spontaneous adventure

to say yesterday was an adventure would be an understatement. it was a day of many firsts for me: it was the first time i went on a roadtrip with friends from all over the world; it was the first time i had seen an old man sitting in a beach chair in the tray of a pickup truck driving down the highway; it was the first time i got caught in a thunderstorm on a beach in florida; it was the first time i wore my new 'i heart latinos' t-shirt; it was the first time i tried shrimp; it was the first time i had been in an incident where a friend's car got towed; and it was the first time i rode a ferris wheel. but i'll get into all of that later.

the night before last night, i was in my bed, about to fall asleep (super early, at like eight thirty,) when a friend of mine texted me and told me to get ready and come watch wishes at magic kingdom. i jumped out of bed, and got ready in no time, and went over to magic kingdom. i was the only person on the bus, except for some random guy who was trying to make small talk, but that just wasn't happening. i didn't even have my headphones, so that's when smartphones come in handy (even though my phone isn't so smart nowadays.) i got to magic kingdom, visited a couple of old friends on main street and met up with my friends and we watched wishes. it was beautiful as always, and even more animated with the little kid standing next to me yelling "woah!" in amazement at every single firework. afterwards, we went back to a friends house to continue celebrating another friends birthday. it was a very quiet night, filled with lots of laughs until four in the morning. the spontaneous nights always turn out the best.

yesterday was also very spontaneous. i woke up early to go to armando's house to meet him, britt and mauricio so we could plan our day. the night before we were apparently going to tampa, which changed to clearwater, which changed many times to different places. when we finally made a decision, we headed to daytona beach. the drive was only an hour and a half. we missed a couple turns in the beginning but soon got on track and drove on a straight road for the majority of the time. there weren't many exciting things to see on the way so when we saw an old man (who must have been in his eighties) sitting in a fold-up beach chair cruising down the highway in the back of a pickup truck, smiling and enjoying the breeze, it was definitely a highlight. we found some parking in the back of a restaurant and headed over to the beach. i couldn't believe how gloomy the beach was. everything was grey - the sand, the sea and the sky. before leaving home, we checked the weather, which promised thunderstorms, but we figured that whenever we check the weather it's never right. so we prepared for a nice day at the beach. ten minutes into being there, we decided to go in the sea. we were just at the shoreline, feeling how cold the water was, and the police car (which just cruises up and down the beach all day long) made an announcement, telling everyone to get out the water because a thunderstorm was approaching. in a split second after he said that, it came down, giving us no time to shelter. we got soaked as we were trying to pack everything up as fast as we could. there was a party tent set up on the beach, and thankfully nothing was under it. we settled there while we waited for the storm to pass. we just sat, chatting and content with each others company. the storm didn't last long (or it felt as if it didn't last long,) and after it cleared up a little bit we went back onto the beach. on the other side of the pier, there was a boardwalk, complete with restaurants, shops, arcades and rides, including a ferris wheel. walking onto the boardwalk made us feel like we were on jersey shore.

we explored a little bit, and all bought our own customized daytona beach t-shirts. we sat down for lunch at a quaint, little restaurant under an umbrella outside. everyone except me ordered shrimp. but of course, i was forced to try it because i'm forced to try everything now - 'no' is unacceptable for an answer. they couldn't believe that i live in barbados and had never tried shrimp. and it really wasn't so bad. afer we finished eating, we stayed sitting down and were just chatting, taking in everything, then it started to rain again, so we went inside the restaurant for shelter. while talking inside, we decided to go put our things back in the car and come back to the boardwalk to continue exploring, and to go on the ferris wheel and whatnot. we walked back to the car, but this time on the roadside. i have to say, it wasn't a very nice area, and it looked a little sketchy when you weren't on the beach. when we got back to where we parked, the car park was empty. britt's car got towed. we probably also might have been a lot less irritated if a homeless man who was hanging around would have just shut up instead of yelling "dude! where's my car?!" nothing felt like real life. me, armando and mauricio didn't know what to do, but britt stayed calm and went inside a gift shop to ask what might have happened. they told her it probably got towed and to call the number on the sign. (by the way let me just say that the signs were put in terrible places. they put them on two walls in the carpark, which was not very specific at all.) she called the number and they confirmed it was there, and told her the amount of money she had to pay (way too much in my opinion, but whatever.) a taxi took her and mauricio to get the car (because if two more people came in the taxi it would have doubled in price - i don't understand the logic behind that either.) so armando and i waited for them to come back. it didn't take too long, and when we were all reunited again we were all happy campers.

despite the 'little incident,' we weren't ready to go home yet. we decided we should still enjoy daytona beach while we were there. so we went and parked (in a paid parking lot this time,) and continued exploring the boardwalk. we went and bought tickets for the ferris wheel and i was so excited since i had never been on one. i had always wanted to for my whole life because it's in all the movies. everyone else had been on before and was shocked that i hadn't. it was so beautiful. it was so nice to see everything while the sun was setting, in the perfect company of great friends. it was such a special moment for me. afterwards, we went and ate dinner at a restaurant called sloppy joe's. we shared two appetizers between the four of us and that was dinner. the boys shared a pitcher of beer, but of course i'm a baby in america and i couldn't have any. after dinner we went back to the parking lot to go home. we searched for the car on two wrong floors before finding it on floor three. we got in the car and headed home. everybody (except for britt, since she was driving) fell asleep. however, i was woken up by a call from mum because she was worried about me. i don't think she'll ever stop worrying.

we got home safe and sound and i couldn't have asked for a better day (i mean, probably minus the stormy weather and the car getting towed.) but it was truly one of the best days ever. the friendships i have made here are indescribable and i am so fortunate to have met such amazing people.

it's now only six days until my family comes to visit, and between now and then i am scheduled to work like a slave! i can't believe how long my work days are going to be. but it's so worth it to have a whole week off with the people i love most. right now, i think i'm the happiest girl in the world. i hope everyone is as happy as i am! missing home as usual, and sending lots and lots of love.