Dulce Diez y Seis! Sweet Sixteen! Oh, how sweet, indeed!

Yes, it would indeed be true if I were to say I am almost always sick. There's this sore throat that keep coming back. Soon enough I'm going to have my yearly plague. I have this cough from the bottom of Hell every year, and I am not anxiously awaiting it's arrival this year.
With the humid cold, I have this feeling I'm wearing a wet towel, and it's not a happy feeling...
Everyone in Spain touches everyone else. They're closer than we are in the US, which is not bad, it's just different. I have to adjust to THIS country. People will take my hands, and then they are taken back by how cold they are. My hands have always been cold, I don't know why. I never thought anything of it, but the Spaniards have a saying for it.
"Manos frio, y un corazon caliente."
Cold hands, and a warm heart.
It's quite flattering, I just thought I was a weirdo.


As for the update:


I last wrote to you on the 19th, last Friday, two days before my birthday.
I may or may not have mentioned that I was able to go to one day of UIBE. That's the Baptist Youth Convention. I left Saturday morning at sometime around 9 o'clock with my two friends from the church. We got lost in Valencia, and I have to say it was one of the highlights of my exchange. I really loved what Yoel said to me; "Don't worry, don't worry. God is with us. We are going to a place to worship him, he will get us there."
Sure enough, we actually arrived before the service started. I worshipped my great God, was in the companionship of my best friends, and I felt it was good enough to make up for the big birthday bash I wouldn't be having the following day for my sweet sixteen.
Little did I know...


I got home Saturday night, rather, Sunday morning, and had no thoughts about my birthday...
I woke up, and it took me all of 10 minutes to actually realize I was 16. I still don't believe it. I was ready to zombie like arise from my blessed bed, when the noise upstairs turned into a stampede down the stairs. Oh no, they were coming for me! I braced myself and tried to act natural.
"FELIZ CUMPLAÑOS!" they sang to me.
They each presented me with a gift...and if you want to see what they all produced put together, check out this photo!

Anyway, so that's it, they gave me a dress, necklace, tights, shoes, and a wallet set. I figured that was their way of reaching out to me in a special way for my birthday.

I got up, and Nathalie curled my  hair. That made her day. Well, more like her life. She's really enjoying this having a daughter thing. I want to have two, you know...

I went to church with my curly hair and new outfit. Everyone wished me a happy birthday and many blessings.

I came home, and Nathalie said Eli was coming to take photos of me with my cute outfit. I'd previously done a photoshoot of Eli, so this was her returning the favor. I didn't really think anything of it. Nathalie began freaking out that Eli was late, claiming that we were losing sunlight.

When Eli did show up, Nathalie took her into her bedroom and talked to her alone, and Eli came out trying to hide a bag that was making a crinkling noise. We, Eli, her boyfriend Albar and I, ended up in Las Rotas, because it's my favorite place in Denia. That's where the above photo was taken. Here's another crowd favorite:

After we finished in Las Rotas, we headed to Eli's apartment. More photos there, and opened my gifts from that part of the family. I loved the gifts! By this point, I figured something was up, that we were waiting around, JUST to take me home!

Nathalie kept urgently calling Eli as we were on our way, and that's also what gave it away. Eli and I were walking up to the door and I was trying to put my theatre skills to use and act surprised.

Turned out I didn't really have to act. I was taken back by how many people were there. They jumped out of the dark and yelled, "SURPRISE!" in ENGLISH. These people are angels!

I was surprised because my neighbors, a fellow exchange student, Paco's best friend, my grandparents, and my theatre friends were all there! It was so amazing! That's what changed my mind about Spain. It really help me turn my thoughts around. I'm not jumping at the thought of going home anymore. I'm settling in, and I feel really loved.

The party was amazing, the gifts incredible...I don't have words: No tengo palabras...No tinc paraules...

<3

Here's a photo! It's only got a few of my friends. Nora, Cris, me, Andrea, and Kiko... I'll blog about the rest of the week later.

Vaya Con Dios.

<3

Gabriela