Supposedly one of the most difficult periods of an AFSers experience, I found this Christmas-time to be a very pleasurable one. Well intergrated into my host-family, it didn't feel quite so out of the ordinary. Of course, it was a little weird, but I suppose in the very least I could say that's natural. We spent Christmas eve at home eating a quiet but very tasty dinner with my host-uncle and afterwards opened all the presents we had given eachother. I was both surprised and pleased at the thoughtfulness of their gifts, not to mention thankful. Over all I'd like to think the most important part was that we were there together happy and healthy, warm at home with a nice dinner and lots of laughs. We all cut the night a bit short to get to bed on time because the next day we had to get up at 5 in the morning since we had a flight to catch. The 25th of December in the afternoon we arrived in Lanzarote, one of the Canary Islands belonging to Spain that lie next to Africa.
Spending 14 full days in short sleeves and running shorts was certainly a great way to bring in the new year. We visited the famous sights and spent a lot of time at the beach, forgetting our busy lives for a moment to take in the sun and relax.
On New Year's eve we gathered by the television, tired out from the day's excursions and swimming in the ocean, and waited until the clock ran out, 2010 finishing and starting the next year together. We celebrated a typical tradition from here, where each of us took a cup full of 12 grapes and in the last 12 seconds of the year, swallowed a grape every second until the new year started.
Overall we came back pretty tanned and very content. Although admittedly I wouldn't have stayed a day longer I wasn't dying to go home either. It may sound pretty negative since I put it that way but in reality it was the perfect amount of time to have been there, I wasn't regretting leaving and wasn't desperate to go home, it felt like everything just went so smoothly, I couldn't have spent my winter break any happier. I saw my friends again today, glad to be with them, and we had a good time as always. Tomorrow school starts again, but I'm not too upset about that either. After all, that is what I'm here for, I've learned to make the best of it.
