Crazy busy week. I mean really. I have been dreading this week for ages now as I had three Spanish exams and my Disney project was due in pretty much all at the same time. Stressed doesn't even begin to cover it. On Monday I had to memorise and present (some of) the history of Chile entirely in Spanish with no notes, no nothing. This didn't go as bad as I expected though my speaking skills in this language is pretty shocking. I can read it pretty well, and write it, but I sound terrible actually saying it. I can't roll my r's for a start, which my teacher thinks is hilarious. I sound like a demented cow trying to make the sound! This is why I think french would be a good language to learn; the accent is so much easier! Maybe this will be a summer project?
Spanish written exam on Wednesday. Blah. Hopefully a B, probably a C.
Then a spanish oral exam on Friday where my partner and I had to watch six Spanish movies, and prepare to talk about them in all tenses etc. It wouldn't of been so bad if the movies were any good. They all made me want to slit my wrists! I have watched a woman swallow 62 drug pellets, go to the toilet, then re-swallow them, a man try to plug the bleeding of his girlfriend from a botched up illegal abortion, and a 30 year old woman having a threesome with two 16 year old boys. Not cool. I'd rather be watching Castle, or How I Met Your Mother, or even Antiques Roadshow.
The Disney project was good; I have artistic friends who helped me a lot! Yes my friend did carve the tree out of clay, from scratch, he is that talented. I just glued the 'hair' onto it.
On Wednesday one of my friends from home, who is studying on her year abroad in South Carolina, flew in to come and stay for a few days! I was really excited to see her and show someone how gorgeous Santa Cruz is, but to be honest, I was a little apprehensive. I do not like mixing friends, or lives. It is a strange feeling having someone come and see a completely separate life you have created for yourself! We have talked about the year abroad for aggesss. I remember sitting on her bedroom floor in the dorms dreaming about our year abroad, and now we are living it, and she is here and I am here and we are over half way! Time goes so fast. But I digress.
It has been really great having her here! She has kept my stress levels down and we have spent lots of time chilling out, watching movies, going on walks, drinking and eating, and enjoying the sunshine:)
The two of us, and one of my friends went on a whale watching tour on Saturday morning which was AMAZING. Anyone who knows me knows that I am completely obsessed with whales, especially Orcas. To the point where my best friend had to talk me out of getting a tribal Orca tattoo (I thank her for that now!). I have seen Oracs in the wild twice but this was for a different kind of whale; the Gray Whale. This species of whale migrate from the Bearing Sea down to Mexico for the winter, and back again, straight through Monterey Bay. We clambered aboard our boat, Velocity, and set sail in the sunny, though slightly chilly morning weather, all nicely wrapped up and in prime position at the front of the boat. It wasn't long before we came across our first of 5 whales! The sense of awe you get when you see them so up close, and in the wild, is both humbling and euphoric at the same time. You just can't take your eyes off of them. The boat of 60 people goes completely silent while we just watch and wait as they come up for air before diving back down for 2-8 minutes. I started to get too snap happy and was watching the majority of the time through my camera, but decided to put it down after a while! Well, that was when the sea became so choppy that we were falling around all over the place and I couldn't keep my hands still! I got a few good photos, they aren't as active or playful as Orcas but it is great to see the famous fluke and heart shaped spray! None of the photos will be of us however. Stupidly, I didn't really put any sun screen on as I was cold and didn't really think about it....the consequence-sun stroke. We spent the rest of the day curled up on the sofa, playing The Office DVD board game, napping, trying to rehydrate and looking like traffic lights. My head is on fire.
She goes home tomorrow, so we are going to spend the last day riding rides at the Boardwalk and having a bonfire on the beach! That is, if my face doesn't cause any traffic incidences between now and then.
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