float on

The time has come and I can't believe it. I am in Halifax, Nova Scotia using my free wifi (and trying to love the internet as long as i have left) after a full day of sightseeing. Halifax is really very lively and beautiful. My mom and I walked down near the harbor, ate some pasties, drank some beer, rode around on free transportation called 'fred' and then ended the evening eating at a very good restaurant called '5 Fishermen's'. We ordered the local seafood consisting of swordfish and lobster (lobsters are soul-mates... did you know that? I learned that this summer from some good friends) and it was so delicious!

After visiting Canada for the first time this summer, I have really gained an appreciation for our northern neighbor. Before this summer I thought the only good thing about Canada was Avril Lavigne. However, I now know that is not the case, the people are friendly, the cities are clean and hey, the drinking age is 19!

At dinner tonight my mom and I heard some other people talking and as it turns out they are going on Semester at Sea. My mom approached them as my angle would have been super awkward and they seemed nice. They are from good ole Kentucky and one is actually on my deck.. way down low on deck 2. Although it was surface small talk, it was still refreshing to know a soul before I board.

Tomorrow holds a lot in store for my mom and I as we are going to view the Citadel, go to a brewery and try to see as much of Halifax as we possibly can. My mom will be attending the parent reception tomorrow evening so she will get to view the ship before me! I am finding myself eerily calm as the departure day draws closer. I guess it's because when I went off to school I didn't know a soul and now those people I met are my life-long and best friends so that gives me a sense of confidence. I hope to meet a lot of neat people and hopefully I will be and feel as comfortable as I am in my two favorite places Nebraska and California.

I check in at 10 am on Friday and then my journey truly begins. Our first stop is Cadiz, Spain. Hopefully my spanish knowledge will help me as I will travel to Sevillia and Cordoba as well. We arrive early on the 5th of September and will be there for a few days. The days from Halifax to Cadiz will consist of classes, classes and more classes. I am surprisingly excited to get back to the actual school part as I feel like I seriously get dumber during the summer as if the sun not only fries my skin, but also my brain. Once I have my e-mail set up, I will send out an e-mail from my new, free:) account. That will be the best way to stay in contact as my facebook and yahoo! accounts will not be used for roughly three months.

I feel so lucky to have been given this opportunity and all the continuous support I have received from so many of you! So please keep me in your thoughts and prayers and know that you are in mine. As Coldplay once sang,' We live in a beautiful World'.. and I can't wait to see more of it!!