Great Week.

My friends and family are the best. I had so many emails, Facebook wall posts, etc. that my homesickness went away. You'd think that I would miss everyone home even more for all of that, but truthfully it made me feel a bit more at home here. I know (and should have known all along) that my friends and family will support and love me no matter where I am. Pretty awesome group people, these familiares of mine.

It gets better though. On Thursday I went to my friend Lolo's house to hang out for a bit, like I usually do, before we go out for the night. The girls had said they were feeling down and had a movie that they would rather watch, so I was excited to have a guys' night for once. But, being the old man that I am, I was starting to lose steam as we were "waiting" for Xabi to get out of the shower; this is what I thought at least. Finally, he called us to come over, and when I showed up the lights were all off and Xabi was acting a bit weird. He got me to go into the living room and there I found about 10 of my friends waiting, with a cake, with American flags and trick candles. I was blown away by the amount of planning and thought that went into it. I really think I owe the most to Hannah, since she seemed to be the mastermind of the operation.

I've never gotten so many good gifts either. The professors at my school gave my coworker and friend Abby money to go and buy me something on their behalf. She hit the jackpot by buying me three bags of awesome food. My friend Lolo gave me a copy of a book that he said changed his life. One of the profs that I work with, Alfonso, got me a new cycling jersey. Hannah got me a rubber picha with little seamonkeys inside. Everyone is really to good to me.

Then, Friday I had two French Air Force cadets couch surf at my place. I took them around, showed them the city a bit, made dinner for them and had some great talks. They left at noon the next day and I didn't think that I would see them again. They called me later that day and said their departure - they were participating in a charity race across Morocco - had been delayed and that they wanted to hang out. I was stoked, since I was sad to see Tim and Fabien leave. We had a great time last night and they ended up giving me two of their flight suit badges as souvenirs of our brief, but fortuitous encounter.


Now, I've got one of my good friends Jose staying with me here at my house until Friday. It's really nice because in only one day I've had a great time chatting and learning from him. He's a guy that has seen a lot, done a lot and knows how to share it. He speaks five languages, has lived in many countries, and is one of the most honest, inviting people that I know. It's a shame that the reason he is staying with me is because he's moved out of his apartment and is leaving the city for good soon. I'll be sad to see him go. But, I think that I can take something from this. People, good and bad, come and go from our lives every day. We can't get down about this; rather, we have to cherish the moments we have with those special people. I honestly feel blessed to have so many great people in my life to say "see you later" to.

If this entry has been a bit corny or emotional for you, tough. Suck it up. Because the truth is, if you are reading this, you are probably one of the reasons I am feeling so lucky in life.