Hola, Espana!

I met Sara and Heather running on Monday morning. I was actually a little scared as they came bursting through the gate, and proceeded to run full force at me down the hill. That was one epic group hug.

Having them in Leeds was a blast. They got to meet a few of the friends I still have here; most jetted off a few days prior to the girls arrival. It is odd to have people from home here- it´s like the feeling you get when you see your teacher outside of school, know what I mean?- and really cool at the same time. It´s also odd not having Adrienne here with us, as she is our fourth wheel. The door to my bedroom won´t even open fully with all three of us jammed in, but that´s what college is all about ay.

This week I said goodbye to my Leeds exchange friends, which was just as hard as I thought it would be. They are a new kind of friend group for me in that I have literally only known them for 5 months, but they have shared memories of a lifetime with me. That really creates a special bond.

Yesterday, the three of us girls flew out of sunny Leeds into rainy Barcelona (???) and met up with a friend of Paul´s, Blanca. Blanca studied with Paul at UPenn last year, so it´s been really interesting talking about study abroad with a European who´s been on exchange in America, exactly opposite of me. Blanca and her mother (Dude, can that woman cook) could not be more accommodating or hospitable. It´s a totally different experience living in an actual home of the country´s natives, as opposed to a hostel with other travellers.

Today was a great day of sight seeing with Blanca as our tour guide. We are off to eat dinner (at 9pm, as it´s done in Spain) with Blanca and some friends. More later :) Adiós!

Scotland

I love sitting down to update my blog. It's been such a good part of my England trip. Plus I was craving candy just now, and I happened to have some- don't you love when that happens. (side note- a good chunk of English candy is baby shaped. I think that's just really weird. Gummy babies? Really?) Anyway, nothing better than a satisfied craving and a blog update :D

Went to Edinburgh, Scotland this week for two days. What a country. On my way over to the UK, I met a Scotsman in the airport who told me I must must must see Edinburgh. He also insisted that I take the train, not the bus, as the scenery was unbeatable. He was right. I boarded a 7am train with Jordan (after 2 hours of sleep- Ugh), who let me have the window seat; what a gentleman. My earphones had broken the night before, and believe you me, traveling with no music is my idea of a nightmare. However, the scenery was enough to entertain me for the three hours I spent aboard. The coast of Scotland is so beautiful! I even saw a trailer park on the side of a Scottish cliff. Not too shabby.

I was welcomed off the train with bagpipes and sunshine. Oh, Europe. I love you. Jordan and I met up with Chloe and Danielle who were already there. The four of us had a great two days. I was dubbed navigator right off the bat; Danielle is determined to sharpen my map reading skills before this term is out. The first day we had more than one moment of me hunched over a map, with Jordan "I'll give you a hint- it's that way," and Danielle "Jordan- Let her do it!!" Sigh. I am going to miss these people :) We did heaps of sightseeing, and spent a large chunk of the day hiking up to Arthurs Seat, 823 feet above Edinburgh which was quite the trek, but totally worth it. Up top is a 360 degree panoramic view of the city. I accidentally littered a Tesco plastic bag off the top. Oops.

That night, we were thrilled to find a great Tex Mex place similar to Chipotle (we all miss Chipotle :), and ate a well earned meal of burritos. Sweet. We headed back to our accomodation, an artsy fartsy 1960s themed hostel. There were three, yes three, snorers in our room that night. It was a little unreal. After a day of hiking on two hours sleep, I slept like a log. (This is funny, because when I sleep my body is actually quite log-like. Anyway.)

The next day started and ended with Nutella on toast, a breakfast I am definitely bringing back to the States. We went on a free walking tour that was amazing. Saw everything, and heard lots of history. A highlight was seeing the cafe where JK Rowling wrote Harry Potter. Awesome.

Our train ride home was lovely as well. The train was mostly empty, which is always nice. Jordan did manage to flick a guy off when he meant to give him the peace sign- cultural gap at its finest.

Back in Leeds now. The weather did a 180 while I was gone. The sun bakes my room all day, and window hardly qualifies as a window. It opens enough for me to stick my pointer finger out :(
This afternoon my flatmate, Todd went at it with a screw driver, and it opens fully now. I have found that if I crack my door open with my bedside table, I create a pleasant cross breeze. Thank goodness!

Sara and Heather arrive tomorrow, and will stay for the remainder of my semester. In a way tonight marks the end of my individual experience abroad. What an adventure.

More later!
Abby

1000 Awesome Things

A friend of mine, Emma, had her mother change her facebook password, so as not to be distracted from her essays. Honestly, the amount of disipline some people possess amazes me.

A few days ago, she happened to stumble across this blog, "1000 Awesome Things" that has us both addicted. (So much for avoiding distraction ay.) It's a list of 1000 little things that make life awesome, such as, "watching something download really fast," "getting the booth side of the restaurant table," "the moment at a concert when the crowd figures out what song they're playing," and "riding home with a box of pizza on your lap." LOVE IT.

I happen to pride myself on the fact that I always appreciate the little things in life, but this website has me feeling like such a slacker. It must have made Emma feel the same way. Last night, walking around the city, Emma literally stopped, leaned over, and smelled a bush. Sylvia asked her what she was doing, to which Emma replied "Stopping to smell the roses." Fair enough, Em. (I'm pretty sure that bush didn't have any roses, but for the sake of this anecdote, I'll pretend that it did.)

Either way, the website has inspired me to make my own list of the Awesome Things in my life.

Going to call someone, picking up your phone, and seeing that they are already calling you (so trippy when that happens!)
Responding to 'Adrienne', even though it's Abby.
Double checking to see if I've spelled a word right, and seeing that I have.
Realizing on a Saturday that I haven't checked Postsecret yet.
When the total is $6.10, and I have a dime.
Wrapping up in a sheet, right out of the dryer.
When I pull into the driveway just as the song ends.
Wearing my boyfriend's Tshirt.
Replaying clips from Americas Funniest Home Videos in my head, and giggling in class.
Having an "accent".
Going into the city with my morning hair.
When the sales clerk tells me that the soda is actually buy one, get one free, and then lets me run back real fast to grab another.
The sound a coke can makes when you open it.
When the bus and I arrive simultaneously at the stop.
Shamelessly listening to crappy pop music at full volume in Ruby's van.
The warm feeling I get inside when I hear The Office's theme song.
When I'm not sure if I've pulled the van far enough into the garage, and watching as the garage door slowly closes behind me, without stopping to go back up :)
When Mom mom and Pop pop whisper back and forth in church, but it's really loud haha
When Phoebe gets her head stuck in the trashcan lid. Talk about caught red handed.
Not petaling as I go down a hill on my bike.
When you stick your foot in the pool water, expecting it to be really cold, when it's actually just the right temperature.

Check out Neil Pasricha's at www.1000awesomethings.com :)

Spring Time in England??

I've spent the last week in a coat. It's been a whopping 45 degrees here. UGH.

When I first arrived in England, some randomer on the bus was telling me that England is the only place he goes where he finds himself talking about the weather. He said he thought that in general, talking about the weather was pretty lame, and I agreed. However, the weather is so all over the place here, I find myself bringing it up all the time. You wake up and it's sunny, then clouds come, rain falls, turns to hail, the clouds part, the sun sneaks back out, sets, and the wind picks up. You find yourself wishing you had gloves and a scarf (why did I not bring a scarf?), then remind yourself that it's May. Wtf, Leeds.

Despite the weather, England is perfect. Perfect. I'm not ready to leave. Yes, part of me is pumped to see my Americans again, to eat a Chipotle burrito, walk the boardwalk, and honestly, get back to waitressing, believe it or not. However, I feel like I've only just completely adjusted to life here, (though I still have a mini heart attack when I see a little kid riding in what is the USA's drivers seat... can't get used to it, ay) and I'm not ready to say goodbye. Knowing I may never see some of my friends from exchange ever again sucks. On the other hand, knowing that if I find myself in Germany one day, I'll have somewhere to crash is pretty sweet :)

Truth be told, I'm just bummed that when I come home, people won't think my accent is cool.
Hahaha :) But seriously.

I literally just finished my third paper about 40 minutes ago, which means one more exam, and I'm done with my Junior year of uni. How crazy is that.

Heather and Sara arrive in about two weeks- can't wait. I'm looking forward to playing host, and showing off some of my new cooking skills!! :D It will be really fun to share some of this experience with people from back home.

Adrienne just got her acceptance letter from a program in Saville, Spain, and will be studying abroad for the entire school year, starting this upcoming September. I'm so proud of her- that girl is so cut out for study abroad, I know she'll have the time of her life. It will be strange to be back in the States while she's here, as I'm used to the opposite. Maybe one day we'll travel some of Europe together :)

Hope you're all enjoying the Summer weather back home! Give the sun my love... ;)