Home comes to visit

So the moment I got home from Mallorca last Sunday, I raced to my apartment to put some clothes in the wash, threw some more in a bag, then ran out the door to go find my MAMA! Too impatient to walk, I took a cab to her hotel, asked the man at the front desk what room she was in (IN SPANISH) then took the elevator to room 502 of the BEAUTIFUL Hotel Majestic. From the moment the elevator doors opened, I could smell her familiar smell of Chanel perfume, and here her high-pitched voice on the phone, talking to God knows who. I stood outside her door for a moment, just soaking in the sheer joy and excitement of this moment, then knocked loudly several times. Immediately she set down the phone, ran to the door, and enveloped me in the familiar Mommy hug. What an unforgettable moment that was...and that moment was also the start to a VERY unforgettable week full of highs and lows, however, overall the most BEAUTIFUL memories I have yet to make with my dear Mom.


After digesting the excitement of having my Mom in Barcelona, I let go of her, and entered the room only to find another WONDERFUL surprise: a bunch of my favorite American candy scattered across the room...doesn't get any better than that. I ate some starburst, some sweet tarts, and of course, opened a blow pop, then told her it was time to gather her things and go see my apartment. The whole mile there, we walked, talked, giggled, and enjoyed the excitement of being together again. Upon entering my apartment, my mother was completely shocked. Though my bedroom was better than she had expected, and she loved my balcony, my washing machine in the kitchen, and shower situation was much worse that she had expected... nevertheless, she photographed the entire thing.

We put my clothes on the clothes line, Mama was shocked that I didn't have a dryer and had been air drying my clothes, went and got dinner, then snuggled up in our cozy hotel bed for the night.

I skipped class Monday to spend the day with my mom, therefore we decided the that first and foremost we needed to walk down Las Ramblas and end up at the beach. Although Las Ramblas is so my mom's cup of tea, I was trying to steer clear of the "pick pocketers" and tourist commotion, so we power walked down the street :). Immediately when we made it to the water, we spied a boat, and decided that we needed to take a touristy boat ride. It was absolutely amazing. I have yet to see the beach, the city, the skyline, the entire Barcelona from the outside, and it was so much more wonderful than I imagined. And sharing this view with my Mama, who was 10x more enthusiastic about it than I was, was perfect.

After the boat ride, we took the metro in search of a hair salon, got lost, and ended up at a make up and perfume store instead... we did so well that we were exhausted and in need of a nap. Once we got back to the hotel, however, I was miraculously rejuvenated and went to take advantage of the very nice workout facilities while mama slept. The rest of the night consisted of going to get my clothes from the line outside due to a fear of rain, and eating tapas at a sweet restaurant near the hotel. Then going back to the hotel to struggle while trying to find English TV and getting so frustrated that we just called it a night.

Tuesday, I had a full day of classes, thus Sarah was left to be independent until 6:15. I was a bit worried, but she made it alright, and I met her for dinner, then we went back to the hotel and she made a necklace (she would bring her beads) while I did homework.

Wednesday, also, began with my having to attend classes, then us meeting up to go get hair cuts, YAY! We went to a hair salon that I had found several days before, and got hair cuts and treatments by the two sweetest, most flamboyant guys ever. They not only managed to give us wonderful haircuts and treatments, but also upped our self-confidence ten-fold with all of their kind words and compliments. It wasn't until we were paying that the owner - who did my hair - showed me his look book, complete with pictures of him doing Miss America's hair, Miss Inter-continental's hair, and much much more... the only way I found him was by searching English speaking hair stylists in Barca.... lucky me :) And that was the highlight of our day... which was followed by room service and an early nights sleep.

Thursday, as everyone warned me would eventually happen, we experienced our disaster.... Mom's wallet was stolen while at the antique jewelry flea market (where else would we be!)... It was sososo sad... and I was frustrated to tears, however, my strong Mother handled it so beautifully... the rest of our afternoon, however, was dedicated to canceling all her credit cards, and trying to figure out how to get more money. When it was all worked out, we returned to the flea market with what little cash we had left in the safe in our room, and bought ourselves some jewels as rewards for the tough day!

Friday morning we woke up pretty early, exercised, got lunch, shopped a little, then headed off to the tour bus that was headed to Mt. Sarrat. The ride up the mountain, in the gigantic tour bus was pretty terrifying... my eyes were closed the majority of the time, however, once we arrived to the top, it was totally worth it. The mountains were so much more beautiful than I had anticipated, the Basilica at the top was absolutely breath-taking, and the views of the city were unlike any that I had yet to see in Barcelona. The best part of all though, was my mom's reaction. She was absolutely in love. Every few steps, we had to stop and take another picture. Every time I was amazed by something, it absolutely took her breath away. Her enthusiasm made the experience so much more monumental. But then it was time to go back down, and without fail, one of us had to get carsick... thank goodness it was her and not me (sorry Mama :) ) We ended the day at my FAVORITE Spanish version of Bread and Company... and though it doesn't even begin to compare to my wonderful custom made salad full of feta and nuts, the home made salad and vegetables taste SO good in a city where the norm is bread, potatoes, and meat.

Saturday, our last day together, we of course had to do the activity that Mama was most excited about: the tour bus, where you ride around the city up top in the open air seating. We got off at the Sagrada Familia (beautiful), the mall (shopping for ourselves and the fam in the States was a necessity), and her favorite Park Guell. This park, created by Barcelona's well-known Gaudi, gave mom the perfect scenery in which she could take pictures of all of her favorite things together: flowers, parrots, beautiful views, pink buildings, and Spanish tiles. Though I was getting a bit antsy, I found my inner patience in order to watch her in her prime.

Early Sunday morning she left me, it was heart-breaking. Watching her get in the cab, headed back home to all the people we both love the most, after a week of wonderful quality time, all I wanted to do was to jump on the plane with her. Tears running down my cheeks, I mustered up the strength to get in my own cab, however, and head back to my wonderful little apartment, and continue this great adventure. Of all the obstacles I have faced while here, watching her head back home, knowing I wouldn't be doing the same for seven more weeks was without a doubt the hardest, yet I know that it is all worth it. I have now gotten back into my routine, made my way back into the little Barcelona family I have made here, and once again become excited about the beautiful seven weeks I have left. I cannot believe how quickly time flies.

I am off to London this weekend, for yet another outstanding adventure, and I cannot wait to tell you all about it. I miss my people, my home, AND MY ANIMALS, more than you will ever know... and I cannot wait to come home and share with you all the ways in which I have grown throughout these 17 weeks.

See you all VERY soon. And love you all VERYVERY much!