Time Change

Just wanted to let everyone know that instead of the nine hour difference that was between Arizona and Amsterdam up until now is now an eight hour difference.  For example if it is 8am in Arizona it is 4pm that same day for me.

I just had a nice weekend and am now working on the introduction to my thesis which I should have done by Friday morning.  I have a new class starting today as well.  It is called "Poverty and Development".  It rained much of the weekend but it didn't stop me from going out.  Friday night I went to a movie for the first time since I got here.  We saw Eagle Eye which I thought was actually pretty good even if the theme did remind me of IRobot a bit.

Yesterday we went and bought a ton of pumpkins for the huge pumpkin carving party we are going to have on Friday.  We actually found some very nice, American looking pumpkins!  (For those of you who did not see the pumpkins we got in 2006 when I was here I will have to find some old pictures, but they were odd shapes, some were green, many had warts all over...they definitely had character!)  This year I think we looked early enough to find some nice carving pumpkins and they are all orange.

I also have a good friend from New York coming to visit me this week.  Sandi lived with me here in 2006 as part of the same study abroad group.  She was nice enough to let us stay with her when we went to New York for New Years 2008 and now she is going to be here for about a week I think.  Luckily I don't have class that often so I can spend some time with her and of course it is always nice to see old friends.

I think the highlight of the weekend was getting to talk to Grandma, Katie and Uncle Scott.  I miss you guys all the time and I really miss seeing all of you.  Having Katie tell me that "now there are two Paytons because there is a little boy in her class named Payton" cracked me up.  Also, congratulations to Sean on his art show...I don't know much about it but Grandma mentioned you were displaying in a show...wish I could have been there.

I guess that's about it for now.... Hope everyone had a nice weekend as well and enjoy the week!

Love Briana

(The beach on the top is Akumal Mexico, I have been dreaming about swimming with the turtles there ever since it started to get really cold here...)