Lots going on...

I haven't posted in over 3 weeks, which is one of the longest posting droughts in this 5-year experiment that has turned into a blog.

Here's what's up:

1- I'm going to Madrid (SPAIN) and Lisbon (PORTUGAL) for Thanksgiving!! And I'm thoroughly excited! Madrid is the epicenter of the hispanic culture I've been immersed in for the past 3 years, and it is also the source of the language I've been acquiring (and - dare I say so? - trying to master). So I am looking forward to strolling through the streets, hearing a familiar language (hopefully the Castillian accent will not be too difficult to decipher), and viewing where it all started: the Museo Prado, Palacio Real, Puerta del Sol, etc. Lisbon holds a special fascination for me, too, because of the 3 semesters I spent studying Portuguese at UNC. I know I will remember zero words (my Angolan friends at OU taught me that lesson 4 yrs ago!), but nevertheless I'm excited to (finally) explore the capital of a country that has had my attention for over 11 years.




2. Baltazar's 25th birthday. Baltazar has been one of my closest friends in Annapolis (even though we don't actually spend all that much time together), and he invited me to join his family at the TGI Friday's restaurant in town to celebrate his 25th birthday. It was a great evening of jokes, laughter, and good food. Hard to believe an entire year has passed since we did the same thing in 2009! Feliz cumple, amigo, que tengas muchos mas a venir!











3. I'm headed back to Chile to spend New Year and the first week of January :-) This trip was rescheduled back in March of last year owing to the huge earthquake in the south, and I'm excited for 4 students to learn a little of a country that I still have great affection for. We plan to spend New Year in Santiago and then head toward the north to see the Atacama, returning via Valparaiso to visit la Escuela Naval and then to Santiago again to visit Departamento de Geofisica and give a seminar before flying home. Should be a great trip.