In-N-Out

Hello My Loves!

So, it has, once again, been too long. I started writing about 2 weeks ago and never got to finish it/didn't like it. I'm too picky lol

Cadiz and Ireland were both AMAZING - in very different ways.
Before I reflect a little on both, here are the links to some photo alumbs of each trip for those of you who don't have facebook:

Cadiz: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2016684&id=1042110068&l=d55c8b00f5
Ireland: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2017614&id=1042110068&l=fc2829d758

So Cadiz was just simply a little bit too nuts hahah I have never seen so many chicken costumes in my life! hahah It was a lot of fun to have a weekend get-a-way like that with friends. The hotel we stayed in was apartment style so we had a kitchen and everything - very cool. The hotel was about 20 minutes outside of Cadiz so the first night we stayed in our area and went out around there. The 2nd night was the reeeal Cadiz night and we lived it up :) I got a little too sick the first night...coughcough...so the 2nd night I took it easy hahah but it was still great and I'm glad I went :) Minus the 8 hour bus ride that was on the most uncomfortable bus of my life lol I also loved being able to dip my toes into the ocean from the other side of the Atlantic.

Ireland was simply incredible, and I truly think a lot of that is due to the opportunity to travel alone. I can seriously be such a loner - some of my happiest moments can be times where I am completely alone and free to do anything I want. It was great to be able to stay with some Irish family (half Irish holla!) and connect to that part of my roots along with having the balance to really explore and do my own thing. I met so many random people who quickly become friends and 1 of them I think I am actually going to stay with while in Portugal in April :) The connections you can make in literally seconds are amazing and exciting to me - this person in Lisbon I spent only 1 hour of 1 night with, and I am now probably using their couch as my bed for 4 nights in April haha! Don't worry though, I know you are all probably a little apprehensive to this, but trust me when I say if I felt even the slightest bit uncomfortable, I would never take the situation on. It is great to know I am strong and can handle my own, as my Irish cousin also commented on at the end of my trip after realizing he really didn't need to do much to make sure I was okay. And also if it's any comfort, I obviously know that just because I am comfortable and feel strong in intuition, judgement and independence, that doesn't necessarily mean I won't get into a bad situation, but I am also confident the outs are just as accessible as the ins :)

While there I traveled around mostly the heart of Dublin - seeing Trinity College, St. Stephen's Green, shopping and walking around Grafton, Henry, & Nasseu St, along with the Temple Bar area and getting a tour of Kalmainham Gaol. I was lucky to have no rain! It was mostly cloudy, windy and cold but I was simply happy to stay dry :)

Commenting back on connecting more with my Irish roots - it was just nice to be reminded I am just as Irish as I am Mexican. Being Mexican-American has been pretty dominant through out my whole life, as I have progressivley become more proud of my Latina roots. I feel for many reasons my mexican heritage has been predominant because of how large and connected my father is with his family. Although I am in touch with relatives from my mother's side, it is not as strong or common to see and talk with them. Also, not only physically resembling my Mexican heritage, the issue of stereotypying, generalizing and discrimination is much more prominent than that of Irish natives. For this I think my sisters and I have also been more defensive and prideful on defending and exploring these roots. So all in all, it was great to visit the land that makes up my other half :) I found out too late in the trip I had more family up north and all over Ireland, but with little time left I did not get the chance to see them nor the Irish country side that I hope to see one day :)

Today is officialllllly my first day of Spring Break! I am so excited. I just can't believe once I get back I have a month left and then it's done. I have such mixed feelings on this, as I do with basically all changes in my life haha (I need to work on this. lol) To be honest though I think I have come a long way in dealing with change. It has been great and hard and everything in between, and I will be so happy to go back to the states but also have a hard time closing this chapter in my life - even if it wasnt the easiest one. But before I get myself down talking about that, let's talk about my spring break instead! hahah :) (Another thing I'm trying very hard to do - just be present). Tomorrow Tisean comes until Wednesday, April 1st. On the 3rd I'm off to MOROCCO!!! For all of you who know me well, I have had my heart set on Africa since I could probably talk haha (okay not thaaaat long but you know what I mean). I know that this is just the start to my future connection and immersion within this country :) On the 7th I am headed to Alicante, Spain to soak up some sun on the Meditterranean beach with two of my girlfriends from the program here in Madrid. :)

For the last 2/3 weeks now my Senora's mother has been staying with us - and what an experience this has been. Not only am I already not use to be the "oldest sibling" or having any "brothers", I've also never lived with a grandma, or any grandparent for that matter. This woman laughs at me proooobably 95% of the time I'm with her - she thinks it's absolutely hilarious I don't know what she's saying. hahah and sometimes I laugh with her but sometimes I'm like, "Really! It doesnt help when I'm already frustrated for not knowing what you're saying and then you laugh in my face and with others about it!" lol For the most part though, I've learned to love her and her giggling, wrinkled face lol She'll be gone when I get back from my Spring Break adventures and I think the house will be much more quiet without her. Other than her laughing at me, she's pretty hilarious. I was headed out one night and it was cold out, my coat was upstairs and I was gonna grab it after dinner, planning to just eat dinner with the family in my t-shirt. She's like, "Oh it's so cold go get your coat!" - "Oh, I'm fine for now, I'll get it when I go out." - "Noo, it's cold go get it." - "No really, I'm okay".... 20 minutes into dinner I am rubbing and cracking my back because it was kind of hurting, she asks what I'm doing - "Oh my bad hurts a little" - "It's because your cold." hahah
Really?! hahah This is only one of many examples, like how she told me I should have met Barack Obama before Michelle did.... Grandma I'm pretty sure I was still in the womb when he was in his prime 20's lol She's quite interested in my love life as well and has made many comments on how its okay to have numerous boyfriends... she will see pictures of my friends and be like "oh he looks strooong" LOL you're like 70 years old!!! Gotta love it.

I will hopefully be quicker next time to post about my adventures here in Europe :) I love and miss you all and would still love to know how you're all doing, I can't believe it's almost April! I will get to see all your pretty faces before we even know it :)

All my love and more,
apb