I can’t believe this shall be the final blog post. I head back to ‘merica on Monday morning. This past week with my family has been so wonderful and eventful.
The weather has been extremely nice here….60s and sunny :). It’s been the kind of weather that we have in the early spring when sun-deprived Wisconsinites get out and wash their cars wearing shorts and a t-shirt. I almost prefer that it would be a bit colder just to ease into the shock I will be experiencing when I step off that plane into the cold Chicago air. I have been taking advantage of this weather and have gone for a hike every day since getting back for Prague and each hike made me want summer more and more. I shouldn’t even be thinking these thoughts since I haven’t even had a taste of the Wisconsin cold yet. We’ll see how I do!
Everyone from my school left back to the USA on Thursday morning which means I am one of few Americans left in Toledo. A friend of mine went on a celebratory hike the day before leaving, and he told me that he discovered a little green oasis with a waterfall. I thought it would be fun to wake up early and discover this little waterfall oasis by myself yesterday since all of my hiking buddies were back in the states.
The hike started out great. I had my hiking play list ready to go, my boots were cleaned, and my spirits were high. It was super sunny outside and I was sweating with just a light jacket. My friend gave me very simple directions to find this little oasis. All I needed to do was follow a stream for a while. Simple right? Long story short, I ended up in a prohibited military zone. Once I heard gunshots, I booked and asked the military official how to get out of the military zone. I had to ride in the military jeep with the officers where the commander was waiting for me. What made the situation worse was that I had those sticky, thorny balls stuck all over my pants and shoes. Trying to hold back my tears, I explained that it was almost my last day in Spain and I was just taking a celebratory hike and somehow ended up there. Thankfully, they were all very nice about the situation and just laughed at me and told me to relax. They even offered me a coffee. I felt so relieved…that is until they told me to wait in the office until the police came. The police just had to follow protocol and search my backpack. My host dad told me that it must have been my pink bible that I had in my backpack that saved me. He told me that usually absolutely NO ONE is allowed near that area. Outsiders are strictly prohibited. Although the final hike did not go as planned, at least I can say I made friends with the Spanish military and police. I assured them that not all Americans are so naïve and crazy as to end up in military zones accidentally. When I went out to the town with my host family that night, they jokingly warned me ahead of time when they saw police so I could avoid them.
just follow the stream! ha
My host sister and I have been planning on going on a hike together for a while now, and even after hearing my story she still wanted to go. Don’t worry Mom, we took the normal route that I’ve done millions of times and is completely normal. After the eventful hike the day before, I was expecting an easy hike today. As we started climbing the rocks, my sister said she was scared that a snake might be hidden between the rocks. Hmm…a thought that never occurred to me even though I am deathly afraid of snakes! She did the little clap thing that she told me is supposed to scare away animals, but it did just the opposite! I didn’t see it, but she screamed when a green snake came slowly slithering out of the rock she was about to step on. We ran 100miles/hour down that hill. I am glad that for some reason the fear of snakes or other animals on my hikes never crossed my mind because I would not have gone otherwise.
Yesterday I cooked pasta with pesto for my host family. I was nervous if they would like it or not since it has such a distinct and strong taste. They LOVED it! In fact, they are planning on making it now for Christmas. My host dad loved it so much that he stole noodles off of my plate, my sister’s plate, and my host mom’s plate. I was going to try to make a big American breakfast for them, but I’m not sure anything can top that pesto that they loved so much.
Manolo pretending that he is serious!
My host mom and I :)
And so concludes my time abroad. Thank you family and friends for your support back home. You all helped to make this experience possible and meaningful. I can’t fully articulate how valuable this experience has been to me. Of course I will miss it here and I will especially miss my wonderful host family, but I know that I will be back. My host mom said that my host sister or brother will just have to hurry up and get married so I have a reason to come back and visit them soon. I hope I am able to come back soon. Until then….stay the same Toledo, Spain!
Merry Christmas from Toledo <3
Always,
Aleeesa
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