet Seat.  However, at times, there is not even a toliet.  Yes, I know, it's unbelievable.  Unimaginable.  Absurd.  But sometimes, there is a hole in the ground and places marked for your feet (with any squatting position, a good stance is necessary of course).  Each of us will admit it, we were desperate and used the hole in the ground.  Awful but we try not to remember those moments.  Or the moments when they make you PAY to use the restroom.  Pues... no pasa nada.  :)  We survived.
As for survival... the three of us know how to navigate Italy's train system to our benefit.  From La Spezia to Venice (our next and final stop) we had to take three trains, meaning we had two transfers.  The first train - everything went well and we were on time.  However the second train was going to be 40 minutes late meaning we would miss train number three.  That was NOT going to happen!  Not when we only had 24 hours in Venice - we needed all the time we could get.  So making an executive decision we validated our ticket and hopped on the incorrect train - but a train going to the place our train number two would have gone as well.  What was our plan when the conductor came around to check tickets?  A) Pretend to be asleep.  If A failed, B) burst into tears, act innocent, act stupid and naive.  What really happened?  The guy took pity on us and did not say a word.  I kid you not.  He did a double-take at the ticket (obviously recognizing that it was wrong) and he stamped it, gave us a look, and went on his way.  We all breathed a sigh of relief... Close call.  Oh but we were not out of trouble quite yet.  The wrong train number two to Bologna ended up being kinda slow and we missed train number three to Venice after all.  We were about to try our luck and hop on another wrong train to Venice, when a strange Italian man came up to me (because I was holding the ticket) and started speaking in Italian and motioning to come with him.  It seemed as if he was going to help us.  He helped us get our reservation change for a train that would leave only a little bit after the one we missed.  However after the man left and I was still getting our new tickets, the ticket lady told me (in English), "That man is a *insert Italian word here that I do not remember or know*".  When I asked her what that meant in English, she told me she didn't know but that "it isn't good for you".  What????  Weird.  Pues... only in Italia....
Finally, we were in Venice - after eating pasta and cheese with our hands.  (Side note:  We were notorious on this trip for eating strange things - like scrambled (long story) tortilla española out of tupperware on rocks in the Cinque Terre.  Also for utilizing every gadget on my Swiss Army knife.)  Venice would be our breakpoint.  In a way we will be able to laugh about later.  Right now, TOO SOON.  What am I talking about?  Our hostel.  The Venice Fish.  How can I even begin to describe it?  Awful.  Horrible.  Filthy.  Repulsive.  Disease-Infested.  And I am being nice...  I don't even want to think about describing the kitchen or the lack of bed sheets.  Pues... we survived.  Although just barely without losing our sanity.  Sara still thinks she has bed bugs but we told her that was all in her head... or so we hope...  Never again will I stay at the Venice Fish.  After updating the blog, I am going to go give it a horrible rating on HostelWorld.com  Everyone else needs a warning.  Since our hostel was sooo awful, it kinda put a damper on Venice.  Don't get me wrong, Venice is beautiful!!!  So interesting and intriguing.  But we were all glad to get out of there.... hence, why I was so excited, thrilled actually, to get home to Alicante, where I have a CLEAN house, could take a long, hot shower with soap, and have a nice, clean, cozy bed to sleep in... with sheets.


El Fin.


Furthermore, the photos are coming.  Again, they don't do Italia justice but they are the best I can do.  Also, people are not lying when they tell you the pizza in Italy is the BEST in the world.  We each ate a wonderful slice in Venice - probably the highlight of our trip.  Oh, and the gelato.  Do I need to actually tell you that it was out of this world or is that just understood? :D  Well, I have about a million things to do, to unpack, emails to send, homework to do (possible).  I hope everyone enjoys this post and gets a little laugh out of it because we sure had some laughs on this spring break adventure.  Also, I pray that this post finds everyone healthy and happy (and with clean sheets on their beds and a kitchen that doesn't reek of filth - just kidding... well sorta).
Un beso
Sarah