Things have been…crazy.  Frankly, I’m amazed I’ve made it through this week.  It kind of snuck up on me.  But I did!  And it’s mostly over!  Kind of.  Here are some important highlights:

- 2 tests & a presentation.  I think they all went relatively well, although the test today is anybody’s guess.
- I SUBMITTED MY TEACH FOR AMERICA APPLICATION.  This brought on lots of anxiety-ridden feelings for a variety of reasons (i.e. I actually am going to graduate and try to do something with my life/this is something I really want to do and will be sad if I can’t).  So please pray for that
- I went to the gym every day!  Which means, I think, that I’m back in the habit of it
- Sick vs. allergies?  In any event, there is no doubt that sleep would help, but until that day…
- Parables performances might actually happen!!!  Woo-hoo!  Continued prayer.
- I freakin’ love psychology in a wide variety of ways.  Good thing I want to do grad school in that.
- I haven’t really processed that I’m going to go to South Africa.  But, our faculty advisor is awesome and she gave me a book of vocab in English, Afrikaans, Xhosa, & Zulu   Wicked excited!!!!
- It’s not just a stereotype: everyone at Wake is an overachiever.  Damnit.
- I miss my family.
- I miss Spain/Europe/traveling and am intensely jealous of anyone currently engaged in those pursuits.

So!  Now it’s the weekend!  Tomorrow Cat and I are volunteering/participating in the Out of the Darkness Walk (suicide prevention & awareness) in Tanglewood Park through MHA.  At 7:30am.  Pretty exciting.  I also start work back at Dressbarn tonight & tomorrow.  That should be interesting, but hopefully good.  I hope I get to work with Cathy.  Well, I love all of my co-workers, so it’ll be fine any way, but it would be lots of fun to catch up with her.

Alright, gotta go change, go to Ab Attack, go to work.  Then I am crashing tonight, despite the bevy of events that would be fun to partake in.  However, tomorrow is the fabulous Ms. Jamie Lee’s 21st birthday, so as long as I get to rock out for that, I think going to bed early tonight is a perfectly wonderful trade-off.

…since I’m mercilessly awake at 6am.  I guess the definitive schedule of Salamanca life made it easier to adjust to the jet lag, whereas now it’s all sort of open-ended.

So.  The final, post-Europe update.  Here it goes:

Norway:  Ok, did everyone else know how absolutely drop-dead gorgeous this country is?  How have I heard absolutely so little of it?  It was gorgeous.  After our first day of recovering a bit and relaxing in Norway, we all piled into an SUV and embarked on the first road trip: 8.5hrs.  We drove through the mountains, which was beyond beautiful.  It’s funny tho, how much weather variety there is in Norway.  One minute it’s all lush and green and spring-like, and then suddenly you’re on top of a mountain where the cleared snow is higher than your car.  At our second stop, for lunch, we visited a stave church, which is from the very very early period of Christianity in Norway, so that the churches still have a lot of pagan symbols (pagan Viking symbols, at that!).  They’re called “stave” churches because of the woodworking technique used to make the roof.  Absolutely beautiful wordwork.  However, there aren’t that many left, as, being 100% of wood, many have burned down over the years.

Finally we arrived at our destination: a cabin next to a fjord somewhere in central Norway (I really have no idea where we were as the Scandanavian names are all long and difficult to pronounce).  We barbecued and hung out for the night, and then crashed.  The next morning, we took a 2hr ferry ride through the fjords…you have no idea how insanely gorgeous this was.  Beyond words, actually.  I love fjords.  Afterwards, we drove for another 6.5hrs to reach Oslo, Norway, where we again hung out & crashed (after another AWESOME dinner).  Saturday, we slept in till our heart’s contentish before waking up and seeing the sites.  These included the Viking Museum (with the 3 best preserved Viking ships), the “open-air” Norwegian Folk Museum, and the Sculpture park.  All excellent fun & very interesting.

Then Sunday, I came home!  It was a long day (over 24 hours) but it was great to be back.  Mama & Andrew & Jessica picked me up from the airport and greeted me with yellow roses & a balloon   All in all, being home is very odd.  I don’t quite know what to do with myself, especially after being busy or planning things for the past 5 months.  Well, really, forever, given my over-committedness at Wake.  First things first tho: today, I’m renewing my driver’s license   I cannot WAIT to drive again.

So with all the airport hopping, I actually read a few books.  The first one, The Time Traveler’s Wife, was alright.  I’d heard really good things about it, and while it was entertaining, I didn’t really like the author’s style of writing.  Still, you have to give her props for complete creativity and telling a typical love story in a thoroughly original way.  The other book I just finished was The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield, and this is a novel that I truly enjoyed.  While not completely thought-provoking, it was quite good and definitely a gripping story.  Now, onto the much-anticipated and highly recommended, The Glass Castle.  Meanwhile, I’m still trying to work my way through the gigantic poetry anthology from my freshmen year poetry seminar, The Voice That Is Great Within Us.  It’s good, just very large.

Check pictures here, and if you’re in Cincinnati, do give the house a call

Heavens, today I shipped my suitcase across the big, wide Atlantic…and I might have to sell a kidney later.  That was the largest one-time purchase I’ve ever signed for in my life.  I almost passed out.

But, that means we’re even closer to when Beth & Shaloot get here!!!!!!!!!  Tomorrow Jason & Allie & I are going out, which should be fun, and then Thursday I’ll have errands etc to run.  Then Friday I head to Madrid!  I’ll have 2 days at the relaxing hotel (pool!) to chill; and hopefully I’ll hang out with Caitlin some too!  And then Beth & Shaloot will be here on Sunday…I can’t believe how quickly it’s coming.

Meanwhile, I’m just chillin’ in Salamanca.  Watching a lot of special features on DVDs (the commentary for My Big Fat Greek Wedding is really good; the Fight Club one is interesting, but makes me think Brad Pitt is kind of a jerk).  Also reading The Lives of the Muses.  While I thought I would really love this book and be fascinated by it, the author is really annoying.  Based on her chapter on Dante Gabriel Rossetti alone I highly doubt that she has accurate facts.  Plus, she inserts her own opinion farrrrrr too much and completely spins and manipulates the story.  The actual biography is interesting enough, I’m not interested in her opinion.  It’s like watching Corazon2Corazon…a trashy Spanish celebrity show.

…must come to an end.  Horribly cliche, but terribly true.  Yesterday pretty much everyone left.  4 of my favorites were on the 5am bus, so I had to say goodbye to them while we were out the night before, which was ridiculous.  Sarah & Drew & I almost cried in the Plaza at 3am.  But most everyone else left on the 7am bus…Becca & Les went to Lisbon, and Charetta, Lindsay, & Meg Smith were staying in Madrid for an extra day, but only Jason and I are left in Salamanca – and he leaves tomorrow night.  But he’ll be back Tuesday-Wednesday with his girlfriend, so hopefully I won’t be too bored since I can probably hang out with them.  Everyone else went back to the good ol’ US of A.

But watching that bus drive away was ridiculous.  It was so bizarre and dreamlike and just surreal.  Saying goodbye to about 20 of the people who have been my intensive family for the past 4 months…God.  So weird.  And yes, yes, I *know* most of us will see each other at Wake next semester, but it’s still strange and sad.  Altho, I’m not going to lie, I am looking forward to an awesome senior year, especially now that I know these crazy people, lol.  I managed not to cry tho, but as I was walking home (alone-sigh) I almost started sobbing in the street.  So I was like “Ok, I’ll just wait until I get home and then I’ll watch the slideshow and just get it all out then.” But when I watched the slideshow, I couldn’t even cry; I was laughing and smiling too much because it’s been SUCH a great semester.  Words don’t even do it justice…Jason and I tried to talk about it a little last night, and there’s just no way to describe how wonderful this group has been, and how much fun we’ve had together this semester.  Cliche cliche cliche but I’ve made some friendships to last a lifetime.  My only regret, and it’s not even really a regret, would be that I didn’t meet these people earlier on at Wake.  But, then, we wouldn’t be the people we are.  And they’re kind of awesome.  John and I were talking about how talented everyone is, and how much some people overcame to be here, and it’s just unbelievable.  I’m so blessed in all the people I know.

The other thing that was triste about watching them all leave was knowing that most of them are going home.  And while I’m CRAZY excited for my trip with my sister because it’s going to be insanely awesome, I do miss my family and friends at home.  So I was a little jealous that they all got to go see all those special people.  Honestly, if I wasn’t traveling with Beth & Shaloot I don’t know if I could stay this long; it’ll be really good to see some family.

But all of that tristeza aside, it looks like I’ll have a decently full week – full, but not stressful; I’ll definitely get to relax probably more than ever before, lol!  I do have to finish packing, and ship some things about the world (soooo nervous about this part, but definitely thankful I have the extra time to sort it out and do it right).  I also have just a *lil* bit of souvenir shopping left to do.  And I have to mail some postcards for Shannon & turn in Becca’s history paper for her.  Other than that, I’m going to spend some quality time sleeping, reading, and writing.  Plus I’m working on 2 loooonnnngggg playlists, one for my 2 days in Madrid, and 1 for my flight home.  I also hope to take lots of walks and sit in some parks – IF the weather will coroporate and I can finally go out without the winter coat.  I truly do love Salamanca itself.  It’s not the same without everyone else, true, but it’s still an amazing city.  I still think I could live here (if I had wireless…and a job).

On the homefront, Daddy has moved on down to Staunton (with MY car) and is getting settled in there.  According to Mama, he has also bought chickens.  And wants a goat.  No comment, lol.  Bennett’s baptism is next Sunday (the day Beth & Shaloot come to Europe) and Andrew graduates from the 8^th grade (heavens I’m OLD) the Friday after I come home.

Later on I’ll put up all the places Beth, Shaloot & I are traveling – prepare yourself so you won’t get too jealous…it’s going to kind of be the best thing ever.

Oh, and exams were fine.  No big deal.  Hope I did alright in everything because it will be shameful if I got below a B+ in any of my other courses (art was a B…which given the insane teacher is satisfactory).  Hope everyone else’s finals at Wake go well!

PS Scott: in answer to your question, what I’m eating is a wholllllleeee lot of jamon.  And seafood.

So yesterday, we had our group goodbye lunch–¡que triste!  It really was incredibly sad, but not too bad because we mostly just had an awesome time together.  As usual, of course.  I know I’ve mentioned it before, but I really truly love this group of people.  Our lunch had excellent food, excellent wine, excellent conversation, excellent champagne, excellent toasts, and was just great.  Roman sang, Tramell did some impressions of some teachers (hilarious), and Lindsay and I had put together a slideshow that went over REALLY well, thank God (25 minutes long!).

That said, it’s impossible to believe that the semester is basically over.  Tomorrow I have my last 2 exams and my paper due (have I started it?  Of course not.).  Then what?  Yes, travelling, but not seeing these people every day?  Heavens, it’s quasi like high school graduation all over again.  I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, thank God most of us are living really close to each other on campus.  Honestly, I’ve met people I feel like I’ve known my whole life–and some that I hope to know for the rest of it.

Tonight.  8:30.  Yikes!  More later, less ambiguous then.