Getting back to the United States can be rough. Really rough. Actually telling the story in reverse would be very hard (i tried) so i'll just do it in steps: Resting my head on a pillow atop an air mattress in Raleigh, North Carolina last Saturday night at about 3 am EST, i reflected on the last…who knows how many hours. i now find myself in a library in Cape Carteret, North Carolina near Emerald Isle where i've been at the beach house for five days. Kirsten is probably in Ukraine by now (pray for her!) and Ukraine’s Football Club (that’s soccer) also plays today. i arrived in Raleigh on Saturday evening a whole day after I was supposed to. i arrived at New York’s JFK early Friday night in order to catch a flight to Raleigh, but found that my flight was cancelled due to weather. Not only that, but i find that all the flights out of JFK to Raleigh for the next three days are booked solid with filled standby lists. There are some options: La Guardia Airport has some flights which leave tomorrow, but i've only got $40 US. Of course neither American Airlines (the associate airline i'm flying with) nor British Airways (the line I bought the ticket from) will do anything to help me—no transportation, no lodging, nothing. Having just arrived from London and before that Málaga, i'm tired, but i decide, hey, i'll take the 4pm flight out of La Guardia, get a cheap place to stay and see the city in the morning before having to get to the airport! Right… Except that i'm in New York City, one of the most expensive places in the world and i've got my suitcase, my guitar, and my backpack. For now i don’t really dwell on this fact, but instead go to visit Kyle Warner who is also in the airport after his flight. We left Spain at the same time, only he went through Madrid. His flight leaves early in the morning to LA. When all is said and done, he will actually be on Catalina Island before i leave New York (quite a feat, Catalina Express ride included). Unfortunately for him he’s got a busted toe. The cab ride from JFK to La Guardia would have cost me $25 minimum, and up to $35 or higher, so I opt to “do it my way.” i board the Airtrain (JFK’s tram service) which connects me to the Subway system. To exit costs me $5. i also buy two dollars’ worth of credit to get me on the subway in the right direction. Of course, no trains actually go to La Guardia so i'll have to change to a bus. Bus Q33 to be precise. i exit the Subway system at 74th/Roosevelt in Queens and i look for some food. i head across the rain-kissed New York street to a Subway sandwich establishment and get a footlong—half for now, half for later. Boarding the bus, i expect to have to pay another $2, but an attendant informs me that my $2 for the Subway ride actually covers my transfer (sweet!) so i make it to La Guardia having spend about $12 total: $5 for a sandwich and $7 for transportation. Of course it took me longer and was slightly more difficult, but certainly more adventurous. At least now i still have some money to buy food. What’s really great is that since my arrival i've been able to use my cell phone which has free nationwide roaming! i had been contemplating my options to find out if there was anyone i knew in New York with whom i could stay for the evening, but no one came to mind, at least that i could get into contact with immediately. i ended up sleeping for about 3 choppy hours atop my luggage while i waited for the AA ticketing counter to open to try to get on an earlier flight. i got on standby for a flight in the morning, but it got cancelled, too. So i ended up going out on my initial 4pm flight. After i FINALLY got to Raleigh, i met up with my aunt, got picked up by my grandma, went back to the house, took a nap, and then picked up my family en route from San Jose…
Big Toe. Sweet movie from some Chapman film students, and also Kyle’s problem. After staying up all night our last night in Granada and going to the sulfur thermal baths (Los Baños Santa Fe) we arrive back at the house to pack up our stuff and catch the bus to our flight. Kyle grabs his stuff and proceeds to loudly fall down the stairs and smash his toe. He’s limping the whole way and says it might be broken. Later he finds out it’s not, but he sprained it and jammed his toenail in a bit (ouch!).
During our stay in Granada we were with Kyle’s host family, seen below. They were extremely hospitable and generous with their time and space and FOOD! (it was VERY excellent, let me tell you) We got laundry done, went swimming in their pool, slept like kings, drank Gazpacho every day (at least i did!), and got a great sampling of other choice Spanish cuisine, gracias a Mariola. It was great to see Kyle in his habitat, and share some experiences with him that no one else ever will! Some highlights include: visits to La Bodeguilla with friends and family, Susana’s birthday party in the countryside, riding with Rober, Popy, Eva, driving to Pampaneira, Celia’s cumpleaños, La Alhambra, self-cleaning public toilets, a new office party, La Feria (yikes!), and little to no sleep. Kyle got more photos of folks on his digital camera than i got on my disposables (what you see below) so check those out if you get a chance.
To close (or begin) the last part of our story, our trip to Granada was as follows: we left Barcelona (with sad hearts…Pijus and Ivan der Schreckliche were great hosts!) and we took a bus to Valencia. After arriving in Valencia we found a hostal and went to go see a free blues concert by a band from Chicago! We had passed them warming up when we were looking for a place to spend the night and got the scoop. The next day we went to El Mercado Central de Valencia and it was AMAZING! Very cool and lots of fun—we got food for the whole day. We got our stuff and boarded a bus to Murcia for the next leg of the journey. We played on the street for a final time in the central square in front of the Cathedral as we waited for the office of tourism to open so we could find a place to stay. After finding a place, we walked around town a bit and saw some stuff and then went back to the pensión to get some rest and talk about the next leg of the journey. Getting up the next day, we went to the Mercado Central, this time in Murcia, and did the same thing. So fun! i wish we had stuff like that in the US. Then we went to Granada.
May i just take this opportunity to say that i am so blessed to have been able to travel with Kyle Christopher Warner. A man of God and an encouragement in many ways (also a challenge!), Kyle taught me more about what true fellowship is like. We grew as friends and as brothers in Christ and i hope that the Lord has great things in store for us for years to come.
Proverbs 27:17
Welcome to Granada!
left to right: Luisa, Cándido (El Candi), Enríque, Celia, Cristóbal, Maria, Mariola
Refuge from el calor plastante.
View from windows of La Alhambra toward Granada.
Sueños de La Alhambra. El Cielo que brilla.
¡Qué modelos!
Maria y Cristóbal en el autobús
L2R: Cristóbal, Maria, Popy, Pili
¡Hasta luego amigas, compañeras!
L2R: Cristóbal, Luisa, Popy, Maria, Eva, y yo
