As I write this, I’m on my 34th hour of traveling. That’s to say, things didn’t go exactly as planned! But it only makes home all the sweeter upon the longer wait.
The last week before Christmas was great. A few tidbits:
-Celebrated with Julie, my friend from just outside of Paris, for her birthday. She was going to neglect her big day entirely when we got hold of her (through brown apple betty, ice cream, and gingerbread at our flat). So we went to see a movie [which was ridiculously depressing, actually. I made jokes to myself to make it through. But it did make me think!] and then out for some tex-mex. There Julie met chips and salsa. Though they were terrible and not all you can eat, at least she has a faint idea of what they’re supposed to be like now. :)
-Shopping shopping shopping: I hit Sevilla like [insert some powerful analogy here] on Monday to buy gifts for everyone I could think of. I’m so excited to spread some Spanish goodness in a few days.
-On the way home, I definitely experienced mild culture shock in Miami. Our coins felt like play money, and the bills were soooo…long. And green. Not to mention the fact that when I handed the cashier $3.00 for my $2.89 bottle of water she just stared at me. Like something was missing. Yep, try 12 cents. Tax isn’t added in here. ;) Besides that, hearing a southern accent and English all around me was fascinating. On the plane, I found myself saying, “Coca-cola, por favor,” when the attendant came around. Because in spain, coke is just slang for drugs. So you don’t order coke. Anywhere. That one’s not going to dye easily, I don’t think. And that’s not to mention that I’m still auto-translating half of my thoughts. But hopefully that won’t turn off—I need it! :)
