Gobble Gobble!

     Well the day has finally come. Well, not finally. The time flew by. So, Happy Thanksgiving everybody! In Spain, it's just another typical day. At school we talked about Thanksgiving in English class and of course I had to speak about it on the spot. My teacher wanted my to the class about the origins. I told them that the pilgrims could not survive in America, so the Native Americans helped them out and they put aside their differenced, threw a big feast, and gave thanks for all they were blessed with. She said, "That's a bit short, no?" Ummm...I forgot to read the Wikipedia page before class...sorry! But that's pretty much the story, right? We had the rest of the period to work on an assignment so I talked to two girls the entire time. They told me that my Spanish is very good! It makes me so happy to hear this. I feel it really improving though. Anyways, school flew by. I love my Thursday schedule. We watched Hamlet again in literature. Hamlet is a crazy guy. I mean I knew this, but he is really crazy. If you've ever read Hamlet please go to youtube.com and type in "Sassy Gay Friend-Hamlet." It makes me laugh every time. The credit goes to my best friend Korey Carr for finding this amazingly hilarious video.
     I walked home after school and had a Thanksgiving meal I will never forget: cereal, cheese, and an orange. Needless to say, I am very excited for Merche to be back home. I want some real food. As soon as I finished eating I got to talk to my family. I saw Grandma Biddle, Aunt Patty, and Uncle Jay for the first time since I've been gone. I had to actually "get ready." I wanted to look good for them. Haha. It was so nice though. My favorite part of the afternoon skype date: Grandma (sitting in the rocking chair): "Bob, can you stop rocking the chair?!" Grandpa: "What Mary? Is it bothering you?" Grandma:"Yes." (Grandpa walks away with his camera taking lots of pictures and not telling people...he likes candids.) Grandma and I continue to talk. A few minutes later she asks Grandpa, "Do you want to talk to Alex?" Grandpa replies with, "No. I'm afraid it might bother you." Then Grandma was telling me that she can't do much anymore and Grandpa said, "Well you can still bitch." I love my Grandparents!
     After Brandi showed me all of the food and I was full of envy, I said my goodbyes. Natalie came over for a little bit and then we headed to theatre. Theatre was just like every week except I managed to not embarrass myself at all. Natalie and I met a few girls before rehearsal and we went into Civican. They explained the plot with great detail and pictures. It was great! the story is really complicated, but the conclusion is simple: everyone dies...except the king. It helps to know what is actually going on. SO theatre went by pretty quickly. I ran home through the pouring rain with my scarf wrapped around my head like an old lady. I forgot my umbrella!
      I just finished talking to the family again. I said my goodbyes to everyone. My favorite: Me: "So Grandpa, how was your meal?" Grandpa: "I love you, too, Skeeter. I'll print those pictures and write you a letter tonight." Me: "I love you Grandpa." I miss him.
      So what an I thankful for? I am thankful for so many things. I have been so fortunate in my life. This has been mostly due to my amazing family. They have given me everything to lead a happy, healthy, and adventurous life. I'm thankful for all the support I have received from my family and friends while being here. It means so much to me when people tell me that they are proud of me. There is no greater compliment. It always makes me cry. Speaking of crying, I did not shed one single tear today. With that, I am so thankful for the strength I have found on my journey here. I feel so strong right now. Sure, I could cry if I wanted to, but there is no place that I would rather be right now. This is my life. Spain is my life. I only have it for another seven months so I need to enjoy every part I can about it. I'm enjoying learning about myself. When I think back to that girl on the airplane I can really see the difference. I still miss everyone immensely, but I'm growing. I feel like I can handle so much now. I don't think I am a different person...my personality is still exactly the same, but, like I said before, my mentality is different. It is different in so many little ways that it adds up to a big difference.

     With all of this being said, I still cry. I still miss my family. I still want to hug my mom and smell her "Daisy" perfume on her sweater. This is still hard, but I now feel as though I have better control over my feelings. I could cry right now. I could cry for a long time...but what good would it do? If I can choose to watch That 70s Show and laugh, why not? I'm not really sure how much of this made sense to all of you. My mind has always been just a little, you know, all over the place. So in a nutshell, I feel different, but I'm still the same Alex. I'm still your "Gertrude," Aunt Barbie. Your "Ally," Aunt Patty. Your "Skeeter, #1 Buddy," Grandpa. Your "Tardo," Brandi. Your "Wayne, Spaghetti Buns, Alice Palace, Al" Emily, Katie, and Abbie. Your "crazy daughter," Mom and Dad. I'm me! I hope everyone is enjoying their Thanksgivings right now. Eat lots of turkey!! Gobble, gobble :D