Terra Incognita

the one with all the friends
This weekend was much needed for many reasons. 1) To see Sarah and catch up on our time apart. 2) To get away from Columbia for a while. 3) To relax by water and have no schedule. 4) To watch multiple episodes of Friends everyday.

back in the u.s. of a.
Sarah and I had such a great time catching up. We've been emailing every week since we last saw each other at the beginning of April, but it's always better to talk in person. We discussed our adventures in Europe and the States, reverse culture shock, the changes we've felt (yes, I'm starting to see how I've changed over the past 6 months) and our projections for the coming semester at school. We walked around Super Target and I laughed at Sarah's reaction to the overflowing aisle of cereals and the cheapness of a 2 liter bottle of Coke (39 cents!), knowing that her reaction mirrored my own just two months earlier. Skinny, green money was just as awkward for her as it had for me. And she and I found that we were both losing an inordinate amount of hair. (If you know of a study proving the relation between multi-country travel and the amount of hair one sheds, let us know. We could definitley be participants.)

KA-BOOM!
It was great to spend the Fourth of July with Protz, just two days after she had returned to the country. It really put perspective on the day, that's for sure. I definitely appreciated the Fourth of July more this year. We went sailing (my first time!), boating, sunning...in a word, relaxing. What was especially cool was watching the fireworks. We sat on the dock of the lake and watched the fireworks, set against the backdrop of lightning and magnified by their reflection in the water. It was amazing! Many thanks to Sarah and her family for their hospitality.

props to the protzes
I really enjoyed getting to know the Protzmans. And all the other families at the Outing Club for that matter. Before I left, the neighboring family gave me hugs and said to come again. Everyone was so friendly! In many ways, the Outing Club reminded my much of the Lair (the UC-Berkely family camp my mom's family goes to every summer for a week)...just on a bigger scale...the whole summer vs. a week in July. Thanks again, Sarah for a great weekend!

ps
I forgot to mention that Sarah will be back in town on Tuesday and at our BBQ.