Day 17 January 18, 2009 Sunday

Today I woke up later and Katie wanted to come and visit me. My friends are being amazing through all of this and I feel like I am holding them back, but they are being patient, helpful and carrying. They don’t have to do this, but they just are, and they are going out of their way to help It was a gorgeous day out, and everyone was outside around the city. Katie brought me a present when she came and visited to take me to watch the locals play soccer! She bought a Hannah Montana sticker book, magazine and lip gloss! She knows what I like!

We sat at the soccer fields by the Industrial college two blocks from my house, after hobbling there on my European crutches and watched a group of local guys (and Arik) play football. We looked through the magazine and put on the lip gloss and just had a good time looking at everyone and people watching! You can tell the difference from the Spanish in Mexico, South America, and Europe. That is one thing that really stood out. And another difference we noticed is that kids are amazing at soccer here. And they are all obsessed with it.

Katie had a brilliant idea of trying to steal a wheelchair so we could go out for a stroll! So we decided to go to Hospitial Clinco a few blocks away. My hands were so battered from yesterday and I couldn’t put that much weight on them so we got Arik to carry me there. Right before we went into the hospital we had Katie carry my crutches, hold Arik’s soccer ball, athletic bag, and she looked so cute in her boots and “church dress”, she looked like a cute and stylish mom.

Arik carried me into the emergency room and Katie walked right next to us and we looked as though we were on a mission. It looked like a pathetic scene of desperate American’s. Katie was the only one of the three of us who had an extended background in Spanish! We tried asking the reception desk if we can use one. And another patient actually started to help translate, and said that San Pau was horrible. A woman who didn’t even speak Spanish got involved, and sided with us. Everyone in the waiting room was staring at the three of us. But we looked bad ass, and we tried everything we could. We failed, but it was a close fight and on the way out we almost stole one of the ghetto wheel chairs and would have just rain with it.

After our failed mission, we stopped and got fruit then went and sat at the park. Erin met us, and we just sat forever talking! When talking with them, nothing is off limits. We wanted to go get coffee (and pee) so we left the park. Katie almost dribbled in her pants and I almost peed on Arik’s back. In Spain, when you get the urge, you HAVE to go. It was so funny, and he told me if I would have, he wouldn’t have hated me! It was a close call, but we made it. It was one of the funniest conversations so far in Barca.




It was fun just hanging around “our part of town” today. Just something as small as watching soccer at the park, attempting to steal a wheelchair, eating fruit at the park, and of course being spotted as the 20 year olds reading Hannah Montana magazines at the park was a great day. I have some really amazing people here that I can count on, and they are my best friends. I wouldn’t have gotten through yesterday without them, and today I would have been bored out of my mind. Just a simple day like this was a perfect way to spend my Sunday.

NOTER! Today a Swiss getaway with the fab froolafals was BOOKED!
Froolafals= fralafals + drooling= our “friends group” Erin, Jody, Katie and Me.