The Roller Coaster Ride.

My year is a roller coaster ride. Flips, turns, 360s, sudden stops, sudden starts, etc. It just depends on the ride. Roller coasters have the capability of completely surprising you even when you can see the track ahead. They bring many highs and lows, screams and cheers, and thrills and rushes. It's a great thing I love roller coasters because this is my life. Emotionally I am in an array of ups and downs: laughter and tears. I never know what is coming next even if I think I do. But roller coasters are amazing. They provide us with some of the greatest excitement we'll ever have. And something that is consistent with most rides is that they are over before you know it. And we'll stand in line to ride it again and again just because of the amazing take off or incredibly awesome 360 in the middle, even if the ride hurts our neck or leaves us feeling nauseous. Buckle up.

Last night was great. Natalie and I joined the parade of San Fermin in the middle of the city. That was fun. The streets were completely packed with people dancing and playing music and enjoying the show. After we escaped from the parade we met the other exchange students living in Pamplona in el Plazo del Castillo. From there we went to a Turkish Restaurant: Kebab. It was great! The food was fantastic and cheap and they had a Beyonce CD on. We had a blast. It's our hangout from now on. After this we went to the park and hung out and talked for awhile. Then we walked the streets of Pamplona. I sang as we walked and loved every minute of it. I cannot wait until Choir starts. I need to sing more often. Natalie and I were picked up by her host dad and then I spent the night at her house. The house is in a suburb of Pamplona and it is gorgeous. It's where I am staying next. The family is great, so I'm really happy about that. We watched TV and made button rings and then headed to bed. This morning we woke up and had breakfast then I headed home on the 11:30 bus. I did some catching up on my computer and then went to lunch at my host grandparents house. We didn't stay long. I just got back from the movies with Merche and some of her friends. We saw Eat Pray Love!! It was great. Again. I understood quite a bit...but I basically have it memorized haha. Now I am here. I am so tired now. I'm going to shower and have dinner and possibly do some reading and skyping. I'm starting to get a cold so sleep is really important right now! It's just hard with eating dinner around 9:30-10 every night.

I've had an emotional past couple of days but I think that is because I am very tired. Plus, it's all part of it. How would anyone expect me not to miss family and friends as great as mine? It's hard, but my life here is great and getting better each day. I'm discovering myself and finding a life here. This wouldn't be worth it if I wan't hard. I love my friends and family, I love Alliance, I love Pamplona, I love my life.