So I'm on the bus ride back from what was probably my most fun weekend of summer. I went to Cocoa beach (where we had our AFS pre-departure orientation) to visit a friend, Caroline, who I had met there. She is going to study abroad in Italy this coming year. It was so exciting and relieving to be able to talk to someone for 3 whole days about our thoughts about our upcoming school year. We can talk to our family and friends about this stuff, but we both know what each other is going through and have the same expectations. It was also a nice break from working.
Day 1
I took the train to Orlando, where she picked me up. Then we went back to her house to unpack. Our plans were to go to the beach, but they kind of fell through, so we went to get frozen yogurt, and I met a friend of hers. Then we took the bus, which was both of our first experience of taking public transportation on our own! It was so exciting! It only cost 60 cents to get from the mall to the beach although we kept pestering various bus drivers to ask if they took Visa or how to get to the beach. We felt so independent and realized that this was actually a legit thing that we would be using a lot soon. We actually weren't quite sure where to get off, but we ended up walking to different condos to find a bathroom and a pool. We finally reached a really nice condo and were let in my a man exiting. We enjoyed their hot tub until her mom picked us up. Later, two of her friends came over to swim and watch movies.
Day 2
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| Caroline and I on the beach before the rain |
The weather was forecasted to e awful, but we went to the beach for a couple hours and ate lunch at a beach themed restaurant. Afterwards, we went home and watched Netflix. That night, we went to the movies to see Now You See Me. It was a fantastic movie! I suggest you watch it.
Day 3
We went to a shopping mall and spent hours in World Trade Market. Of course the foreign exchange students would find plenty of things to do there! They had everything, and it was authentic, European foods. I left with beignet mix in a box and churro mix in a box. I also got this European cookie spread a friend had told me about. It's like a peanut butter or Nutella but made of cookies. Pleased with my purchases, we headed to Melting Pot where we pampered ourselves with a Swiss cheese and classic chocolate fondue. We spent our remaining time shopping for clothes that we didn't need considering we can only bring 44 or so pounds in our suitcase abroad. We said goodbye and her parents took me to my bus, which I am currently on, to head back home.
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| Caroline eating the Swiss cheese fondue at Melting Pot |
I wanted to explain two things from this trip. The first was that AFS is known for connecting lives and sharing cultures. We both thought it was so great that even though it isn't even September 4th yet and we aren't in Italy or Spain yet, we have already created these friendships that will last a long time. I can't explain enough how great it is to have somebody who is going through the same things as you to talk to, and we can also share our experiences with each other because they will both be special and unique!
The second thing was about the people around you. When we take a second to talk to somebody, we find that we have things in common. The people passing by you or sitting next to you at a restaurant may just seem like ordinary humans, but they have traveled and have stories to tell too! Caroline and I used studying abroad as a conversation starter, and it worked every time(with our waitress at Melting Pot, with a guy at World Trade Market, and with randoms on the beach.) She and I were so thirsty at the beach that we asked a Spanish guy to take a picture of us and then continued to chat about studying abroad, Spanish, and quinceañeras, so he gave us free waters!
Anyways, I had a great weekend and am even more excited to spend my year in Spain.
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| Reminded us of Italian gelato |
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| Candid shots next to the fountain |
