Griff In Spain: ¿Cuánto tiempo ha pasado?

It has been WAY too long since my last post (exactly two weeks to the day) and I'd just like to give you all my lousy excuses for not writing.

1. My internet access is unreliable.
2. There's a lot to do here. If I'm not in class, I'm eating comida, then going to class. Or, as on Wednesdays and Thursdays, I go into Madrid in the afternoon and usually don't come back to Alcalá until bedtime.
3. Last week, I was studying for a test all week, then went to Amsterdam over the weekend, then had to rehearse this past week for the talent show in Alcalá. Details will follow.

So I'm sorry. I don't even know if people still check this thing to see my progress. But hopefully someone does. More thoughts on time...

I feel so separate from everything. There's so much to do HERE, and so much to do THERE, in the States, like worrying about internships, applying for financial aid and to be an orientation leader, and trying to update all of my individual friends on all of my escapades...it's hard to personalize these things for everyone, so for that, I'm sorry. I still have postcards from Barcelona waiting to be sent. I suck at communicating. I'm supposed to have a pen pal, and I've written her once.

All right...since I don't want to write all that much, I'll try (try, mind you) to keep it short, without sacrificing too many details.

First of all, if you haven't already heard, I got a haircut, and now my hair is as short as it's ever been. I didn't like it at first, but it's grown on me (pun intended) and I think I'm going to keep it like this for a while.

Now, Amsterdam highlights.

1. The Girls. I spent the weekend with three wonderful, beautiful girls, and we had a phenomenal time together.

First of all, I met Emma, who has successfully evaded meeting me for the past three years. We made up for that lost time with a conversation that lasted all Thursday night, allowing us only twenty minutes of actual sleep. Then, we had an entire afternoon in Amsterdam before Gina and Katherine showed up, which gave us a few hours to enjoy a boat ride through the canals of the city and see 14th century watchtowers and the richer part of town.

Then Gina and Katherine arrived, and the group was complete, and life seemed complete. It was difficult getting away from Alcalá and Spain, but the break was a pleasant one, and made even more heavenly with these three goddesses.

We walked to streets of Amsterdam, getting lost between the Red Light District and Leidseplein, Anne Frank's house and the Van Gogh Museum.

2. The traveling. I wouldn't exactly call it a "highlight," but it certainly was memorable. I flew into Paris on Thursday, and the transportation workers, being French, decided to go on strike, which severely limited my access to the city. Luckily, I had two goddesses to guide me to the one bus that went from De Gaulle Airport to the middle of the city. Katherine and Emma were so helpful, and after working my way through the airport and waiting in the cold for this bus, I arrived at the Arc de Triomphe, which was quite a sight, never having been to Paris.

Then, the next morning, Emma and I had to sprint to the train station in Paris to catch our 6:30am train to Amsterdam, which was another adventure.

The trip from Amsterdam back to Madrid was frustrating. I took the train from Amsterdam to Paris with Katherine and Gina, and we got to the RER (Paris's commuter rail) which didn't accept my credit cards, but Gina was a sweetheart and bought me my ticket to the airport. I got the airport in perfect time, an hour ahead of the flight. I went through security once, then discovered an hour delay for my flight. Then, they changed gates, so we had to move, go through security again, and arrive at the gate to discover another delay. The plane couldn't get to the gate for some reason or another, so we had to take a bus from the jetway to the runway, where the plane was waiting. The flight was fine, but due to the delays, I couldn't take the train home from Madrid, and had to run to catch that last Metro at 12:30am to Avenida de Americas, where I can catch a bus that leaves every hour on the hour. I got there at 1:02am. The bus left as I arrived. I had to kill an hour before the next bus showed up, so I did a little homework. Long story short, I travelled for 12 hours that day. 2:30pm to 2:30am.

3. Chipsy King. The best french fries I've ever had.

4. My life-changing experience walking through the Red Light District. Seeing prostitutes shaking their bodies in their windows at potential clients was...striking. Susannah would know what I felt...and if you've read John Irving's "A Widow for One Year" you would know too. All they needed was a "For Sale" sign to complete the complete forfeit of their self-esteem. I had an interesting conversation about the legalization of prostitution with the girls. But mostly, seeing foreign women who came to Amsterdam to pursue a legal career in this field...it was sad and intriguing and odd.

And now...pictures.