Can I please have a restart?
I woke up at 10:00am ready to get a lot of things done. I planned on washing my sheets, hanging them up on the roof and making my room perfect for my mom but instead found that the water had been turned off in my building for construction in the alley behind us! Still planning on being productive, I went to print out my papers for the flights and then take out money from the bank in the ATM where I always go.
As I was taking out the card, I accidentally pushed it back in and it was trapped by the machine. I freaked out a little and went inside the bank to see what could be done. I thankfully got my card back and the transaction had been canceled. I thought everything was fine and went to charge up my phone. Back home I talked to Antonio who's bike had just been stolen at the university. Checking my WaMu account, I saw that the transaction from the ATM had gone through. I was out 400 dollars. I immediately went back to the bank with my computer. I talked to a lady who told me that it would be ok and that I should wait about an hour. Back home I talked to Heiko and we decided to go next door to the "Loft" restaurant that we always see for breakfast.
Super pijo and very nice, we had a great breakfast of pan con tomate, fresh orange juice and yogurt. I went back home to check my bank account. Nothing different. I went back to the bank and talked to them again. After a conversation in which I got more and more nervous as they too were confused that the money hadn't gone back, they called their international office and told me that I would have to wait a few days for it to be cleared with my bank and their office. I would get my money back but I felt terribly stupid for having done something as silly as that and also for having waisted much of the morning when I had other things to do!
The Day Part Two:
I came back home realizing that I couldn't do anything more about my bank account. Heiko and I decided to clean up the apartment which was a mess. I took out the trash and cleaned up the Kitchen. I then went over to Melissa's house for lunch and trip planning. Melissa made a really nice lunch. I talked about summer trips with Melissa, Jon, Athena, Veronica and Jennifer. We'll be going to Greece and Turkey together the second half of July. I also invited everyone to jump aboard the Egypt trip. Melissa, Veronica and Jennifer said they would look into it.
Melissa and I rode the bus back to the centro. Our conversation was so pretentious and romantic that we both laughed and were glad that most people on the bus didn't understand what we were saying. We had been talking about meeting up in Paris to then fly to Athens to begin our Mediterranean trip. We'd either fly or take a ship over to Turkey where we would be staying with Melissa's family. Pretty Incredible!
Back home, I rushed to wash and hang up my clothes, organize my room and pack my bag for the weekend in Barcelona. I literally ran to Cortes Ingles to buy a new journal, running back to quickly finish packing and asking Heiko if he could collect my sheets from the roof. Looking at my watch, I was pretty sure I wouldn't be able to make it on time with the public airport bus. I left in a blur, bringing my laptop with me.
I talked to the first taxi driver I saw and asked how much it costs to go to the airport. "Between 20-25 euros," he said. "I don't want to wait for the airport bus but I don't want to pay more than 20." "OK, get in." We walked a little on the way over. I kept watching the meter jump up and up. We arrived at the airport and the fare was 21.50. I gave him the exact change but he said we had made a deal and returned the euro fifty. A really nice guy.
Inside the airport, I saw Kevin from my program and we sat and hung out after I checked in. I called the hostel that Kevin was staying at but it was full. I decided to stick to my original plan and spend the night in the airport.
The flight was easy and I had a nice window seat. As we flew over Valencia, we saw the thousands of fireworks from Las Fallas. I wished I was there, but was more excited to see my mom. I'll have to come back to Spain in the future to see all of the festivals.
Landing in Barcelona, I took the bus to the terminal. Instead of exiting, I went up the escalators to the transfers area. I found a 24 hour cafe and sat there on my computer. I paid for 24 hours of internet and talked with people on facebook and tried updating this blog that I am so far behind on. I ordered a croissant and juice and settled in to the nether-world of time that is a night alone in an empty airport.
I ended up staying up all night. Skyping my brother for a good hour and a half during the tough 4am-5am time frame really helped. By the time I was done talking to Hunter, it was almost 6:30am. I decided that I should probably exit to get ready for my mom's plane. Out in the main terminal, I had breakfast in a cafe. At 7:45 I headed over to the terminal A gateway where I would wait for my mom.
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