back in the USA

There were two things that surprised me the most when I first got back to the US.

1. Clouds

I had forgotten that clouds are so big here! When I got back on Tuesday there were these huge, puffy clouds, and it was raining. There was even lighting. That kind of thing just doesn't usually happen in Cádiz in the summer--the skies are pretty much sunny and clear 100% of the time.

2. English

I walked into a Panera Bread and everybody was speaking English! There wasn't a single 'vale' or even 'gracias' =( Now I have to remember that if I talk in Spanish nobody will understand. Perhaps more importantly, I have to keep in mind that if I talk about someone in English, they'll be able to understand.

It's been nice to sleep in my own bed and have my laptop again, but I definitely miss Spain. Here it's a little abnormal to give people kisses when you meet them, to try and walk to the beach all the time, and to eat ice cream every day.

Later I'm going to talk a little more about Spain and attempt to load some pictures.

Bye for now!

♥Meredith

last night

First of all, I have to apologize for the lack of Gibraltar pictures. The past week has been really crazy with all the packing, unpacking, and traveling. Hopefully I´ll be able to get some monkey pictures up once I get home.

My last day in Cádiz (Friday) was pretty emotional. My family and I all got up extremely early to say goodbye to Nina, and then I left around noon. There were a lot of besitos and I may have been crying just a little. I miss Nina, my host parents, and my host brother already! We all got closer than I expected.

Nina went back to New York, but I was signed up for the travel extension. On Friday and Saturday we were in the beautiful and ridiculously hot city of Córdoba. On Saturday we packed up again and came to Sevilla. We saw clouds for the first time in weeks here--it was quite unnerving.

Now we´re packing our bags one last time, and I have very mixed emotions about going home. Spain is such a different place from America, and I love the culture here. Everything is so much more open and affectionate, and the age of the country adds a ton of depth (history geek). I´ll miss getting to speak Spanish. On the other hand, all of us are totally exhausted from traveling, and I´m excited to get back to my own family, laptop, and pillow.

Adiós for now! Next time I write it´ll be from the states.
♥Meredith