Amazing Acapulco

We began the trip upon our arrival with a small trip to Walmart to grab some beach necessities that we lacked. Afterwards we spent our whole first day on the beach taking in the sun and relaxing. That first night we stayed long enough to watch the sunset from the beach all while sipping margeritas. Afterwards we packed up and headed back to our hotel in hopes of getting dressed and ready to go out dancing that evening but unfortunately we all fell asleep.

The next morning we woke up early and made our way to an old fortress located high up in Acapulco. After we explored the history of Acapulco we ate some lunch and then too a boat ride that lasted over an hour (after we'd been told would only last 45 minutes) to go over to an island. During the journey on the boat ride in which we watched a young boy perform a cliff diving act, a man in a speedo swim underneath the boat with sea urchins, and saw a statue at the bottom of the water we made it to the island with little time to spend enjoying ourselves there. On the island we found a more secluded area of the beach where we were able to do our own version of snorkling and watch the little fishies scatter about. After a while it was time to catch the last boat back to the mainland and that night we made it out to the club going to a place called Paradaise and paying 200 pesos for open bar till 4 am. It was there I met a guy named Erick and spent the night hanging out with and dancing until somewhere around 4 we decided to go and get churros. Finding the churro place closed we went instead to a taco place before parting ways with the boys and heading back to the hotel to sleep in until noon.

Once we were up and funcitoning we decided to spend the day at the beach once more where we went jet skiing, and built a sand castle. After our fun in the sun we went back to the hotel and got ready to go to a place called Senor Frogs where I enoyed my first mojito and wound up meeting with the guys from the club the night before. After a few drinks we decided to ditch senor frogs and go grab some drinks and chill on the beach outside the club we'd gone to the night before. And all of us chilled around on the beach splashing around the tide until Erick asked me to take a walk with him down the beach and of course I went with him. And as we walked along the beach chatting about life, ourselves, and everything in between. It was when we passed by another bar that a slow song came on and I could swear to myself that the film had to be rolling or the credits were going to pop up any minute as things turned into a scene straight out of a romance movie. And the two of us danced to the distant music. And as you would expect from any classic romance movie, as the song came to and end he leaned and we shared a very sweet kiss. Afterwards he dropped us all off back at our hotel, leaving me with a good night kiss.

And the next day was supposed to be our return to Puebla, as we woke up early to go to the bus station to head home on the 10:30 bus only to find out that the bus was already full. So we bought tickets for the next bus available being the 4:30 and decided not to waste the extra time given to us and made our way back to the beach, texting the boys to see if they wanted to hang out with us until we had to leave. I never received a response but was pleasently surprised when about two hours later he signaled his arrival with a kiss on the cheek. We spent the rest of the time lounging around and chatting before it was finally time to return and make our way back to little old Puebla.

Bienvenidos A Puebla

I arrived in Puebla to find it pleasently warmer then where I'd come from. I spent the first week here sorting out my classes as many of the one's I'd expected to be here and or pre-registered for were not here upon my arrival. We had our orientation where we took a tour of campus and then a tour of the city of Puebla on a double decker tour bus. I did my first shopping at walmart nearby for the new dorm room and started classes. After discusions with the director of the USAC program with all the missing credits we decided on allowing me to work at an internship at a local cancer center to receive three more college credits. And of course that first weekend we went to experience the club life of Mexico by going to Cholula where all the bars and clubs as well as the other university UDLA are all located.

The second week in Puebla I joined a tennis club where I'm receiving lessons for $55 for the whole semester. It was here that the girls from the last semester introduced us to some of their Mexican friends that also go to the University, it was this week I met Ivan, Ramon, Roberto, and Chepe who are all still relatively good friends as I continue to add more. We went to the local mall called Angelopolis where I tried mango beer (dangerous as it doesn't taste like alcohol) went once more to Cholula. We also went to the farmers market here where I saw everything fresh more then I could've imagined including fresh meat and every body part of every animal, cow hearts, livers, kidneys, anything was open to the imagination at the market and the imagination would not put a dent in the pocket book as we bought so much fruit and vegetables for less then 100 pesos which at the time and still is under $10. It was also here we got to see as a woman killed and defeathered chickens. It was this weekend that while going to take Liz to the doctor and Mariah to find out about soccer that we discovered the girls soccer team and here I decided to join and try something new by becoming becoming a member of the Ibero Girls soccer team. Making for an interesting first two weeks in Puebla.

New Year's Eve In Madrid: The last day of '08

I arrived in Madrid where it had begun and where it was to come to a close as well. I'd explored the city a little looking for a bite to eat before I had to go back to the airport and wait. It was in the airport I'd spent my New Year's Eve as I was to be on a flight the next morning at 7am to head back to Cleveland. I'd talked with my mom in the early stages of my trip somewhere in Dublin after I'd found out that there was to be a problem storing my extra luggage in Madrid's airport as they only allowed storage for an alotted 15 days before they charged more then you would pay to ship it back to the states. So because of this my mom and I worked secretly and diligently to rearrange all of my flights and save myself some money to be able to come home ten days early, hence why I was sitting at the Madrid airport partying by myself rather then out in the streets where everyone else was. After staying up almost all night talking with another woman who was to be leaving on the same flight as myself but her final stop was in London where I was to be boarding British Airways to London, the London to Heathrow (Chicago) and United Airlines Chicago to Cleveland where my mother and father where only two of three people that knew I'd be arriving ten days earlier then scheduled. I'd even called my family that evening from the airport to wish them a Happy New Year's telling both my brothers and my best friend that I was waiting to go to Germany surprised that they took the bait so easily. The next day came and I took my coordinating flights while my mother waited anxiously for my arrival. And as the final plane landed in Cleveland I'd called my mom to let her know I'd be on my way to baggage within moments and she readied the camera as my brothers, Omi, and best friend had all come to the airport with the thought that they were picking up my very good college friend Anh. So as I walked out of the gate with all the other passengers arriving all four stared at me for small periods of times before Omi screamed drawing all attention to her while mom caught the whole thing on camera.

I spent the ten days of a wonderful break with friends as well as surprising various family members. It started with a visit to MUC where I went to see the real Anh and surprised Keiko. Afterwards we took a short visit to Kent where Chad reacted rather cooly and Chad like and Jackie gasped and gave me a huge hug making a wonderful welcome home. After them came my Papa Chuck, Uncle Todd, Aunt Sue and Uncle Don. First we stopped in at Papa Chucks where he was surprised to find me standing behind my mom and Carlos but greeted me with a huge smile and a welcome back. Uncle Todd was then called out and he hugged me several times in order to make sure I wasn't translucent or something. After a pleasent chat with them we went over to Aunt Sue's who spoiled the surprise as she saw me through her window but Uncle Don was pleasently surprised to see me as well. The finals of the surprises were to come at Sam's basketball game that Tuesday but Monday evening while I was making dinner Aunt Susie came for a surprise visit and as I hid in the bathroom waiting mom grabbed the camera and positioned it to capture the moment on camera. As I came out her reaction was not what we'd been expecting as she didn't even register it at first but it was commical none the less. And jake couldn't stop hugging me all evening. That same evening we went to pick up Sam from practice as the final of the surprises. She had a huge grin on her face as she ran to hug me. It was great to be able to see everyone once more and say hello and goodbye as that weekend I left once more for Puebla Mexico where I sit catching up on all my adventures and thinking about all the wonderful memories I've made thus far and how many more there are to come.

One Night In Bologna: December 30,2008

I arrived at the Milan airport and immediately too a train to a random place close by in Italy as I'd visited Italy once before and knew I didn't want to stay in Milan. The random selection turned out to be an amazing little city called Bologna which I only selected because the name sounded slightly familiar. As I arrived in the small city I checked into a hotel at random which turned out to be one of the crappier hotels I've ever paid for as I felt I'd received more for my money staying in hostels then in what was supposed to be a three star hotel. But I didn't let it bother me as I just needed a place to crash for the evening. That night I had a delicious tortellini dinner and glass of whine before I went exploring and found beautiful scenery, buildings, an open air ice skating rink filled with couples enjoying the night air, and even some ancient ruins. And although the evening was short and I was to leave the next day I held a place in my heart for the small city of Bologna which one day soon I'd love to go back to once more. But as morning came I left to go back to the Milan airport and take a flight to Madrid wishing had certain circumstances not occured that I could've spent more time in Italy.

The Final Dutch Day: Amsterdam December 29,2008

The boys of the Glover family needed to go to Amsterdam in order to talk with the embassy about updating their passports and so we took a day trip to Amsterdam. While the family went inside and since I'd forgotten to bring my own passport with me I walked around a large park area for a little while on my own where I saw several neat buildings and the street (literally) of nothing but museums. Afterwards we went to lunch and continued exploring. I experienced Amsterdam's many sides, shopping, food, and even a bit of the "red light" district where I saw several cafes not meant for drinking coffee. I'd already known to expect the cafe culture as a little different from what I'd been used to and I knew that weed was legal as well but it still came as a shock just how common it had become. I saw many other interesting and amusing things including the grand central train station, the mall that appeared to more of a castle then a mall, and even the bicycle parking garage filled with bycicles. As well I experienced new flavors of puff pastry like things with powdered sugar on top, a Dutch version of the Croquet at McDonalds, and hot chocolate. A sweet ending to a sweet day. The next morning I was off for the airport to head to Italy with sweet Dutch memories to bring along with me.

Dutch Days 2: December 28,2008

That morning we woke up relatively early and decided to take a trip to the open air museum where I learned a lot of the history and culture of the Dutch. In the open air museum we went and watched a movie that talked a lot about history in this large egg like dome that moved. It was well presented and very interesting to experience. Afterwards we walked around looking at all the different stages of old Dutch life including the farming, housing, cooking etc. We took a few rides on the train, ate delicious pancakes for lunch, played on the playground for a little while. I also got to experience an old fashioned Dutch way of cooking by making what appeared to be some sort of friend porage with molases on top. It was here I was adorned in an old red and white apron and sat at an old fashioned Dutch oven with a large frying pan and spatula like thing wowing the crowd with my amazing cooking skills. Wowing is a bit of an over statement but I don't think anyone thought I knew what I was doing till they saw me in action. Afterwards we found a gigantic windmill adorned with large slide where we went "sled riding." As there was no snow we just slid down the slide with rubber tubes. As the day was drawing to a close the last thing we did was to go ice skating and it was here I got to share in the experience of teaching Mark-Jan how to ice skate. It took a minute for me to get my feet back as it'd been so long since I'd last gone ice skating but it was a glossy finish to a wonderfully spent day.

Dutch Days: The beginning December 27, 2008

I made it to Holland relatively quickly, landing in Eindhoven. From there I took a bus from the airport the train station so that I could hop on a train and head to Ede to meet with the Glover family. I soon found myself at the Ede train station relatively early with little way to contact the Glover family as I'd lost the number somewhere along the way there. I tried several times on the rediculous cell phone as well as a pay phone to contact them and let them know I had arrived but the Dutch pay phones are either very complicated or I'm just not all that pay phone saavy as I failed several times before I was finally able to leave a voice mail message on Matt's phone. It wasn't soon before long that Matt Glover arrived at the station to pick me up and we headed back to their house where I met his wife Winnie and his two adorable sons Mark-Jan, and Tim. After a little while Grandma came to pick up tim who would be staying with her for the weekend. After Tim and Grandma left winnie and I went out to see the large weekend street market where all sorts of fresh fruit and vegetables as well as goodies were being put up for sale. It was here I tried a fried fish dish with a dutch version of tarter sauce that was really sweet but delicious. After we walked around a little more picking up some items for dinner and the kittie before heading back home to enjoy what's called "hot pot" and wine. It was a fun and delicious make it yourself dinner where you selected meats and veggies sticking it in the fun dishes over a a small movable frier like thing which I have no way to describe. It was a long and enjoyable dinner before bed.

The Day After, December 26, 2008

My last day in London was a push to see as much as possible as I headed out quite early in the morning in search of several things. First I quickly went to where I thought the Wimbeldon stadium would be only to find out it wasn't where I thought it'd been located. Afterwards I made my way quickly to search for the infamous Abbey Road where the beatles took the photo for the appropriately titled album. Though once again my directions had been slightly off and so slightly defeated and feeling down I discovered to my great surprise a small pub where I grabbed a quick fish 'n' chips and a pint. After refreshing myself with food I made a quick stop at the Harley Store that had been closed the first time around and returned to the Chelsea stadium from earlier as well. If I'd had time I would've purchased tickets to the game that was taking place that day but instead I just made a quick stop in the store to purchase a gift for my dad and my youngest brother. Quickly I made a stop off at the Buckingham Palace where I watched as the guards stood their stillest only moving when they were scheduled to "march." It was all a neat show and after snapping a few shots I then made my way over to the London Eye as I'd scheduled a ride on the large enclosed ferris wheel. Along the way I stopped off in Westiminster Abby where I was able to see Parliment, Westminster Church and all the other beatiful buildings surrounding this area this of course included the most famous of London's buildings Big Ben.

After the pictures I made my way over and took a long ride on the London Eye while enjoying a cup of spiced/mulled/glu wine depending on who you talk to . After enjoying this I decided it was time to eat dinner and made my way over towards Hyde park where the Hard Rock Cafe was allegedly located near by. It was here I met Frosty Jack the snowman and claimed him as my boyfriend for the evening. We spent a lovely evening together in Hyde Park. But after walking around for a good hour and a half later I finally gave up on the search for the illusionary Hard Rock Cafe and hailed a cap to take me to the nearest underground station so I could head back. Along the way I got lost once more as the station nearest my hostel had been closed down for the day. After finally finding my way back I stopped of quickly to get a small dinner before calling it a night in the hostel and waking up at 3 am to get to the airport to catch a ride to Holland.

Christmas In London, December 25, 2008

Being Christmas not much was open but Duffy and I slept in and awoke the next day setting out in hopes of finding a legitimate fish and chips restaurant where we could grab some good old fashioned fish and chips and a pint. unfortunately there were no places around open and after walking several long tedious miles through London we settled for eating at a delicious greek restaurant where I played it safe sticking to calamari. Afterwards we made our way back to the hostel and having slept in extremely late it was already beginning to get dark but we traversed the city in search of something good to do. Finding nothing we settled on buying lots of candies and spending the night chatting, eating sugar untill our teeth rotted and sipping on bacardi breezers. The whole seemingly boring was packed that I forgot what the day even was before night fell and we once more decided to hit the hay so that the next day I could race around the city and catch up on all I'd missed out on.

London Lights: December 24, 2008

I arrived in London relatively early in the morning after a long adventurous bus ride and quickly made my way to the hostel to check in. After checking in and grabbing a quick breakfast, I went out to explore immediately. I took the undergroundand quickly went to the London Bridge and Tower where along the way I saw Ernst and Young, as well as the City hall which was very funkily shaped. I also saw the London Fortress and a huanted house called House of Doom or something tacky along those lines. Afterwards I went to see King's Cross Station. Later I found my way to the Chelsea Soccer Stadium, as well as one of the oldest Harley stores. I'd promised to find an awsome T-Shirt for my uncle while I was there but unfortubately arrived an hour too late but promised to make it back later that week. As it was getting late I made my way over to China town passing by Picadilly Circus along the way. In Chine town I took the suggestion of Fraser and ordered take out from an awsome restauraunt. Taking it home I found the chillies a little more then I could handle but enjoyed the meal none the less. It was at this point that I decided to make my way back to my room only to find my key didn't open the door to the room I'd been given. Going downstairs I talked with the desk to find that I'd been put into the wrong room. So I quickly threw my stuff together and left the room and moved into the other to meet my new roomate named Duffy. We hit it off and sat around chatting for a little while before we both decided to hit the hay wishing one another a Merry Xmas before turning out the lights and falling asleep.