Home from Cádiz! And oh yea... School...

At the beginning of the week, we booked a hostel for the weekend in Cádiz, knowing that going through/around Central Spain was also over a long weekend and we almost didn't have a place to stay for two nights. So, we booked the hostel, looked at the buses that were less than halfway full, and planned on taking the bus there first thing Saturday morning.

...but, of course, even though our hostels were booked, the buses did, indeed, fill up.

In a panic, we looked for alternative ways to get to Cádiz. Aimee and Sean decided to go from Málaga to Ronda to Cádiz, so Sean wouldn't have to go to Granada and they could have a day to themselves. Jim and I took a bus to Sevilla and, from there, a train to Cádiz. It all worked out.

The train ride was quite nice. So nice, in fact, that I slept for most of it. I later heard about the ocean views and such that I missed... Oh well, what can I say? I was tired.

But then we got to Cádiz. It was so nice. It has such a lovely old charm to it, and it's surrounded on three sides by the Atlantic. There were so many old buildings, a HUGE, old Cathedral, cute coffee shops, beaches... Anything a person could want on vacation.

I only wish I was on my computer instead of a library computer so I could load my pictures and share them with all of you. (UPDATED: 09-12-2010 with pics!) Especially the sunsets over the ocean, and the fun pictures I took on my new camera with 500 million settings. My favorite is definitely the 'Get even closer to your close-up subjects!' setting. I took so many random pictures of flowers with a blurry monument or other blurry flowers in the background. I felt like such the artíst! THANK YOU, KEVIN AND ADRIANA!






But, of course, there was a slight sense of bittersweet at seeing the water, the beach, the romantic sunsets... It reminded me so much of San Diego. The fresh ocean air, the sandy beaches right next to the cliff beaches (although the cliffs in San Diego are MUCH taller)... The undying, cold wind followed us throughout Cádiz, and all I wanted was Chris's arm around me, keeping me warm and shielding me from the wind.


I wanted to walk with Danielle and Aryanna on the beach, listen to the water, talk about life or love or boys or complain about school, then go back to the hostel and cuddle with Chris to a scary movie on Halloween.

Life here is great and wonderful, and I know I'm living the opportunity of a lifetime by being here, but in one way or another, I find myself reminded of home, the people there, the people waiting for me, and the people I can't wait to go home to.

So, even though Cádiz is probably my favorite city I've been to thus far (other than Granada, of course), it really just made me homesick at times.

Maybe that's part of why I like it so much.

Anyway, Monday night at 9, we went to board our bus. This was DEFINITELY our bus. It was an ALSA bus, #21, bound for Granada. But the driver wouldn't let us on. He kept insisting another bus was coming. Eventually, after a few panicked '¿Estás seguro?'s, he went inside to check. Then, reassured that it was our bus, he let us board.

I slept until Sevilla. In Sevilla, an old man got on the bus and sat right behind us. He started puking. Not like carsick puking, like I was seriously scared for this guy's life puking. The person next to him (some relative I assume) asked for the driver eventually, and the ambulance came to get him. By the time they evaluated him and determined he could not stay on the bus, we were put over an hour behind schedule.

Oh, and did I mention, I was puked on. Yes. It was nasty. And then I had to sit with it on me for the entire ride home. Not a lot of puke, just a few drops, but it was REALLY nasty. Luckily Jim had some gum... it got the sour taste out of my mouth that came because I tend to be a little sympathetic... ugh. Not pleasant.

Anyway, then I got home, put on pjs, and went to bed.

This week has been full of writing my first ever Spanish paper! That is, my first paper in Spain. I've had papers in Spanish before. It was about a reparation law that was put into effect after Franco died.

In and of itself, it's a nerve-wracking topic. I mean, most Spaniards now-a-days, especially in a university setting, aren't in support of Franco... but as a foreigner writing to a Spanish audience, it's hard to say ''Your ex-dictator was a bad, bad man and it's great that you put these reparation laws into effect.'' You know what I mean?

But I finished my paper and it has been turned in. 5 pages. Whoopee!

Anyway, this weekend I should be staying home... Maybe a daytrip to the Alpujarras or Santa Fe, but nothing too extraordinary.