Happy Birthday to me. I have celebrated my 23rd birthday. 23 on the 23rd. I found out this year that not many people get excited about their golden birthdays. I, on the other hand, have been counting down since I was ten to celebrate my day. It was sure fun but I felt like it was here and gone before I could indulge in it. My day consisted of waking at 5am to study for two exams I had on my birthday (LAME), taking a cold shower (no heat for showers unless my senora turns on the heater), and heading off to class to take my exams in a row. I WAS able to talk to my dear friend, Jenna, on my birthday, which was a huge answer to prayer. My mom and Caleb woke early to wish their baby a happy birthday, literally made my day to talk to those I truly love a lot right after a stinky morning. It was then off to Portugal for a weekend in paradise. For all of you who have not googled Lagos, Portugal… you must now. It is literally the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. I want to go back just so that I can experience that beauty again.
Someone told me the bus ride to Lagos was 3.5 hours…. Yeah it is 5.5 for all of you who see a difference in two hours. I HATED sitting on a bus for that long and thinking my birthday was not being celebrated. We got to Lagos and arrived at the hostel we would be at for two nights. I have never seen a house so decked out in Hindu love as this hostel. My life smelled like incense when I left on Sunday. The guy who runs the hostel is super chill and was the common free spirit guy you would find in Lagos. There was six of us who went to Lagos and we were able to all sleep in the same room with two other girls from Germany. So we get to the hostel and this guy is like, “Fill out this piece of paper.” I was like you want my name, birthdate, email, emergency contact, and my passport number….. um no?” It was a super trippy piece of paper and I still do not know the intent of that information to stay in a hostel.
We then proceeded to go upstairs and see all of the different types of people around the hostel. I have never been to a hostel and I am not really interested in going back to one if I do not have to. The guy was not chill when he found out we were not staying for a barbecue that night and let us know he was upset. It was a super awkward moment. He liked loved winking at me and I wasn’t interested in the liking of that or the possible connotation of a simple wink and grin. Eek. I was not loving life at that hostel. We did get free bfast and the bed were better than the beds I have in my homestay in Spain. I also did like the location of the hostel because it was in the middle of everything. He told us we should come back because we did not get the “hostel” experience we deserved. Oops, I will not be coming back.
What did we do when we were not at the hostel? Well we bought things at a Mercado and made lunch on the beach, we laid on the beach for like two hours, we ate some delicious food (including pancakes, scrambled eggs, and bacon…. YUM), and we chatted about Jesus.
Just an update…. Spain is still 80+ every day for temp, I still love my walk to school, and I am getting to know a new side of Jesus I have not known. My comforter. I always knew he was near but I have never wanted him in such a way that I do now. I am not loving my heart yearning to be heard and having to teach myself patience. I am learning the language more and writing better than when I started. Be excited for me.
In my experience, hostels are a little hit or miss. Some are great and some are a little scary and unpleasant. Sometimes it was easiest to visit a few hostels once we got to our location and then stay at the nicest one available. I'm glad you still enjoyed yourself without the 'hostel experience!' :) And I am definitely excited for you!! Love ya!
ReplyDeletei'm excited for you... and jealous! what fun international memories you're making!
ReplyDeletei love your heart and loved talking to you on your b-day and many other days! i am following consistently now :)
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