Wrapping up Semester's End

 Things have been absolutely crazy here in New Jersey for the last month or so. I went to a friend's home over our short Thanksgiving break. I loved her family, right down to her little brothers. They were a large Spanish family, and it was loud, but so much fun. They made me feel so welcome, right form the moment I got in the car to travel to her home. We went to an anniversary celebration for the pastor at her church Wednesday night, which I was looking forward to until I realized the entire service was in Spanish. I don't speak Spanish, at all. There was a huge meal afterwards and since the majority of the congregation is Spanish, most of the food was different from what I was used to, but I loved it. The next day, Thanksgiving, we all went into New York and froze at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. It was a blast, but it was so cold, even with the layers we were wearing. Thank God for a Starbucks right there. One of the wonderful things about New York, is the fact that there is a Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts is on pretty much every street corner. Coffee is a perfect warm up when you're freezing. We did not stay for the whole thing, as we were all frozen, but what we did see was pretty cool. As soon as I get my new laptop, pictures will come.
           We visited the World Trade Center memorial afterwards, and Stephanie's younger brother-a first grader- kept asking us why it happened. How do you answer something like that for a first grader? Later in the afternoon, we went to her Grandparent's place upstairs, where they had the rest of the family and Friends and neighbors all gathered for  huge Thanksgiving feast. I swear the table was close to collapsing under the weight of all that amazing food. Not only were we incredibly full after the main meal, but later, they brought out at least seven different desserts, from traditional pumpkin pie to a traditional Spanish dessert, which I loved.
            Thanksgiving break was not long enough by far, and we came back and started the downhill slide into finals. Throw in a few get togethers with friends in there and the rest of the semester was amazing. I introduced another friend to Wicked, with fairly cheap tickets and we spent an afternoon at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which was all decorated for Christmas, and the famous Christmas Tree housed there was absolutely gorgeous. We spent  a few hours there, which was by far not long enough to see the entire museum, but we saw a few interesting exhibits, including ancient musical instruments. I was particularly interested in the Horn and Trumpet which began looking nothing like they do today. After our trip to the Met, we walked all the way from the Upper East Side down to Time's Square and found a small out of the way cafe where we ate dinner before we went to see Wicked. Once again, I have officially gotten someone else obsessed with it.
         A couple weeks ago, I got together with a few other NSE student and we went to Bryant Park in the city and went ice skating. I haven't ice skated in years, despite growing up on a lake. After one bad fall and a rough start, I finally figured out again what I was doing and had a blast. The decorations in the city for Christmas are so pretty and with the first snow of the season, it looked amazing. We went to a small pizza place afterwards, and New York thin crust pizza is amazing. Much better than what you get at Sbarro's or some place similar. We finished eating and went to Rockefeller Plaza to see the tree and took pictures at the ornament and light sculptures before we actually got to the tree. The tree was huge, and beautiful, but it was an absolute mad house with people literally pressed wall to wall. It was worse than Times Square. Again, once I have my own computer, pictures will be posted.
         I did not do much this past week, other than going out for dinner and with a friend to the movies. I still find it funny that people out here, when they ask about home, treat it like its a foreign country. They also have a hard time believing I am twenty-one, almost twenty-two until I tell them. The general consensus is I look seventeen. I am looking forward to Christmas and seeing my family and all my Eau Claire friends again, but I am sad to be leaving the East Coast. I hope it is not a permanent goodbye and have made some truly wonderful, and lasting friendships, memories and career advice. For now though, it is time to pack the bags and head to the airport in a few days and head home. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all my new friends here on the East Coast and I will miss you this semester. I love you all and had an amazing journey this semester.