Earth to Annalisa!

Yes, I AM alive! Wow, has it really been an entire month since I last posted? Well, I am extremely sorry for those of you who actually wanted to read something this month... shame on me.

So many stories to tell, yet so many distractions: writing papers, completing projects, studying for tests, taking tests, catching up, sitting back... All that after getting back from Kandern.

While in Kandern, I'd have to highlight: my first hand-written essay all year (for the SAT. Bad time to practice my 'A's"), using a pencil again, discovering that you can get virtually anywhere in Kandern within 10 mins on foot, "culture shock" when I was among the "hundreds" of Christian, English-speaking teenagers at BFA, attending "school" for the second time this year (the first also being BFA :D,)the Cookie Dance, laughing out loud during the Spanish AP exam, girl night (complete with a chick-flick, nail-polish, and French braids), quality pre-prom girl-time, my own version of prom (me all dressed up in a fun purple velvet dress with a bunch of people watching "Transformers", drinking hot cocoa, and then watching Veggie Tales during the wee hours of the morn. It was wonderful.)...

After getting back from Kandern--other than schoolwork, which took up most of my time, quite honestly--I discovered a new passion and hobby: hair braiding. It is simply amazing how many different types, styles, combinations, etc. have to do with braids. And, oh, the skill!! I might post pictures soon. :)

Another highlight from this past month was my random day-trip up to Cerbere. A good friend of mine who is moving back to the States for college and I decided to see each other one last time before that. So, what do we do? Meet in the middle :) Cerbere is a quaint little coastal border town just above Portbou, with more birds than people. Seeing as there really wasn't anything to do in town, my friend and I took to the hills. Quite literally. There are cliffs leading down to the sea, little coves that speak of pirate adventures of old, and flowers everywhere!! This trip was definitely one of the major highlights of this month--even the trip home on the train, where my look-menacing-so-you'll-be-safe tactic broke down and I ended up befriending a Spanish lady, a little old Catalan lady, and a random French guy; so much for keeping to myself!--after Kandern.

May has been extremely busy. Je suis drôlement desolée, mes amis. But, I hope to catch you up on a little more, as soon as I can, and then keep you informed of things as they happen, rather than do a summary of my month. :) But first... that dreaded Logic exam...

Explosió de colors

"Explosió de colors", or "color explosion" is what I first thought when I reached Germany. There are flowers everywhere! I feel like I've stepped into the flower festival in Girona, but these are actually PLANTED. Imagine that!

As I was doing my schoolwork this morning, my computer suddenly froze and decided to be its typical, obstinate, ornery self and just refuse to humor me in any way. While it took its jolly sweet time to shut down, and woke up at the same glacial pace, I decided to hop on downstairs and make good use of my time. I had a camera, some free time, and FLOWERS everywhere outside. Let me put in a simple equation for you math people:

Annalisa + camera + flowers = computer overload-worth of pictures

For any of you starting to pity my computer and side with her, DON'T! Its all a lie. She (yes, I have decided that it is a she, because of her increasingly sneaky methods for making my day miserable. She's in cahoots with the Internet connection, I'm sure of it! I guess everything turns into a conspiracy when any electronic devices you own come with their own personalities) should be happy and content, and not turn even the smallest task into a constant struggle.

Anyways, I promised to send tulip pictures, and I am ready to honor my word. Enjoy!