Life with the parakeets

Life in Madrid is just wonderful. ¡Qué maravillosa! Esperanza is the sweetest. She is so loving and so protective of her "niñas." She offers to walk Toni and I to the metro every time we go somewhere and she is always rubbing my back and giving me hugs and calling me "preciosa!" I have come to love the 20 parakeets, 1 canary, and 2 turtles...they are my new friends. I'm really not sick of Spanish food yet..Esperanza is a good cook and really healthy so we eat pretty good food (minus the fish custard.) But I definitely wouldn't hate some Chick Fil A right now. Or some good southern food. God Bless America. I hadn't eaten McDonald's in literally over 10 years, but when I saw one in Italy, I sprinted there and got a happy meal and thought it was the best thing ever. No lie.
Toni is such a great roomie. The Lord has definitely worked it all out perfectly like He does and we have been encouraging each other lots. She's muh gurl. I finally broke down and starting calling her womb-mate since she's a twin! Gosh I really love twins so much. The past 2 days have been free days for us so we have been jogging in the park and coming back home and just hanging out. I get to spend all day reading and doin my thang and I love it!!!
Since I've been in Europe, I have developed so many new appreciations for the simple things that I am thankful for. I am so thankful to live in the U.S. of A. baby!!! Especially the south where people smile! But mi madre smiles all the time and I love her. She is my new bff. What up Esperanzie poo!!! Too bad you don't know English and can't read this. She told me that I am going to sit at the kitchen table every night and do my homework while she helps me! How sweet is she? It's really weird to think that we sit at the table every night for dinner and chit chat like I do in English! Oh yeah, yesterday she let me play with her Tai Shi sword! (Espada, in Spanish...I'm building mi vocabulario). It was awesome..I told her I was going to cut the bread at dinner with it..or give myself a haircut. Oh the things that come out when you are forced to speak Spanish. She calls me N.J.(pronounced in-ay-hoe-tuh). She told me that she doesn't like sports because they are too competitive and she likes peace. She offers us tea 3 times a day and of course I take her up on it. She's so peaceful and so granola. Since she is an acupuncturist and animal rights activist, I got a little afraid and hid my advil inside my leather purse and put both under my bed. Just in case. Heaven forbid she sees the pictures on my computer of the turkey I shot! Mom and Pop...if I show up next week on the front porch steps, it's because she either found my advil, leather purse, or hunting pics.
It's 10:10 here and we just finished eating dinner. How weird, right? Can you people believe it?? I'm up past 10!! These shenanigans will end once I return home, no worries. Well, I gotta go. Esperanza just told me "buenas noches, preciosa" which means time for bed! Tomorrow morning I have to get up at the crack so I can go to school and take a placement test to see which classes I'll be taking.

Buenas noches my peeps! Hope all is well back at home!