and here i go, once again...

Well, two days left in sweet little Arlington. I don't know what it is, but I guess I'm just not one of those people who gets sick of this place. I am growing slightly perturbed with my family and am eager to escape that realm, but when I'm running the airport loop, through the crisp Washington air, looking over my shoulder to see the Cascade Mountains in the distance, I can't help but admit that I am going to miss this place. It's where my heart lies. But then I also remember that I'm on my way back to where the rest of my heart resides, in Granada. It's going to be so refreshing walking down Recogidas, hearing the buzz of Spanish around me. ....Spanish....that language I once spoke...this will be another interesting challenge, diving back into it.

I'm not ready to go back in the sense that I have not packed, and I have a huge to do list for the next 60 hours or so before departure. But I have seen everyone I need to see, done everything I need to do, my break has been complete. Reading the blogs of Nikki (who's down in Haiti working to clean things up after the earthquake) & Emily (who's just embarked on her Semester at Sea), I am eager to get out into the world again, anxious to travel! I am realizing that from this point onward, I'm not going to be in one place for very long. There are so many places I want to go, things to see, and challenges to be met ahead of me, that as much as I love Arlington, Washington, it will always be my home base, but may never be where I permanently reside.

As far as my Phase 2 of South Beach, it's going alright. I would say I'm "roughly" following the rules. Which means I've been cheating, which isn't really ok. But at the same time I'm managing what I'm doing, and I'm working out hard! I am so glad that I've started being active again, and I need to keep that up for the next 4 months overseas. The next week and a half in Switzerland is a bit agonizing as I won't really have control over what I eat, as is the upcoming trip to Rome Feb. 11 or so. Pizza & Pasta here I come? We'll see. Basically I just can't let myself go backwards. If I stay the same, fine, Hawaii Bod 2010 will resume itself in May. But there will be no backwards. I have worked too hard for that!

I probably won't write again until I am in Switzerland. I am totally excited for my time there, but not too excited about the travel aspect of getting there. I feel like I just hopped off a 10 hour flight at Sea-Tac and now I'm getting right back on! But hey, you gotta sacrifice for the fun I suppose. Well, hopefully I can pack wisely and get everything I need to do done! Peace out, America, see you May 25th!

Love, MacKenzie

no recuerdo como hablar espanol...

Well, Happy New Year everybody? At the moment I'm sitting in the Birnam Wood Apartment of my dear friends Heidi & Kelli, and as Kelli snores and Heidi and I make random comments about whatever we're looking at online, it is hitting me that I will soon be flying over the big blue again, back to Europa. Dang, time truly flies.

My break has been...entirely satisfactory. Now I know this blog is predominantly full of my adventures in Spain, but I suppose I'll break it down for you a bit, because hey, immersion into my former culture is important to document. Let's just say I haven't had too difficult of a time. Christmas was amazing this year, maybe because it beat last year's break by far, maybe because I hadn't seen my family in months, but whatever the reason, it was memorable and flawless. I raked in the dough from my fam, which will be helpful upon my upcoming transition back to the Euro. yay...not! =)

I recently spent about $150 (yikes those things are expensive, but I just can't hold back when I get to Michael's!) on scrapbooking materials and have been spending my days busily cutting, stickering, and creating away, which makes me miss my loves from Granada and passes the time quickly. It's going to be very strange returning "home" without them, I am not sure how it's going to turn out exactly.

Another major update in mi vida is that I am currently doing the South Beach Diet. Crazy, I know. But guess what, it works! Let me just give you some background so you understand my motivations. Two weeks ago my good friend Tyler Varnell and I were all set to go up snowboarding at Mt. Baker. The night before, I slip my snowpants on...brand new North Face ones bought only last year...and they won't come even close to closing. That's right, traumatic. Now, I had already faced the horror of the scale and realized that my body had uhh...developed...15 brand new pounds since departing in August, but this was the final straw. After a bit of a fit, a day of active snowboarding (wearing my DAD'S ski bibs, real cute), and some coaching from my stepmom Lena, I began Wednesday, Jan. 6 on Phase 1 of South Beach, armed with an awesome cookbook and more willpower than I thought I could ever have. And now, a mere 12 days later, I have lost 10 pounds, and counting! It will be interesting maintaining this completely healthy lifestyle in Spain, but I am going to try my best and hopefully I can work out some sort of situation that will prevent me from engorging once again.

Second piece of my weight loss plan/activities to keep me from being bored during my 6 week Christmas break is that my Dad and I have been working out fairly religiously together. He's on leave from the Navy so he hasn't been going to work, and we've run/walked the Airport Loop (6 miles) by my house many mornings, and we recently started going to the gym at the Base in Everett together. It's really good bonding time, and I've been getting in way better shape.

Let's see what else. Well, I've spent the past two weekends visiting my good friends up in Bellingham. Last weekend we saw Avatar (amazing, awesome, stupendous) and I am fairly certain aka positive I hit a raccoon on the way back. I visited the kids I have babysat for the past two years and took them to the park, I can't believe how big Blake and Barrett have gotten just in the past 6 months. I try to go to Quinn's home games at the high school, I cannot believe she's a senior, especially since we played together when I was a senior and she was a freshman! And mainly I have been loving being home with my family. I try and cook my new healthy dinners for Mom & Jordan and they seem to be appreciating it! :) Overall I'm absolutely loving my time home.

But...that most certainly doesn't mean I'm not excited to go back. I'm not scared this time, or nervous really. I'm looking forward to Switzerland for 9 days! It's going to be a blast to see Heinx, Brigitte, Gian Martin & Aita again, it's been 2 years. And then back to Granada. Home! My new apartment with new roommates Ana y Jessica!! Can't wait to see them. And of course can't wait to see Allison and the other returnees. But I'll be there soon enough. As for now, it's time to hit the hay!! Hasta luego...

MacKenzie

death of a 20 year old, birth of a 21 year old. we're almost done...

It is 1:44 pm, and I am laying in my bed, recounting the weekend that just passed. And I have come to the conclusion that it was certainly the most epic final weekend one could spend in Granada. Of course, I'm coming back to Spain February 7, and I have four more months here, but many of my friends will be gone. However, I have just learned that I have an apartment for next semester that is literally two minutes from my apartment now, and I'm going to be living with Ana, who is Spanish and amazing! I love her. And also Jessica, who's from Federal Way, which is nice because I have Spain and Washington in my new home. Perfect. I have to meet up with them soon to work out the details and such, but it's pretty much gonna happen and I couldn't be happier, as I don't have to hunt for an apartment and I'll be living with friends, one of whom is a Spaniard! Yayy!

Anyways, what has happened lately? I last summed up my trip to Brussels, and since then it's basically been an effort to go hog-wild and enjoy Granada. We've made some stops at Feng Shui, and recently Court and Allison introduced El Tren to me. It's a coffee shop with these delicious drinks called “El Tren” that consist of coffee, hot chocolate, some sort of alcohol that is completely non-tasteable, regular whip cream and chocolate whip  cream (which I didn't even know existed until now!), and this delicious little wafer type stick to top it all off. Yum. We've been there twice this week and it's a nice place to go to and chat for a few hours. I've gotten a lot closer to Allison lately and we love hearing stories about Jon the Fascist (Allison's dad), who raised this girl literally measuring her skirt length, not allowing temporary tattoos, no piercings until 16, etc. Way to create a rebel, man! But she watched the Shining at age six, how does this fit in? Haha. And Shannon contributes stories of Dudley the Inappropriate (who always says inappropriate things whenever he wants), and of course my father Joe the Child (who lives life in the most fun way  imaginable, which often leads to extreme embarrassment in public places of my brother and I). These girls keep me laughing for sure. 

 We reverted back to the old ways with going out many nights in a row, and let me tell you, it has been a  total blast. Thursday was fun but fairly low key, as I had a presentation on Friday where I presented good ol' Western Washington to my classmates. Never have I been more proud of where I live until I live in a society/climate/geographical region that differs so greatly from it! After class Friday we had our final API activity, the goodbye lunch. It was at a Mexican restaurant near the CLM and by the time we got our food (which took forever with 50 people) it was so delicious since my stomach was essentially eating itself in hunger. I was exhausted seeing as the previous night had ended around 4:30 am for me, and all I wanted to do was sleep after lunch. But instead I headed over to Eric's and he and I watched this ridiculous show called Jersey Shore, which is some reality show about guidos living on the Jersey Shore. Disgustingly entertaining is the only way I can accurately describe it. Then he introduced me to The Office after chastising me for never having seen it (it is on at the exact  same time as Grey's, why in the heck would I be watching it!?!) We watched the Christmas episode and the episode from Pam & Jim's wedding, and I discovered that I could easily get hooked. Oh no, I don't ever need more television in my life! Grey's and Friends reruns are enough!

 Friday night was amazing. Ana & Jessica (my future roommates! Aahhh I just can't stop getting excited about that) hosted a Christmas party, and from both my memory and just judging by the pictures of this event, it really looked like an American house party. Just think, way too many people in a small apartment, where everyone is yelling because they're trying to be heard over the other people who are yelling, and just a dang good time all around. We got there early (very un-Spanish like, I know) and I helped make the sangria (a recipe which I will be taking to the grave—ha, kidding, actually I'll be sharing it with friends and family upon my return home. I poured wine, chopped apples, and then I volunteered to be the camarera (waitress) and from that point on my hand really never left the ladle, and I served sangria all night long! We had it in a huge bucket, and when it was gone, I made more! Tony, Ben, Sam & Doug had a little beat boxing rap session for Michelle's birthday. Pat apparently had to take his pants off for a time because he got “bearded” which I don't even really know what that means because I didn't see it, I was busy serving sangria. Sam, Allison & I decided which should triple room in Seville next semester which should be....interesting...and Shannon was doing some facial expression all night that resembled a very sad fish. The night was so much fun, almost all of my beloved early-starters were in attendance, and although it feels like the end, I am enjoying so much making these final memories with my group. And that was Friday. 

At 1:43 pm on Saturday my phone woke me up from a deep, pleasant sleep, and it was my mom! She said Max had gotten her up to go to the bathroom at 4:50 am and she just wanted to hear my voice! It was so sweet. I absolutely can't wait to see her in a week from today! Unbelievable! We talked for awhile and I recounted the sangria night to her. Marí Carmen and Pepe were gone for the day, as lunch was left on the table, and I was about to get pissed if they didn't return, as we needed to shower to look cute in our party dresses! Luckily they did come back, and both Court and I got to shower before the epic night, but I was very antsy before then. I hooked Cory on Grey's episodes, and we went on an unsuccessful churro hunt, as everything was way too busy, before I had to rush back and get ready for the night. 

 And now, the crazy night. “The death of a 20 year old, the birth of a 21 year old,” is how Court christened her birthday celebration. Courtney looked damn good in her fringe/sequin dress bought on her recent trip to Milan, Italy, and I was workin' the black dress I bought for $17 at Ross last summer, improvising with my blue scarf from Barcelona as a waist sash. We dashed over to Poe for dinner, eating way too many tapas and  ations of food. Poe is God's gift to the tapa world, I will be taking any and all visitors next semester to experience it's goodness. Immediately when we walked in we noticed a group of three  attractive boys looking at us quite obviously, but they left so we were like whatever. Court and I started  eating and gradually the rest of the group arrived. But then they came back! And so Shannon and I struck up a conversation with them. They were all of different heritage but all grew up on the island of Ibiza, off the Eastern coast of Spain, and each of them spoke like five different languages! I hate the US mentality that English should just take over the world, all of the kids in the US should be raised knowing all these languages too! I bought Court's dinner and drinks as a nice little roomie birthday present, and we all headed to the Chup with the foreign boys in tow. Tonight was the night that Courtney would reach chupito numero cincuenta (shot number 50), thus earning her hard-labored Chupetería 69 t-shirt. It was a noble moment when she downed that fiftieth shot and was handed her prize for her very expensive and drunk-induced camiseta (tee). The night began to get crazy from there as tons of API early starters showed up, and shots were being bought/gifted left and right. I am not sure how many shots I had or what I even paid for because the guys from Ibiza kept giving us all of their chupito cards, which is usually how I keep track! So apparently I now have a t-shirt to pick up as well, but not because I earned it, because Courtney and I combined ended up with 30 chupito cards from last night alone! And I already had 31 of my own! “Hard earned” t-shirt here I come!

 After awhile at the Chup everyone was quite...happy...you could say, so we headed across the street to the African bar Kulengali (spelling is probably way wrong but whatever). I haven't been there since September because as a blonde the Africans usually surround you with propositions to dance, but as I was accompanied by a few boys in my program, I felt alright about it. And it was a blast! It was a nice little pre-dance party before going to Granada Diez. Ohhh, Granada Diez. The entry fee was 10 euro unless you had accepted the facebook invitation, so as about half of us had accepted the invite, we headed over to the facebook line. I didn't think I'd accepted so when I got up to the bouncer, who was holding the list, I just glanced at a name and introduced myself as Rebecca so and so...and I got in for free! Oh Spain. You just have to know how to work it! Look what Courtney has taught me after all these months! :) I swear everyone I know was at Granada Diez, and we danced for hours (I think, when you're there you really have no concept of time), the place was packed, and the music was bumpinnnnn. I danced with everyone, Allison, Shannon, Court, and I even got some boys in with Eric, Ben, and Cory! ;) It's always more fun when you can dance with chicos, especially ones who you know aren't creepers. Our dogs were barkin' after awhile and after waiting forever to get our coats and bags, we headed to shwarma and for the first time in my life I didn't even finish it, and Morad, my rather cute Moroccan friend let me have a coke light and a water for free! :) Around 5:30 Court and I went up to our apartment and as we approached our door for whatever reason we just started cracking up, and of course we were supposed to be quiet so we just kept laughing harder...luckily Marí Carmen and Pepe didn't wake up as we just laughed our ways into our rooms for the night. 

 And here I am. Just recently woke up about an hour ago, I am starving and am wondering when Marí Carmen is going to present lunch, and really hoping it's paella. I have a bit of homework to attend to, but not too much. Girls churro night this evening, and after that 5 days of school then goodbyes and I'm off to Amsterdam for a night then home in a week. A week. Unbelievable. It amazes me how much I've experienced, how much I've changed, how much I've loosened up and the amount of fun I've had in the past four months. Dang. Well I think I hear food so I'm cutting this off just in time. 5.5 more days till departure...

MacKenzie

a vacation.

Here I am, having the first relaxing day in Granada that I've had in a long time. I can't exactly remember the last blog I wrote, so I am going to cover Thanksgiving, Paris, and Brussels all in one! Yikes! Prepare yourself for lots of reading! But that's the way it goes when one is a travel extraordinaire and cannot simply find the time amongst all of their travels to document said adventures. Only kidding. I'm only about half that snobby. ;) Alright here goes. 

Thanksgiving 2009 was by far the most unique I've experienced thus far, being, one, that I am on the other side of the world and not in Spokane, Washington, amongst a plethora of other reasons. I woke up Thursday morning and headed straight to school (second infraction on the normalcy of the holiday) to take my November exam (first injustice, I would say!). Upon completing my test I had a relaxing day of packing for Paris. I called my Dad, who was preparing to run the Spokane Turkey Trot with the rest of the fam, and chatted with them for a bit. I made my cousin Maya promise to say a toast at Thanksgiving dinner, announcing to everyone how much I miss and love them, followed by a hug from me, through Maya. (I later found out this toast never occurred. Oh well, I suppose that's what happens when you put all faith into a seven year old.) That evening I Skyped with my mom, Grandpa, and Grandma in Spokane. I was bummed to be missing Grandma's famous chip dip and the ever present shenanigans of any Meyer family gathering, and when I said goodbye, I was feeling pretty down in the dumps. Eric came to my rescue though, and as we walked with Court through rainy Granada towards our surprise Thanksgiving feast, my smiles returned as I simply enjoyed being with my closest friends. 

The entire API clan lumbered through the streets of Granada, ending at a Mexican restaurant (infraction  numero tres). We all sat down, Allison, Shannon, Courtney, Dana, Michelle, and Liz at my table, pondering over the strangeness of celebrating our American gorging holiday at a Mexican restaurant in Spain. We were all looking forward to an American dinner, so when Mexican soup was served (spicy & delicious but still not American) we started to become a little uneasy. But, lo and behold, we were served turkey, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans, corn, and carrots. We were given the option of a second plate, which of course I wanted, but when nobody else wanted it, I decided to be a follower and create a new record for least amount of food I've ever consumed on the Thanksgiving holiday. I did eat my pie though, one slice pumpkin, and one slice apple, despite the fact that I'm not really a pie eater. It was delicious, and so very American! We laughed and laughed, our “leader” Tyler gave thanks in Spanish, instructing us to do the same. I was thankful for meeting so many amazing new people. Dana was thankful for the fact that no regular start people were sitting with us....except Allison was. Awkward! Ha, but it's just Dana, so it was funny. 

 After dinner Halee, Shannon, Cory, Doug, Kaitlin & I went to Cafe Fútbol to ring in Doug's 20th birthday and to further our Thanksgiving feasting with churros! It was totally fun and very memorable, and essentially I stayed up way too late for our 5:30 am departure to Paris Friday morning. 

 PARIS. A damn good time. When I went to Paris before, I wasn't the biggest fan, but after spending time there with my friends and doing some quality exploring of the city sans museums (they're really, really not my fave thing in the world), I am completely enamored by this city, frustrated at it for being impossible to conquer because it's so huge, and I can't wait until my next opportunity to return! Every day, we got “creped”--Kaitlin's new word for the consumption of delicious French crepes, filled with anything you want in them. I personally enjoyed nutella & banana, and there's even crepes with meat and cheese and vegetables in them! Seriously, go to Paris & eat a crepe, your life will not be complete until this has occurred. API provided with a ton of free time in Paris, which bothered us at first but turned out to be a blessing. While traveling with the entire fifty or so students was a blast and gave a lot of choices of who you wanted to hang out with all weekend, doing things as an entire massive group was sooo tedious. Friday when we got there we relaxed, ate some good Italian food, and Court, Shan, Allison & I enjoyed some cheap mimosas in our hotel room. We headed off to Starbucks (because as I've previously stated, when one lives in Granada and travels to the real world, Starbucks is a necessary purchase even if it converts to nearly eight American dollars for a grande mocha), and then went to the Eiffel Tower. I was pretty excited about this because Grammy & I missed this crucial sightseeing event on our trip. I had been up to the Eiffel Tower by day, but never by night, and I hadn't been to the top at all! A big group of us went up and it was soooo cold so we danced in line to keep warm. We discovered French boys are quite beautiful as we passed the Eiffel Tower ticket holder, and we freezed our butts off at the top but were so excited to just be there! Looking out at lights as far as the eye could see was enough to show us just how big Paris was, and it was unbelievable that we were at such a famous landmark in such a famous city. Doug & Kaitlin cracked us up with their kissing pictures, and we all couldn't help but tease them. But hey, who's to blame them? Kissing on the Eiffel Tower? It's like the epitome of romance. Can't say I wasn't hoping that ticket holder would mozee on up and give me a smooch! :) Prior to our Eiffel Tower ascent, I had needed to go to the bathroom but couldn't find one (this always seems to be an issue in large cities, and I always wonder, where does everyone else go to use the facilities?), and so after our nearly 2 ½ hour Tower excursion, I really had to go. And no offense to the lovely group I was with, but they must not have quite understood the urgency of the moment as they were just waltzing along, slow as can be! Finally we found a metro that led us back to the Bastille, and everyone was starving and hunting for a crepe stand to eat dinner at. I, at this point, was freaking out because I was sure I was going to wet myself. Megan and I both had to go, and when we tried a bar that denied our request for the bathroom unless we sat down for a drink, I was near tears. Luckily, we happened across a Subway and I sprinted in and relieved myself then we snuck out without paying for anything. Thank. The. Lord. 

Saturday was bus tour day, where we essentially saw all of Paris from within a very stuffy Greyhound with minimal leg room. Ha! I love how dismal I can sound sometimes. Actually it was fun, I can't say I learned much from the tour guide's limited English, but it was nice to spend time with the entire API crew and see the majority of Paris' important sights. Plus it was raining and Paris is enormous, so seeing everything wouldn't really have been possible/enjoyable any other way. The bus tour finished at Notre Dame, and we walked through the cathedral then a group of us went to the Latin Quarter for lunch. This was kind of when I started to realize that I love Paris, because there are so many quaint restaurants, shops, nooks and crannies that can so easily be missed. We stopped in at a restaurant and I was going cheap so I had an omelet, but apparently France is famous for omelets! Our plan was the Catacombs, but we discovered they were closed for renovations (which really bummed me out because that's another thing I didn't get to see last time) so Cory, Halee, Eric, Doug, Kaitlin, Megan and I went to the Opera House that Cory had been dying to go to so badly. It's pretty famous I guess, the setting for the musical the Phantom of the Opera. Saturday evening we got a big group and strolled through the Christmas Market (first of many that week, it turns out) on the ever-famous Champs-Elysees, and nothing else could have put me more in the Christmas spirit at the time! We mostly bought food and drinks because the gifts and jewelry and scarves at the Christmas market were just ridiculously expensive compared with our bargain land of Granada, but it was a great time anyway and oh-so-Christmasy. 

Sunday, Day 3, Paris: DISNEYLAND! We paid $67 for a one day two park pass, and we tore it up in the Magic Kingdom all day long. Allison, Shannon, Halee, Cory, Lexi & her boyfriend Aaron who traveled from Germany to visit her (they're so cute!), and I Disney-ed it up in the wet and cold. Luckily it only rained a bit in the beginning, the rest of the day was rather frigid but clear. I won't waste too many lines but I will give our final Disney comparisons: Indiana Jones & Haunted Mansion are WAY better in Cali, Tower of Terror is exactly the same, Space Mountain Paris kicks Cali's ass all the way to Pluto (we went 4 times! I was nearly Space Mountain'ed out!), the fake snow was cool as were the Christmas decorations, and I enjoyed the character parade! I did a bit of Christmas shopping at the end of the day, and when we returned to Paris my feet hurt & I was completely tuckered out, but we enjoyed our day of reverting back to our childhood! Now to complete my Disney Life Experience I must get to Orlando, Tokyo, and a Disney Cruise somewhere in there!

Monday was our final day in Paris, and the whole API group went to the Louvre. I was still exhausted from Disney the previous day, and I had been there before, so I was somewhat of a zombie on our tour and didn't really see much. We spent the rest of the day before our flight with an all girls group strolling and shopping through the Latin Quarter, eating some delicious French Onion Soup, and visiting my only serious destination goal for the trip—a bookstore across the Seine from Notre Dame called Shakespeare & Company, it was in my guidebook as one of the most famous English bookstores in the world. I loved it and can't wait to go back to Paris one day and go again! Leaving Paris was sad because in a way it was the last sha-bang of the semester, the beginning of the end, everyone realizing just how little time we have left. I fell in love with the city, and I plan to go back many times, because there's no way it is possible to see it all, but I want to see as much of it as I can. 

We had about a 36 hour hiatus between our trips to Paris & Belgium. Somewhere in there was a day of class, frantic repacking of completely dirty clothes, two or three meals with my host family and then Allison, Shannon & I were off once again. After coming way too close to missing our flight from Malaga, we arrived at Charleroi airport in Belgium and were greeted by Laura Johnson, the mom of a friend of Shannon's from high school. Now I'm going to be honest, when I learned we were staying with friends of Shannon's, I was a little nervous. Not as any reflection upon Shannon whatsoever, but because it is just a little nerve-wracking anytime you're going to spend time living in somebody else's home. But in reality, I had absolutely nothing to fear. Pat & Laura Johnson may as well be my new parents, not to mention two of the coolest and nicest people I've ever met! Pat is a US diplomat through the Armed Forces with Russia (or something like that, I'm not very politically knowledgeable), and they have been living in Brussels for over three years. So we got to stay in their beautiful home, eat wonderful American food, and be driven around be our own personal tour guides for 4 days! It was amazing. 

Thursday we drove to a quaint city called Bruges which is about an hour away from Brussels. Now, I will be tempted to say quaint in every single sentence because really, that is the only word that can accurately describe such a city. Despite the fact that it rained on and off all day long, it was as if we were walking through a fairy book land. We visited the Belltower and churches, a Christmas market, had the intention of going ice skating but the rain hindered us, bought the world's most comfortable pair of slippers, went to an Ice Age sculpture park with a giant ice slide, tried our first Belgian waffle (HEAVEN), and were treated by Laura and Pat to a delicious, probably very expensive dinner at the end of the day. I had a classic steak and frites (french fries), and was happy as a clam with my simplicity. Shannon ate reindeer! I tried it but wasn't a fan, but Allison's vegetarian wok was quite tasty. 

Friday was more low key, we slept in a little and Laura drove us down to spend the afternoon in Brussels. Pat couldn't join us because he had a meeting with Hillary Clinton (just chillin' with Hil, no biggie! Allison, the political science major was absolutely dying over all of this political action Pat was getting). In Brussels we explored more Christmas markets (this is mainly what we did all weekend), rode a ferris wheels to give us a sunset view of the city, ate yet another Belgian waffle, visited a strange statue that is a highlight of Brussels called Mannekan Pis (see facebook pictures), basically just browsed around the city all day. Laura showed us where all the popular bars were, but we were much more enticed by Guitar Hero and American movies. Sad, I know, it probably sounds like we weren't living it up on our trip, but the reality is, we can pay to party in Granada anytime we want for significantly less money. So instead we basked in the relaxation of “American life”, Allison made Kraft macaroni and cheese for dinner, and we watched the tail end of Air Force One. (Never realized how dumb that movie is until now). 

 Saturday was an early morning with a nearly three hour drive to Amsterdam. Up at 6:15, out of the door by 7, we arrived to our 4th country of the week sleepy and cold. I've been to Amsterdam before, so Allison and I skipped out on Anne Frank and walked around while Shan visited the historical attic, and for the rest of the day we all walked along the canals and ate Frites and visited markets. Very chill. Shannon and I both wanted to visit the Red Light District because we'd never been there before, and it was an interesting and kind of...saddening experience in a way. Shannon was pretty bothered by the prostitution, and I didn't mind so much unless I really started to overthink the whole concept of legal prostitution and what exactly that...signifies? Anyways, I know this probably is extremely boring to read but we honestly didn't really do all that much all weekend besides relax and visit Christmas markets, but it was still an awesome time simply because it was more low key than we're accustomed to. I have an overnight layover in Amsterdam the 19th before I fly back to Seattle, and Courtney is also going to be there, so maybe I will explore the city more with her. I'm always up for seeing more of a city!! You can never see it all....

 Sunday was our final full day of our second mini vacation, and we started a little late (Laura was busy and we got to watch the second half of Pearl Harbor anyways-such a good flick, although it made me tear up 3 different times only in the second half! We discovered that the Armed Forces network is definitely into war and/or hyper-american movies. You'd think the military peeps would want a rest from all that and just watch Forrest Gump or something, but no! Lol.) Anyways, we hit country number five when we arrived at the highly anticipated AUTHENTIC German Christmas market in Aachen, Germany. Just over the border between Belgium and Germany rests this town where Charlemagne's bones are laid to rest in a church that we visited. And while we had previously been to Christmas markets in Paris, Bruges, Brussels, and Amsterdam, Aachen was like the mother of all Christmas markets! It just kept going and going and was filled with food and decorations and music and lights and all sorts of heart-warming wonderful Christmas time cheer. I encountered a giant schnauzer and was pretty much freaking out because he looked EXACTLY like Max just about 50 pounds heavier. I think I freaked the dog's owner out as I was stalking it, camera in one hand and giant German sausage in the other. Americans....haha. We essentially ate our way through the day, not really needing meals but snacking and snacking and snacking...yum. Shannon and I also found some tasty German boys who were selling wild boar (not so tasty) and we all concluded for the thousandth time that I am a huge baby and am incapable of approaching an attractive member of the opposite sex. We left the Christmas market in the spirit of the holidays and me wondering exactly why I grew up to be such a socially inept person. Haha. Our final night with Pat and Laura was spent laughing and telling stories, talking about the changes, hardships, and blessings of living abroad, over....guess what meal—CHICKEN FAJITAS!!!!! It was like God came down and granted me my biggest Christmas wish. It was absolutely delicious and such a good end to an unforgettable stay with these new friends of ours. I won't be able to ever thank them enough for their genuine kindness and hospitality. 

 And now....I'm back, sitting in my room in Granada. And the strange thing is, I have 10 nights left sleeping in this bed. It is so unbelievably weird to me! I can hardly believe that I walked out of my house on August 25th. It's December 9th and I haven't seen my mother, my dog, my room! But it's been ok! Actually it's been more than ok, it's been amazing and unforgettable and perfect! I went out on a school night last night with Courtney, Allison, and Eric, and maybe we're reverting back to our old September ways, but to be honest I don't care. I have very limited time with these people and I'm making the most of it! Tonight we have our final API movie, and we have our goodbye lunch on Friday. Court's 21st celebration will be Saturday night, which will be crazy in itself but a ton of fun as I'm sure that's the last discoteca I'll be attending this semester. I am so thankful that I get to come back to Spain for another semester to experience it in a completely new way. But for now I need to stop writing, go get my homework done, so I can be with the people I love! :) Till next time, which hopefully will be before I come home, but if not, I'll see you face to face Washingtonians!

Love, MacKenzie

so i met my future husband in a vampire movie.

I can safely say I have left the slump. It was a long one, that slump. I can accredit it to homesickness, my attempt to save money which kept me corralled in my room at home much of the time, and my dang attitude. But, with a little over three weeks left in Granada, something clicked and I realized I don't have a whole lot of time left with these people and I need to make the most of it! After all, I don't know when the next time I'll see my friends will be, I won't be living with my host family anymore after this (of which I'm a bit thankful honestly), and I have only good things to look forward to. So that's good! :)

My only complaint about life is my own fault, my lack of control to not eat everything in sight, haha. Dad & I have discussed major exercise-age upon my arrival back in the states, I need it for sure! It's alright though, this host family Spanish life was a good experience even if I did pack on a few pounds. Needless to say, I am SO pumped to put my Y membership to use again, and next semester should be a huge improvement because I won't be eating 17 pounds of potatoes a week. Oh, and speaking of the Y, I am so pumped to get back to work! I need to make some money for sure...

And speaking of money...like I said earlier and in my previous blog, I was trying to budget, which I have been doing a lot better than the first half of the semester, but at the same time, it was getting to the point where I was turning down invitations to go out and do stuff because I didn't want to spend money. And the reality is, I have a lot of money, just no income. And I really want to buy a car when I'm back in Washington for the summer, but I can worry about that then, and for now I'm not going to go hog-wild with spending, but at the same time I'm not going to worry about money. I worked hard to come here, and I did not come to Spain to stay in my room complaining about our lack of internet access. Don't you love when you have revelations like this? After all, it's only money, as Grammy has always told me! Love that woman's advice.

Last week a big group of us went to the long awaited movie LUNA NUEVA (New Moon, second movie in the Twilight "saga") in Spanish of course. It was thoroughly entertaining. It wasn't even necessary that I understand the Spanish dubbing because I have the whole story memorized! Now, I always wonder, why can't they make these movies better quality? But the most important part of the movie was not the plot or the quality of the film or any other shenanigans like that. Ladies, have you seen Jacob Black? Well, google Taylor Lautner, and you'll understand if you don't already. Who would've known he could be so beautiful? If only, if only. Rumors are he's dating Taylor Swift. Ridiculous! Ha. Anyways, so last week with Celda 211, 2012, and Luna Nueva, we had a movie kinda week, which was great because I love going to the movies, in Spanish or English. It's how I've been raised! :)

At the moment I am writing this, I am procrastinating instead of studying for my test that's on Thursday. A test on Thanksgiving! Absurd! But then Friday morning our whole program is going to Paris and it's going to be a blast. I've already been to Paris, so my main goal isn't to go to all the touristy places (besides the Eiffel Tower because we failed to reach the top the last time we were in Paris) but to search for more obscure things in Paris--Dad sent me a guide book and I'm going to use that! Everyone else is probably taking a trip to Versailles and I don't want to pay for it because I've already been there! But overall I'm just pumped for Paris with all of my friends in the program. Oh! and we're going to Disneyland Paris on Sunday! What more could I ask for?

OK, but seriously, I need to go study. So, look forward to stories from Paris!
Love, MacKenzie

my tummy's turning and I'm feeling kinda homesick...

First I must explain that the title of this blog is definitely a quote from my new anthem, Miley Cyrus' "Party in the USA." I don't give a crap that Miley is a little ho, I love that song, and I listen and dance to it whenever possible. Also, that little lyric kind of applies to how I'm feeling at the moment...

Things are crazy here in the life of MacKenzie. You see, I have recently made the formal decision to not live with my host family next semester, and to live in an apartment with Spaniards. Now, this choice basically requires that I arrive in Spain in early February (classes start on the 9th) not knowing where I'm going to live. I'll have a hostel booked and after my week in Switzerland with Heinx and Brigitte, I will be stuck in Granada frantically searching for a room to live in. This, to me, is both exciting and terrifying. It is crazy to me that my first experience with bills, rent, and completely random roommates will be in Spain. But I also think that it will be better to do this in my second semester, because right now I'm completely comfortable in my homestay and oftentimes bored. Which is why I made this decision. My family is kind of alarmed, because of safety, (Mom couldn't help mentioning Amanda Knox from UW who has been in Italian jail for nearly three years because of allegedly murdering her British roommate, in their apartment in Italy), with which I explained that is an exception, a freak thing and I can't live my life being scared of things like that. At the same time I think they know I am sensible and wouldn't be involved with the wrong people, so they're all being supportive and I think this is going to work out. But my emotions have definitely been frazzled lately, I am anxious to get back to Washington for a bit. Also, I'm having the general college student crisis of, "I have no clue what I want to do with my life." I thought that coming to Spain would solidify all of the questions that I've had my entire life surrounding this question, but ironically, this experience has instead opened my eyes to so many other options and lifestyles and paths that I could take. I don't know.

Anyways....this past week I have been trying to commit to spending less money...such a daunting task. Paris is coming up Thanksgiving weekend, and I want to be able to spend more money there (our only two paid things are a bus tour and the Louvre, what a freaking rip off API! take me to the Eiffel Tower!). So naturally I've been doing less. I'm starting to get frustrated with the fact that my house doesn't have internet (because when you don't want to spend money the alternative in Granada is pretty much staying in your house and not doing anything, unfortunately). I discovered that we get internet in the lobby of my apartment building, so sometimes I sit down there with my sweats and jacket (it's usually pretty cold) and stream episodes from this season of Grey's onto my computer using Megavideo. PS, Grey's is amazing this season, they're over their slump of the past two seasons I've decided. Yesterday I watched Coyote Ugly and Princess Diaries on my iPod, and I've been reading like crazy. Right now I'm reading Dreams from My Father by Barack, and it is so good! I recommend that everyone read it. It seriously has nothing to do with him as president, so all you bitter Repulicans that like to read should still read it, it is a great book. I know it probably sounds like I'm being kind of a homebody, which is probably true. But isn't it also true that sometimes you just need a break? I mean, at home, I am never going going going all the time (well, I guess I am, but at least the things I do are either free most of the time or I EARN money from doing them), and here sometimes the culture becomes overwhelming and I just have to take a step back.

Sorry, this isn't the most exciting blog, but things have been pretty low key lately. We went to a movie with API last week called Celda 211 (a Spanish movie), and it was really good but extremely violent and graphic, go figure. And then Allison, Courtney, and I saw 2012 on Friday (in Spanish of course) and were thoroughly entertained. One area where I'm noticing extreme improvement is my listening in Spanish, I can understand these movies so well! (Probs because they're not in Granada's Andalusian accent, but still).  And the thing I'm looking forward to this week....LUNA NUEVA!!! (New Moon, Twilight #2, aka where I get to see Jacob Black lookin' fine). Again, it'll be in Spanish but hey, the Twilight movies are so silly I'll probably get more out of it by seeing it in Spanish anyways.

Christmas is coming! Granada is beautiful with all of it's Christmas decorations, hanging in all of the main streets are lights in the shapes of poinsettas, angels, bells,  and I cannot wait for when they are all lit up at night! Sadly, I have discovered that the only Christmas music on my computer is Celine Dion Christmas, which of course is my favorite Christmas album, but that is going to have to be sufficient until 5 days before Christmas when I come home! Crazy! I've also done some Christmas shopping and as always, am so excited to give my gifts to people (especially since they're from Spain!)

I'm going to finish up with a somewhat funny story that happened on Saturday. Allison, Cory, Shannon and I were walking around Granada yesterday evening, doing some Christmas shopping and people watching. We were wandering around the shops near the cathedral that have a lot of cheaper authentic Spanish gifts, and also touristy type gifts. There was one store that had a pond in the ground, a little pool type thing, with three or four fish swimming around it. Now, understand, this pool was in the middle of the floor, with a ledge that lifted 6-8 inches above the ground. I had seen the pool, but somehow, in the midst of my deep conversation with Allison about Christmas gifts or something, I stumbled over this ledge, and my right foot plunged right into the pool! I just covered my face in embarrassment, laughing, as Allison, Shannon & Cory are all cracking up, and the storekeeper says, "ah, ha bañando" (ah, she has taken a bath), and people are seriously walking by the store looking and pointing and laughing! I couldn't move until Allison assured me that I had not stomped on and killed a fish, and after that I had a wet foot for the rest of the day. It was so embarrassing! Ahhh! The silly American girl that stepped right into the pond! Haha.

Alright, I'm done, hope I didn't bore you to death. Miss you all back in the US, I'm not gonna lie, I can't wait to come home. Love, MacKenzie

love makes the world go round.......

When I came to Spain in August, Floe, the angel that she is, sent me off with four letters. One, to open at Sea-Tac as I was waiting, terrified, to board my flight. A second, to read during my journey, preferably somewhere over Greenland, as she said. Third, a letter to read after my first full day in Spain. And finally, letter number four, with which she specifically directed, “This is a letter that is for a rainy day, wait for a day when you're feeling down or homesick or lonely. It needs to be at least a week after you get there, and a day when not even biscotti will cheer you up. Understand? Good.”

I haven't read her letter yet, which I think is unbelievable. It is Sunday, November 8, 2009. I left my house in Arlington on Tuesday, August 25, 2009. This is the longest I have gone in my life without seeing my family, my friends from home or Western. And I haven't read her letter. One day, in September, about a month after I arrived here, I had a breakdown. I cried. I was homesick and sad, but I sucked it up and Cory and I ate some good chocolate, and I saved the letter. I figured, it could be worse, I want to read the letter for when I truly need it. And now I have a hard time believing that I will need it. You have ups and downs in life, no matter if you're comfortable at home or thousands of miles away from everything you know. I don't really know where I'm going with this. All I know is, Floe's first three letters guided me out of my fear and anxiety at the beginning of this journey, but as of yet, I have not needed the final letter, and I really don't think I will need it, even when I am a little “homesick.” 

Yesterday, I noted, was 6 weeks until I fly home, which is not very long, is it? A part of me absolutely cannot wait. It is so strange living in a new culture that you both love and don't understand sometimes, where there are benefits and flaws and you don't want to compare it to home, but in the back of your mind you kind of always do. I miss a lot of things about home. Concrete things, abstract things, random little idiosyncrasies about home. I miss my family, more than anything. I miss my dog, Max. My friends. Driving. Going to Boulevard Park with friends and watching the sunset. Watching my brother sing at the high school. Arlington sports. My Y kids. Working at the info desk. My friends visiting me at work in between classes. Coaching basketball. Playing @ the rec center. Washington weather (crazy, I know). Movie nights with the girls. Chicken fajitas. Chicken teriyaki. Food in general. Blake and Barrett, the kids I've babysat for two years. Meeting family for dinner at Olive Garden halfway in Mt. Vernon in the middle of the week, just because. Weekly dinners with Heidi, Patty, & Weston. Working out with Shayna in the summertime, her kicking my ass every step of the way! WWU Intramurals. Texting. Grey's Anatomy. People watching and cracking up with my brother. My life. 

 But at the same time, since I've been here, my life has expanded so much. This new one is entirely different, and in some ways here I'm an entirely different person. And what's amazing is that I have both lives, two completely separate parts of myself that entirely make up ME. And since I'll be returning to Spain for second semester, the only thing I'm really dreading leaving in December is the people here that I've grown to love so much. It's crazy, because you never imagine just how close you can get to people, and in two and a half months, I have come across some of the best friends I've had in my entire life. Mi hermana, Courtney. Eric. Shannon. Cory. Halee. Kaitlin. Douggy. Lexi. Ben. Alicia. Tyler. Megan. Michelle. Tony. Sam. Dana. Liz. Kelly. My early starters, I love them. Each and every single one, for who they are and for how we all balance each other out even though we're so completely different. Obviously there are many others, but I am most strongly connected to these people because we've been through it all together, we were here from the very start, thrown into the heat of Madrid in the middle of the summer wondering, “what the hell are we doing here?” I am so thankful that I have these people in my life, friends all over the country that have made this experience unforgettable so far and that I cannot even begin to describe the effect they've made on my life since I've been here. So now it's up to all of us to keep those ties connected in the future. I will be connected by heartstrings to all of these people, all throughout the US, but it is my job in the next 6 weeks to make so many more memories, and to enjoy these amazing people as much as I fully can before they all have to leave. And now, I'm literally crying as I write this. Why do I do this to myself? Haha. But it's ok, gotta get it out right? 

I'm not sure why I'm exactly going to post this in my blog, because I'm not usually this open about how I feel with so many people. But maybe I want to share a more personal aspect of how I'm feeling here, and maybe I want people who read this, at home or in Spain, to know how much they mean to me. And although I say that, and despite the fact that I love to write, and that I think I'm fairly good at it, ;) just know that no matter what I say, words are never sufficient for the love I have in my heart for all of you. 

I guess I'll wrap this up by sharing something Floe shared with me in that third letter she gave me. Gotta love that girl and her quotes, she always finds good supplementary words! :) 

“You can kiss your family and friends good-bye and put miles behind you, but at the same time you carry them with you in your heart, your stomach, because you do not just live in a world but a world lives in you.” 

Frederick Buechner

And with that, I need to go dry my tears and go for a run with mi amigo Cory. 

Love, MacKenzie