Day 74-A los Estados Unidos

So today was my day to leave!  Wow I kind of can’t believe that I am going home, and as sad as it is to know that my adventure here is coming to an end, I don’t think it will really hit me until I am home, and I do not think I could be more excited to see my family, friends, and the States.  I woke up early today, around 7:45, so I could make sure I had everything packed, could eat something real quick, and get on the road to try to see a little of Hamburg.  The packing process took a little longer than expected.  I had to use my backpack in place of my purse because my purse got a huge hole in it from the last trip.  I was hoping it would not be a problem and would just pass as my additional handluggage/briefcase.  We had to do some work with it, even put a rubberband around it, but in the end, I think things were pretty well situated.  It stinks saying bye to Ann-ca again, but I know I will see her again, hopefully next summer.  After our farewells, Andre and I loaded up the car and hit the road.  We stopped for some chocolate and to get gas but then made our way to Hamburg, talking, listening to music, and entertaining ourselves by talking with Kamil.  Andre and I were planning to go and see at least a little of the city quickly, but we only had about an hour til I wanted to be at the airport, and he was afraid we wouldn’t have enough time with the traffic and everything.  He turned around and when he headed to the airport, but within a few minutes, I could tell he was not sure of where he was going.  We drove around for a while, asked a few people and then finally found the airport.  It ended up being a good thing we did not go because I do not think we would have had much of a chance to make it.  We got my boarding passes and then checked in my luggage.  Once again, my big suitcase was too heavy, so I tried to move some things around, and luckily got it to an okay size again.  Then however, another lady came and said that we needed to check my hand luggage, which I was thinking no big deal because my suitcase worked last time and this should be fine as a “purse.”  Well, they actually made us use the checking container, and the wheels went just over the edge.  There was no way we could do any shoving or anything without just breaking the wheels off.  I thought it wouldn’t be an issue, but this lady was adamant that it would not work because it would be too big and “in Hamburg we follow our policies strictly.”  I was not too happy because I clearly had flown British Airways to Sevilla with the same suitcase, so I don’t know why it would be any different.  Well I really did not want to pay for an extra suitcase, and finally a lady from the gate came over to talk with us and said that as long as I could squish my backpack, and thought the suitcase would be fine, she’d let us go.  THANK GOODNESS!  Then I had to say bye to Andre and go through security, then had a little time to wait and read and then loaded the plane.  It was an easy flight, about an hour and a half, and we got to London.  The people on the left hand side apparently got to see some of the Olympic views, but I was on the right, but it’s still cool to say that I was in London during the Olympics.  I had to wait a while for my gate to show up in London, luckily I was there in plenty of time, so I wrote and then watched some of the Olympics!!!  Then shortly after I had to go through and they made me send one of my bags through but just didn't make me pay, so I was okay with that!  Then I got on the plane and headed home!!!!!  I cannot believe I am flying home to the United States!  I would not have traded a moment in Europe, but I am excited to see everyone back home!!!!!  First, I will get to see Dave, and I am so excited!  What an exciting, challenging, blessed adventure this has been!!!! :)

Day 73-¡Divertido!

Today we slept in a little bit, but I think with all of these early mornings, I am not sleeping in as late as I used to.  We all got up around 10:20 and had some rolls for breakfast.  Then we got ready to go to the beach!  After Ann-Ca and I headed down to the city to get out some money and buy a duner!  That was one of the things she said I had to try and it was SO delicious!  It was kind of similar to kebab, but I think I may have even liked it better!  Then we met up with Andre, picked up Lucas and his girlfriend, and headed to the beach!  We laid out for a while, talked, read, swam, and went on this big floating slide out in the ocean.  That was kind of crazy though because there were so many people out there, and so it was hard to get up and people were sliding and falling off.  It finally cleared so we went down, and got a whole lot of water up my nose!  After a few hours, we headed home to get ready for the night.  Ann-ca and I wanted to take some pictures and go out to dinner, so we spent some time cleaning up, and then went out for a little photo shoot.  She had this thing that was like a tripod but then its legs curled so you could basically attach it to anything, which was great!  Then we walked to a real Bavarian restaurant!  I wanted to try their authentic food, so we both got two white sausages, a soft pretzel, potatoes, bread with a homemade cream cheese, and a raspberry lemonade beer.   Her father and his girlfriend came and joined us while we were just waiting for everything to come.  It was nice to get to see them, and we got to talk a little bit, but once again it was really hard since I obviously don’t know German.  After dinner, we went home and Ann-ca and I had some dessert, her some ice cream, me some Oreo Milka chocolate: so good!!  We got to talk some more and then hang out with Andre for a little.  Then we got to go to his house, which I was really happy about because that was her house growing up, so I got to see her old room, pictures, and special memories.  By the end though we were all really exhausted, so we headed home and fell asleep shortly after.

Day 72-Mi día en Lübeck con madre

Today Ann-ca had to work one more time which was a little bit of a bummer, but her mom said she would spend the day with me!  She also wanted me to have the best experience I could, so she took me all around the city and paid for everything!  It was so sweet!  I also could not believe how much better her English has gotten over the few years; like we were actually able to have conversations!  First we started by having breakfast at Ann-ca's place.  Then we headed out to one of the famous church's where we got to see where a huge bell had fallen and cracked.  It is still just laying there, and it is cool to see how huge it is and how it just completely broke.  Then we headed over to another church that we got to go up to the very top and 

 look at across all of Lübeck!  It was such a beautiful view because we could see the water, other churches, the houses, and other buildings.  We saw another church as well where she went around and asked the guard to explain different stories and hidden things to her, so she told me some fun facts, especially like where there is a hidden mouse in some of the art work.  Afterward, we headed to the Holsten Gate, which was huge and beautiful and was used during a lot of the fighting that took place in Germany.


 Next, her mom and I went on a boat tour.  That felt so nice because we got to ride on the water and have a tour at the same time!  Afterwards, we headed back to the Niederegger factory, and I got a marizpan lattee and a piece of marizpan cake.  I could not believe how amazing they both were!  We sat for a little while and then her brother came and joined us.  He was absolutely hysterical!  His english was great as well.  He told me about this story of the only time he came to the United States.  He had been living in Mexico (so he speaks Spanish too) and he needed to leave for a

 few days to make sure that his visa and everything stayed okay.  When he got there, the patrol was awful to him.  He made fun of him, called him a nazi, would not let him go through, sent him to look for money without knowing where to go, and then sent police out looking for him.  The way he told the story was so funny!  I was so glad he came.  Then I looked around at the little market they had and we went to visit Ann-ca.
After a little, we went to Ann-ca's mom's house, and I began to write Ann-ca a little note of thanks and encouragement and to show her how much I love her!  Then Ann-ca showed up and we had a

big cook out with her family, grandparents, and some family friends.  Some of the friends were really great too and tried to include me.  The food was delicious as well.  Her grandparents could not speak any English but they were so sweet to me and bought me a book all about Lübeck and a mug full of marizpan candy.  Then we just spent a few hours talking.  I had a good time, but it was a little hard because they all talked in German and I could barely understand anything.  Occasionally I was able to understand something, but Ann-ca did not translate too much, which does make since that would get old for her.  It was fun, but we had talked about going to a club, but it actually was probably good because that's not something I need to do.  Anyway I started to freeze so they all made fun of me because I had so many blankets piled up on me.  I was getting so exhausted, so after a little while we headed home, hung out for a little and went to bed!

Day 71-La playa

Unfortunately Ann-ca had to work today, but it actually ended up being a wonderful day!  I got up around 9:15 and had some breakfast and then got ready to go.  Andre and I left her house around 10:15 and we headed to the beach!  It was such a change in weather!  It was actually hot and felt so good to be at the beach; plus I was really glad I got to see that part of Germany too, and it’s so nice because it’s only like 20 minutes from her house.  We met up with some of their friends: Catrin, Kamil, and Lucas.  I had heard a lot about Catrin from Ann-ca, who is one of her best friends, so it was great to spend a couple of hours getting to know her.  All of their English was pretty good too, so it was really nice to actually be able to talk and joke around.  They were all really friendly too and wanted to hear about the States.  We layed out for a while and tried a cactus pear fruit beer, which was actually good, the first beer I’ve ever actually had.  They tried to teach me some German words too, their favorite being rouhig blieben, which means “calm down” but to me it sound like “roish blime.”  They kept laughing at all the different ways I’d pronounce their words and they had a good time laughing at the different states.  Kamil, a little bit of a flirt, kept asking me to “cuddle bro” (apparently we’re all bros in the States).  Then I met Fabian and Lucas’s brother who looked like Akon.  I told them I thought it was really interesting too that the boys in Europe seem to just have such a different way to interact with each other because they are not afraid to be close and show affection to each other.  I did even get to talk a little about my faith too because they asked to read a page of my book, which was If God Writes Your Love Story, which clearly talks a lot about God.  After a little while of playing in the water and throwing around some balls, we headed back to shower and change.  By that time, Ann-ca was off work and met with us.  We were going to go out to dinner that night to a greek restaurant that was amazing and one that their friend owns!  They first tried to get me to take this shot that tasted like liquorice, which I guess was a big part of the Greek thing.  Then I had one of the most delicious meals!  I had this like gyro meat with french fries and then this like meatloaf that was stuffed with tomatoes and cheese!  It was soo soo good!  Then Ann-ca unfortunately had to go back to work for a little bit, so I went home with Andre and we talked for a little and just hung out.  Then I got to skype with my parents and Ann-ca came home and got to talk to them for a few moments.  Then we hung out for a little more and went to bed!    

Day 70-Ir de compras y vistas

Today we woke up to another delicious meal!  Ann-ca had also mentioned that I had never had an After Eight, which is similar to a peppermint paddy.  Anyway, it was there sitting in the basket waiting for me to take, which was so sweet of him!  Then after a little breakfast, he returned with two older men that he works with.  They are men who have some mental issues, and he spends time with them.  This time they were making lunch with him, and I thought it was so sweet.  They talked with Ann-ca for a while but I had no idea what they were saying.  After a little while, Ann-ca and I finally got to go SHOPPING!!!  We went to this place called Primark, which was a HUGE store that was similar to an H & M or Forever 21.  There were still a few things that I wanted to get, and I actually found some things that I really liked.  Ann-ca and I had a really fun time looking around and trying things on for each other.  We waited in such a long line; it looked like an amusement park line just to try something on!  After we both made some purchases, we went to explore a little bit more of the city.  We got to go to see Checkpoint Charlie, which was where the section stood between East and West Berlin.  The people would have to show their passports at this checkpoint.  Then we saw the museum for it too!  Afterwards, we went to see what she said was one of the coolest buildings, but it was under construction, so we could only see some of it!  While we stopped there I got to try my first real German currywurst!!  It was actually so good!  

Shortly after we went back and collected our things and headed back to the bus station.  We caught our bus and talked for a really long time on the way home.  She told me a lot about her relationship with Andre, which was good and bad, so I was just trying to really listen to her and give her the best advice and Godly wisdom that I could.  When we got there, he was actually sitting there waiting for us, which I thought was really thoughtful!  We went back and hung out with him for a little bit and had an easy night.  We thought about watching a movie or something, but we ended up just talking and hanging out.  She has to work in the morning, so she didn't want to be up super late.  We'll see what tomorrow looks like; hopefully another fun day!  

Day 69-Berlin :)

Today Ann-ca and I woke up super early because Andre was going to take us to the bus station.  However, because it was so early, when we woke up, we could not get ahold of Andre.  We started to get a little nervous because our whole plans were kind of resting on him to get us there, but finally we got him to answer and he came and got us to the bus station on time.  We weren't sure if we had to get tickets or anything ahead of time, but it ended up working out and we could just buy them there.  We paid about 40 euro, so it wasn't super cheap but it also wasn't super expensive.  And I was going to get to see Berlin--another German city!!  We talked for a little and then slept on the 3 hour or so trip there.  Once we got there, her friend met us and took us back to his apartment.  We talked with him for a little and he showed us around the place.  Their apartment was so cute, and was going to be a nice little place for us.  Ann-ca and I even have our own little bedroom to share!  Then he served us this amazing breakfast!  We had grapes, water, juice, and so many different kinds of bread.  I get so full from this because it is all so delicious!  Then after talking for a little bit, Ann-ca and I borrowed their bikes for the day!  It was such a good decision because we were able to cover so much area and it just felt so nice in the breeze.  We rode through this beautiful park first, and then stopped for a few moments and looked to our right and my jaw dropped.  It was a nude park!  There were a bunch of people just laying on this grass reading or just hanging out, and yep, they definitely were not wearing anything!  Then we saw this really cool angel statue in TiergartenAfterwards, we kept pedaling on to the gate that used to divide East and West Berlin.  It was cool to see, and then behind it was a big area where people were gathered, with stores, and restaurants, and a gorgeous fountain.  Then we kept going because we were both getting ready for coffee or something, but we couldn't really find anything that was in our budget.  So we kept going
until we got to the Holocaust memorial.  There were a whole bunch of boxes around that represented the lives that were lost.  I got to walk around it, which was just really cool to see because it was like a huge maze.  After the memorial, we went to see some left over pieces of the Berlin wall.  There were just random pieces of the wall, which was just a neat experience to see.  Then we went to the Cine Star, which was the huge dome that covered this big square that had some restaurants, stores, and a big movie theater.  We thought about going to see a movie if there was one in English but the English ones didn't really interest us.  Then we went to the Ritter Sport chocolate factory.   You could make your own chocolate too, but it cost a lot so we just decided to buy our own.  I got a carmel kind and it was so good!
Then we went and saw the university and a gorgeous cathedral!  Then she really wanted to show me the Fernsehturm, which is a big tower with this huge reflecting ball at the top.  We saw later that night that when the sun hits it correctly you can see a cross shining on it.  Then we headed to this pretty plaza, took a little break, and saw these crazy people who painted themselves silver and looked like statues, but if someone gave them money they would go crazy and pretend like they were shooting things and dancing like crazy.  Then we weren't sure if we were going to make it, but we got to the actual Berlin wall.  There was so much of it still standing, and it was pretty amazing to see!  There was so much painting and detail on it too!  I especially liked the solí deo gloría!  
We finally rode back and were both just exhausted from our extremely long day, but they had prepared dinner for us!  We ate with Ann-ca's friend and his grilfriend!  They gave us way too much, but we had a wonderful time talking and hanging out with them, and then we called it an early night!

Day 68-Andando, marizpan, y discotecas

Today was going to be my first full day in Lübeck and I was excited to get to spend time with Ann-ca!  We woke up, had something to eat, which is already a little different from Spain: cereal, lots of breads, like croissants and really delicious things with some jam and nutella.  Then we got ready to go out for the day.  It is crazy how much cooler it is here.  I mean it is not cold but I was in jeans and a cardigan and felt pretty comfortable.  Then we went for a walk with Andre and met up with her dad and his girlfriend.  We walked through the streets, which were just so pretty.  I love the feel of Lübeck because it is definitely a city, but it feels very quaint.  The roads were like cobblestone and the buildings were just very cool.  They first took me to this little tunnel that was cute in some buildings, and you were able to walk through into this little patio area that was cute.  Then we went to the Schiffergesellschaft, which was historic restaurant that used to be a seamen’s guildhall.  Ann-ca wanted to make sure I got to see most of the biggest attractions while I was there, which I appreciated a lot, so we went to the Willy Brandt museum.  He had a huge role in Germany's history because he tried to reconcile East and West Berlin.  The museum was very interesting to me even though I could not understand a lot of it.  

Then we headed to the Niederegger Marizpan factory!  It was one of the coolest places.  Marizpan is a type of sweet that they put into candies, drinks, and cakes.  There was so many different types everywhere and then we went upstairs and saw tons of different sculptures that were made out of marizpan!  One lady was in the back sculpting some different things but she didn't like me taking her picture very much...:)    

Then we headed to St. Jacob’s church, which was very pretty.  Then she made me take my picture with the devil statue outside of the church because they claimed that it tried to get into the church but was not successful.  Apparently it is good luck to rub its horns, so I did but made sure to give it the big thumbs down. 
Ann-ca also needed to stop at her bank to get some money out, but I guess it's very hard to find hers and the hours were weird in a lot of the places, so we had a little bit of trouble.  After a walking around for a little bit though we were able to find one that both her and I could use, so it worked out well!  Then we headed to this cute little coffee shop called, Campus Suite, and I got a latte!  There set up was so cute because they had a lot of these little chairs where you could fit two people and had a little covering over your heads!  I thought it was adorable!  We got to talk for a while as we sat there with our snacks and caught up about a lot of things.  
Then we headed home and got ready to go to Andre's soccer game.  It was a lot of fun to watch him!  He was so good, and both teams were pretty good!  Plus I love to watch soccer and had a lot of fun doing it with Ann-ca!  Afterwards we went home, grabbed a quick snack, and then went out to the nighttime festival down by the water.  This reminded me a little of the ones that I saw in Rome and in Sevilla.  We walked around, tried these little

delicious donut things with sprinkled sugar that kind of tasted like a funnel cake.  Then we continued on, and went to this two clubs.  The one had this group of kids who were going nuts!  They were on the ground in a line acting like they were rowing a canoe!  We danced around there for a little bit, and then walked over to one that was completely outside, which was pretty cool.  We danced for a while there, and when we were both exhausted, we decided to head home.  We stopped quickly at this nut stand because they smelled so good, and I asked to try a few, and Andre was making me laugh.  Then we also stopped by the casino quickly where Ann-ca's mom works and talked with her for a little bit.  Then we headed back, talked for a little while, and called it a night!

Day 67-¡Hola Alemania!

Once again, I got up at like
7:15 because I really wanted to go to a service in the Cathedral.  It was pretty good and interesting to go to, but I am also not familiar with some of those Catholic traditions, and a lot of it was hard to understand in
Spanish.  When it was over, I had really wanted to go Duffin Dagels, which is like a mock Dunkin Donuts.  Anyway, these donuts looked so unique and so tasty!!!  I decided I must go try one before I left, so I stopped there afterward.  After a while trying decide, I decided on a donut with a white chocolate Milka cookie on top and white chocolate in the middle.  It was so delicious!!!  Then I headed back to my apartment and finished my final packing!  Then I took a quick shower, and even though I was still not hungry my señora wanted to feed me one last lunch, so I wasn't going to say no!  She was so sweet, and told me that anytime I come back that I am welcome to stay with her!  Then I met up with Zach because he was nice enough to take some of my stuff home since I did not have enough room in my own luggage.  Then I realized it was time for me to start going because I wanted to make sure I had plenty of time.  I needed to make sure that I had enough time to walk to the bus, take the bus, and then check in and everything before I left.  It was so incredibly hot; about 102 degrees!!!  It took me over an hour to walk to the bus stop in the sweltering heat, and I literally was not sure I was going to make it.  I did not want to pay for a cab, but this was such a challenge.  I seriously think that walk was one of the hardest things I have ever done in my life.  My arms and back were aching because I was trying to lug two suitcases, and my oversized purse.  I kept trying to switch between arms, but I eventually had to sit down.  I didn't know what to do...I was seriously so miserable and just kept praying and crying out to the Lord.  I had to look like I was majorly struggling too, but not too many people seemed to care.  Finally when I was almost there, a waiter offered to help me, but I didn't want to pay, and then there were just some creepy men who offered or made some comments.  When I was only about five minutes away, I thought I heard a noise, so I stopped to look down at my suitcase, and AHA!!!  I realized that my wheel had ripped off and a part of the plastic was just jutting out, so I was literally dragging my suitcase the whole way.  About a 50 pound suitcase!!  I finally sat down when I got to the bus stop but was still hurting!  My bus ticket still worked too, so I didn't have to even pay for the bus, which was a huge relief.  I got to the airport for free when some people paid like 40 euros.

When I got to the airport, I could not find the counter.  I was still hurting from my bags, but then I found my little gift from the Lord: a cart!  I threw my bags on there and pushed it around.  I finally found the check in but my bag weighed 26 kilograms, and it is only allowed to way 23 kilograms.  The lady told me I could take stuff out and try to put it into my carry-on.  I did as much as I could, so when I put it back on, it weighed 24.5 kilograms.  Then I was given yet another blessing from the Lord!  The lady told me that was close enough and she would send it through!  Then I went to the counter and paid what I needed for my original luggage, but at this point I had a splitting headache.  I just wanted to get through security and then I finally relaxed for a little.  I wrote for a little and worked on some projects.  I was getting pretty nervous though because my plane was not there.  I sat and watched, but it did not come and it did not come.  We finally boarded about 50 minutes late.  I was pretty nervous that I was not going to catch my connecting flight, and then I would have no way to contact Ann-ca because my phone would no longer be working!  I had a nice little snack on the plane, and this one man kept acting like he was flying and these boys thought he was funny.  Then another man started talking to me in German; oh what a change I am in for!  Once I got there, they helped me figure out where I needed to go, since we were running late, but I ended up still having about an hour.  I read for a little, got back on the plane, and slept for a little while.  I was so tired, and still felt so tired as I was getting off the plane.  I tried to find my bags, but that was a bit of a challenge.  I finally found some security guard that spoke English and he led me to the spot.  One of my bags had a huge hole in though, which looked like someone had ripped it open, but luckily I don't think anything was missing.  Then I finally started to leave and I found ANN-CA!!!  It was so exciting!  I got to meet Andre as well because he drove us home.  We got to catch up for a little and then we got settled in and went for a little walk around her town.  This creepy man came outside as we walked by and asked in German if we wanted to go in for a cup of coffee.  I didn't even know what he was saying and I was creeped out!  She said that was the first time that had happened to her.  She said I must be a magnet, yea, haha.  Then we headed home, had a little snack, and even though I was SO TIRED, we talked til about 3 and then I had to crash!  I am in Germany now!!!!! :)  

Day 66-El último día

 

 This is crazy!!!  I cannot believe today was my last full day in Spain!  Although I feel like I have been here for a while, I feel like it has just gone by so fast!  I got up around 7:15 because I wanted to study a little bit more before the test.  Then I went to class and took the test.  I feel like I remembered a lot of information as I was taking the test.  I chose some questions that others said were way too hard and too much information, but I think my studying paid off again because I think I remember most of it.  After I finished, I went to the university store and bought the sweatshirt!  I love it and think it will be good a little souvenir for me!  Afterwards, I headed back to the CIEE center because I was planning to meet Alice, so while I waited I printed out my boarding pass.  However, I realized I could not print my connecting boarding pass because it was too early.  By the time I would be allowed to print my pass, the CIEE center would be closed.  I was a little bit nervous about what I was going to do since I do not have much time between my connecting flights, and I wasn't even sure if I was allowed to print at an airport.  I decided I would just have to figure it out later and hope and pray that it worked out.  Then I finally got to check off another thing on my bucket list: try on a flamenco dress!!  Alice and I went to the one store together, and had a lot of fun trying one on and spinning around!  Then I went home for lunch, which was paella (YUM!) and to do a little more packing.  I got to skype with Mags for a little while afterwards since I probably will not get to talk again until I

 am home from Germany.  Then I searched and found a place that could print my boarding pass for me, so I ran that in quickly and got that taken care of, so I feel a lot better!  Then I went to meet up with Alice and Miguel, and we walked over to meet Tiffany and Nicolette.  There was a special festival at Triana, so we thought we'd go check it out.  Most of the activities and everything weren't starting til the evening, but

we at least got to look at it.  It looks like it will be cute; there will a
bunch of vendors right by the water.  Then we decided we should go to rayas one last time.  As always, it was delicious.  I tried beso de damas and a nut flavor.  Then we helped Miguel with his resume because he would like to come over and do some work in the States, so he had to try to create an English resume.  It was fun to get to help him out!  Since my time is running out, I wanted to try to go shopping one more time!  Then I headed home to have my last dinner with my señora!  She made me a huge helping of croquetas and the ham and cheese squares, which she knows I loved so much!  Afterward, I got ready to go out and then met Elise, Zach, and Lauren, and headed down to the river.  We hung out for a little while, and then this creepy group of guys came over and talked to us.  They just kept making creepy remarks, and then started asking Tiffany if she had a boyfriend.  They were talking to her in Spanish and kept saying, "Japonese, chino..!!!  ¿Novio?"  She didn't answer so they kept asking.  Finally, they were just like, "¿Español?"  She just said no, so then they were like, "Boyfriend?"  So I guess they've learned a little bit of English.  One of them grabbed

my shoulder, and we all just kind of got freaked out.  Then a bunch of bats swooped in, so we decided it was time to leave!  Then the girls and I decided to head down to the festival, and it was cool to see because it was night so the lights were shining and the vendors and everything were open.  We took some pictures, and laughed hysterically when we saw this girl who photobombed our picture!!!  Anyway, we walked and saw this game that kids were playing where they rode on these little mechanical bulls and got knocked off.  It was so cute and so funny to watch.  Then I saw the dog that I want to buy; it was the tiniest little ball of fur--so stinkin' cute!!  Then we bought our last tinto and hung out for about 2 hours, but then I realized I should probably head home, so I got back around 2:20 and got to bed around 3!  It was a great day to say good bye to everyone!

Day 65-Mucha estudiando

Today in class we had our wine tasting day, so we got to try a couple different kinds.  There weren't really any that I loved, but they were good and fun to try!  Then we had a little review in class, which I think helped a little bit.  Then I went home and had to study on my own for a while.  I got a little bit in before lunch, ate, and then got

ready to go meet Tiffany at Cafe de Indias.  I was heading out to Triana this time because we were going to go to Bible study afterwards.  By the time I walked the whole way out to Triana, which was like a 40-50 minute walk, and once again it was scorching hot.  I finally made it there in nice air conditioning but when I put my back pack down, my bag was like soaked: absolutely disgusting!  I got a wonderful drink when I got there too; it was called frappellatee fondent, which was like chocolate coffee ice cream!  Mm mm!  Then Tiffany and I just literally sat there and reviewed for hours.  We gathered information for a long time, jotted notes, and then reviewed for each other at the end.  We had 7 different possible questions,

and we were only able to cover 4 in 4 hours!  I still felt a lot better after it because Tiffany helps me to learn a lot and it just helps to actually to review it out loud with her.  Then we realized we needed to head over to Bible study, so we walked over and got to enjoy one more incredible night of worship and praise in a Spanish community who loved the Lord.  I loved listening to and singing the songs again because I love to be able to recognize songs or just figure out what they mean and worship God in another language.  It was a little harder though this time because I kind of felt like my mind was just in another place.  I think I am just thinking about the test, going home, all that's in store when I get back, and just a lot on my mind.  I tried hard though to be there and enjoy my time to praise Him!  When it was over we parted ways and I got to walk home, see a gorgeous skyline for one of my last times, and then studied for the rest of the night til about 1:30...we'll see how tomorrow goes!!!

Day 64-Comida :)

Today I got up, had breakfast, and a normal day of class.  Afterwards we sat down and exchanged pictures from our trip to Rome because we all took so many!!!  Then I went home and had a great lunch with my señora!  Afterwards, I knew I needed to do some serious work on my paper, so I worked for a little.  Then I got to talk with Andrew for a little and hopefully skype tonight.!  Then I did some more work and updated my blog a little bit.  Then I told Lauren that I would go get tapas with her because she kept talking about how delicious this one tapas place was, so we decided to go together.  We had a really good time!  I have gotten to know her better over the past couple weeks, especially

since going to Barcelona, but I got to ask some questions and learning some more about her.  We also had some delicious tapas.  First we had blue cheese with blueberries and crackers.  Then we fried eggplant in honey that was so delicious!  Then we got the staple salmorejo jamón.  I had a glass of wine manzanillo, which is apple wine to accompany my meal.  Finally for dessert, we decided we would order chocolate cheese cake for dessert.  Our waiter was so funny.  We told him that it was so delicious, and we're pretty sure he started making fun of us because he was like, "Oh you're like, "OH MY GOSH.  That cake looks soo good!"  We just started laughing so hard because we like didn't know how to react, and it's pretty entertaining to watch a Spanish man try to act like American girls.  Then I skyped Andrew for a few moments, talked to Mom and Dad for a little while, and then

I got to talk with Lindsay then for a while, which I always enjoy catching up with her and getting her advice!!  Then as I was getting ready for bed, my señora knocked on my door, and since it was so hot, she brought me in a little piece of ice cream cake, which was tasty!  So even though I wasn't too hungry, it was super sweet (and I guess that means she's not mad about the shower!) Phew! :)

Day 63-Mucho calor

Today I woke up and realized I do not have any more toothpaste...yea kinda gross, so that was a must for after class.  During our class today, we had a little field trip to the market to find some items and their prices to create a mediterranean menu.  We had seen a lot of the food items before, especially these snails!!!  We looked around for a little, came up with our ideas, and then were allowed to go.  I went to the store and got some toothpaste, and then I tried to start packing up some, so that I do not get stuck at the very

end.  Most of my big stuff is ready to go, which is kind of crazy to believe already.  Afterwards, I listened to some of my sermon series, which was great!  Then I went on a little walking adventure.  First I headed to the post office to mail my final letter!  Then I headed to the University store to check out their selection because I want to buy a sweatshirt they have there!  Then I walked over to meet for the archaeological museum, which I was told I had to go to!  The walk over was pretty miserable though because it was kind of far away and it was about 113 degrees!!!  It was unbelievable how hot it was...we just felt

disgusting, so hot and sticky..pretty hard to get any relief.  The museum was at least bareable!  It was pretty cool to see some

of the statues and the things that we had talked about during class.
After the museum tour, I walked home, had some bacon and tuna pizza for dinner, which although it sounds super weird, was actually pretty good!  Then my señora came to talk to me and accused me of breaking the shower!  I tried to explain that it was the boys when they were here, but not really sure she believed me even though it really wasn't me!!  Then I tried to read for my paper, which went okay but just not super excited to write it.  Then I edit my papers a little and hit the hay around 11:50!

Day 62-Día de agotamiento, ilusiónes, y ganadores

Today we got up even earlier because we wanted to get to Sistine Chapel really early.  We knew that we would not have much time in Rome today since we were heading back to Seville later in the evening, but we still wanted to make the most of it and beat any lines.  Before we had arrived I printed out a guide to the chapel and it was really helpful.  It told me some things to take notice to, facts about the artist, reasons things were made like they were, and just some interesting facts I would not have known.  I think the Chapel was probably my favorite thing I saw in Rome.  The detail on everything from the floor to the walls to the ceiling to the statues was absolutely incredible and kind of took my breath away.  I got to see where the pope stood, where Peter is buried, some actual services being done, the beautiful Pieta, and I got to pray in the chapel.
Everything just blew me away, from all the Christian symbolism and art and all that it means to me and my faith.  After a little while, we all gathered back together and decided that we should probably move on to make sure we were okay on time.  To make our transportation ticket really worth it, we needed to go to one more spot, and I had still really wanted to see Circus Maximus.  We literally ran to get on the metro, and we quickly saw it, took some pictures, and then got back on the metro.  When we got to the train station, we got super confused with how we were supposed to get back to the airport.  We had no trouble getting to the city, but this way was so confusing.  We tried to ask for some help, but did
not get too much.  Finally, a lady told us where we needed to go, and a bus was leaving within minutes, so we sprinted through the station.  When we got there, I ran in to try to buy all of us tickets because the
bus driver said that he would still take us, but the
lady at the desk said she would not sell anymore
tickets.  That was really frustrating because it was not going to leave for like 45 minutes later.  The bus finally did arrive and we knew we were just going to have to do everything correctly.  Thankfully, we were okay, ONCE AGAIN, and made it on time and without a problem!  Then we flew home and were all so so tired!  (I definitely took a nap!)

We got home and settled in for a little, but then we were having a picnic for everyone to culminate our experience.  Before we ate, we split into groups and had to go around and ask people what these different slang terms meant.  Obviously they would explain in Spanish, and then our job was to report it back to the guides.  I worked with Megan and Laura, who are both pretty good, and we ended up winning!!  We got these sweet Starbucks mugs, hats, shirts, pins, and key chains!  It was pretty sweet.  Then we ate for a little, talked, and then I met a Spanish guy to talk to for a bit.  Afterwards I headed home and called in a night shortly after because it was an exhausting weekend and my feet hurt SO unbelievably bad.  I think they are going to take a few days to recover!!!  ¡Buenos noches!