Could this be a dream

FYI• Somehow, the Spanish keyboard is significantly different than the English keyboard, so even though I've finally found a keyboard to use...this'll be interesting haha

Onto the fun!

Because I haven't quite explained what exactly I'm doing here yet, let me give some quick info. I am in Palma de Mallorca, Spain ( Paradise), staying with a family of four. I watch the girls and teach them English in the mornings until early afternoon, and in exchange, I have free housing, a darling adopted family, food, a few extra spending euros each week, and the TIME OF MY LIFE.
People you'll hear about-

Mother- Martita
Father- Juanjo
9-year-old, Alicia
6-year-old, Martita

The family is the sweetest and insists that I am part of the family and welcome to everything. It's only been six days and I am already wondering how I am ever going to leave here...

So, the family goes to their beach house in Las Rapitas every weekend and then two full weeks within the summer. It's been interesting because the people on this island have the funniest concept of distance, like their beach house for example, it's no more than 20 minutes away yet it's their vacation get away. Las Rapitas is known as the Mallorcan's vacation spot because it's not known by the tourists which makes it such a well-kept, quaint, and relaxing little town. This weekend was an adventure! Alicia was in Barcelona for the weekend with her uncle, so there was only me, Martita, Marta, and Juanjo. We left Friday afternoon, unpacked our stuff and headed to the beach (about a 45 second walk) asap. I'm still amazed every time I see this water, I've honestly never in my life seen such beautiful, clear blue water in my life. It's like more clear than most swimming pools. We swam around, walked along the rocks and pier, and made sand castles in the sand that's extra soft.

Do I love this a place a lil bit ?

Then, we went back to the house and swam in the backyard pool while Marta prepared dinner.
I LOVE THE FOOD HERE.
I'm still trying to decide if my family is the norm or if they're an exception just for Britt's liking but either way, I love it! Basically, the simplicity of the food is perfect. Examples,

A salad with tomatoes, celery, peppers, beans, and tuna. with olive oil, salt, and pepper for dressing if you want any.
Salad made of potatoes, some new vege comparable to an eggplant, and celery. They pretty much just boiled it and threw some peppers and olive oil.
Fruit and nuts after EVERY meal. love love love love
Yogurt with no sugar added- love love love love love x a million because we just mix our fruit in with it.
Delicious desserts that aren't over the top crazy sweet, like an apricot cake she made last week didn't have any sugar except for sprinkled on top of the apricots.
Something I'll have to get used to is to chillax on this bread that I love, the bread is outstanding. They eat it so simply also, cheese, tomatoes, meat. Easy. OR the delicious nutella spread. Yum

okay okay enough about the food, I guess you get the idea that I love it a little.

Continuing with the weekend in Las Rapitas...
Saturday I did my morning routine with Martita, breakfast, room, English lessons, and a little play time. When Marta and Juanjo got back from their run, us three girls hopped on our cute little bikes and rode to a beach she prefers on busy Saturdays. This beach was not exactly a beach but really pretty rocks that we snorkeled around for hours. Within the span of about five minutes, the three of us had caught a bucket full of shrimp, crabs, fish, and a sea porcupine. But wait, it gets better. Marta is swimming around in there and goes "Brittnee, Brittnee, an Octopus!". Of course, I do the natural thing and jump out of the water screaming, but Marta says "No no, we are going to catch it!" and jumps on the thing! I'm serious, I was so thrown off. We were all screaming and laughing and freaking out about all of the ink streaming down her arm. I was so impressed, I felt like such a baby around them. When we went to put the octopus back,  Martita started crying and said she wanted to eat it, so Marta shrugs and says, "fine, lets take it home then". Paiya for dinner!
hahaha I was dying throughout this entire experience, what an adventure.


That afternoon I was free to do my own thing so after a nice skype chat with the fam fam I went on a run along the beach. The run was amazing, I just went until the pavement turned to dirt and then the dirt ended. I looked like such a goon having the time of my life- if you've ran with me then you know that I dance and just book it when I'm on my A game. So, flying through these quiet little streets filled with relaxed walkers and vacationers plus my dance moves and hopping off all the little obstacles rather than running around them plus this outrageously huge smile on my face. I was in absolute heaven.
On my way back, it dawned on me, I'm in Spain and I am having the run of my life along the beach.
I reached the beach with the diving board off the rocks and decided to go for it. Ran to the board, stripped down to my athletic undies and plunged on in.

HEAVENNNNNN

Once again, this hysterical feeling that seems to be occurring at least a billion times a day was back and with full force. I was swimming in the Mediterranean!

That night, we went to the party on the beach to celebrate the birth (or death or something...) of one of the Catholic Saints. The beach was full of candles set in the sand, music, a live drum line band thing, and happy people all over. The stars were amazing and this beach was hopping. Marta bought me some ice cream and the four of us walked along the beach dodging firecrackers.

Oh how I look forward to more of these weekends in Las Rapitas.

* I'll post pics asap!

Day One

Where to start when I've had three of the most unfamiliar, adventerous, beautiful, and foreign days of my new life??  SIDENOTE** I do have  to preface the entire summer's worth of blogs with the understanding that these words are all happening via my new Tablet which is just a touch screen keyboard. The typos will be plentiful becajse of the weird style of typing and my lack of effort to correct them when it's already taking me five times longer to single-finger type ALL OF IT.. ay ay ay.
The adventure began with a pre-travel-excitement, sleepless Sunday night. A max of 2 hrs of sleep before bidding farewell to the sibs, ma, and pa after he dropped me off by 7. Kelsey and I met up with giddy squeals and hopping round ready for the day of travel. Throughout two more days of travel and amid 4 different planes we met some fun and experienced travelers, one who sparked us with the courage to explore the city of Madrid during our 26 hour (yes, long story) layover in the city. Carl and Kat blessed us with some insane generosity and kindness (thank you thank you thank you!!) and prompted us to have courage and brave the daunting metro system to an unfamiliar town. We somehow managed to drag our ecstatic but sleep-deprived bodies through the beautiful, narrow, streets of Madrid. We learned to carry our luggage in front or ON front of our bodies to avoid being the most targetted tourists in the place.

Pictures will come when wi-fi wants to love me.

The tours, sites, food and people were excellent to our senses and we vowed to never let ourselves get so sleep deprived ever again and chance  miss out on a place so rich. Following, we spent a third sleepless night cuddling each other and making new friends while attempting to catch some zzz's on the tile floors of the Madrid airport.
Not extremely easy.
The next morning began the first day in this place I've established as paradise.
Once again, Wi Fi is holding its love hostage so the story will be continued!

And so it begins!

Viva L'Espana!

After a beautiful family, sun, beach-filled week in Newport, I'm FINALLY off to my summer adventure I've only been dreaming about for ages (or six months).

 

Balboa Island cruising

A few things that broke my heart a lil bit too much jumping into this summer chapter:

- I realized that this'll be the last time I saw lyssa and her cute preggy tum tum until baby bean is no longer a bean but an actual adorable baby girl! Goodness gracious that was a hard realization & called for an extra 8 more huges and tummy pats ;)

- My besty Katherine Chelsea Snow Lassetter (Katja) will no longer be a single bride-to-be upon my return. I've arranged a skype viewing of her beautiful self and hubby coming out of the temple the day of to try to make up for it. LOVE YOU KATJA. Spencer, you best be understanding the mounds of genuine comfort, love, generosity and dedication you will be receiving from this lady you're stealing... I'll give my official words of approval via this blog. Check.

Yes, the summer adventure with the Spaniards is costing a pretty penny from my bank of memories with loved ones... these memories better be waiting for me ten times more insanely intense when I get back!