To Spain and back again

I have not posted for awhile and there is a very good explanation for that. The past 2 weeks the girls have been on holidays! Yikes...that means busy busy busy. Well it wasn't that bad but it just meant that I didn't get the chance to go onto the computer to write anything. But they are back at school and so here I am ready to tell all about my wonderful adventures:D!...well maybe not all...only the people who are interested...hehe.

Since Austria and Switzerland I haven't done any major traveling (until the past weekend) and have basically been staying in the area and a little bit farther on weekends, getting myself into all sorts of trouble. I wouldn't call it trouble really but it's been interesting. I continue to meet new people. One weekend I had the pleasure of touring with another Canadian who just got to the Netherlands and who is going onto England to be an au pair. It was sooooo much fun to be the tour guide of a "new to europe"! It allowed me to feel as if I was the expert on the area...hehe! We went to Kaukenhof, which is a big garden that is absolutely beautiful! We also got pictures in tulip fields. I then proceeded to get in my first fight with Sanna, the finnish au pair that I hang out with the most. It was quite refreshing! Fighting for me is a positive experience b/c it is a good median for change. I think if people spoke their mind right from the beginning there would be no reason for fighting but if you know me usually I don't say anything until I feel pushed past my max and then I explode (don't worry...not in a violent way). Yes yes I know I should work on that but anyway like I said fighting allows for change so I feel refreshed now.

Humm....ok back on track...I went on a little tangent there. So the fight resulted in me and the Canadian (Emma) taking control and going to Leiden. It was great for Emma b/c her mother said before she came "the only 2 things I want you to see for me are Keukenhof and Leiden, which I fell in love with". If you get the chance in your life I suggest you go there b/c it is a really nice city.

I have been talking with Sarah, an au pair from New Zealand who goes to Albert's church, for a very long time now by email and phone. I felt as if I already knew her really well but we didn't actually get the chance to meet until the last weekend in April. I am so glad that we got to spend the weekend together! We were going to go to Zealand but that feel through so instead she came here and we went to the beach...the same beach that Deanne and I had the pleasure of going to in the winter but this time it was beautiful weather! It was a little emotional for me b/c we drove down the same road that Deanne and I drove down when she was here and I just miss all you Canadian people soooo much (I am at the 1/2 way point and so incredibly homesick right now...more on that later!). Well by emotional I mean happy emotional b/c I got to remember my times with Deanne, which I realize I haven't written about yet! Anyway it was so nice and refreshing to be able to hang out with another Christian from a similar background as me who is living in the same life situation as me right now. It gave us a lot to talk about! Sarah stayed until Monday b/c it was Queen's Day! We thought there was no better place to go then Amsterdam. All I can say is that it was crazy! I want to put a lot of detail in but I feel like it would bore you! Well picture a city that is so full with people that every single street in probably the entire city (the old part with all the canals but even past that) was a tight, packed, steady stream. Look on this website for pictures and whatnot: http://www.koninginnedagamsterdam.nl/foto/museumplein. It's so crazy and so many people come (from not just within the country)that the train system completely reorganizes itself. We spent most of the day at the big concert in museumplein where all the most famous dutch musicians were. And out of 1000s of people that were watching the concert it just so happened that people from my church were standing right behind me. You know you've been in a country too long when you start to see people you know in a lot of the cities that you go to;D hehe! By 6 oclock we had had enough of the craziness. There was garbage everywhere in the streets and we even saw a girl with her foot sliced open b/c people just kick glass and who know what else around. I'm very glad we got to see it though and I really had a good time.

So I was going to write about Spain but I think that it will have to come later. Just quickly right now: I love Spanish streets, I love Spanish buildings, I love Spanish parks, I love Spanish street musicians, I love Spanish people (yes even the spanish boys that are supposed to have too much libedo for their own good...it's not true people! I felt just as safe here as I did in Germany; even when I was touring on my own...this of course is in the middle of the day...I didn't try the nightlife so that might be a different story). Anyway I won't get ahead of myself. I will give you more details and pictures later.

I hope everything is good for everyone at home! Like I said I am half way and it feels as if when the half way point came I began to get extremely homesick and feel as if I have experienced enough and am ready to come home. I've seen enough cities, met enough people, experienced enough culture, learned enough language, and thought enough about everything relating to life, that I can come home. But I'm not a quiter and I know it's just a faze that will pass so I'm good and will continue to be good. These last 4 months will go quickly I am sure, especially since there is a trip home for a week and a half, a trip from Lina for 2 weeks, and the coming of lots of my family for Jan and Pierre's thing in France for a bit, so it will all be good.

Bye for now!