It's a small world / Es un mundo pequeno

The staff of Cafe Bar Aqua took this photo and posted it on Facebook a few weeks ago. That was my first week to attend the language "tandem" or exchange here in Huelva. I have attended each week since then. I think I have attended four now, and the past three I have talked to the same group.

This week I went early and ate beforehand. As soon as I walked up to the bar, one of the main employees knew exactly what I would order to drink. We also talked for the thirty minutes until it started getting busy. Later I joined the language table.

This is where I get to the title of the post. I have had more than one experience where I meet a person or group of people from the same part of the world as I am. One time I met someone who lived in the same city while in the Virgin Islands. On another trip we met a teacher from the school I would be attending the following year. These are a just a few that I can mention. The chances of these meetings are much higher than one that happened last night at the language exchange.

Last night, I met someone who I went to university with for four years, had the same major, and graduated at the same time. We had never met before. Our first time meeting was halfway across the world in Huelva, Spain-- not where it would have logically made since in Jonesboro, Arkansas.
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El foto arriba es de un empleo en el cafe bar Aqua aqui en Huelva que puso en Facebook unas semanas pasadas. Fue mi primera vez asistir a Tertulia aquí. Desde entonces he asistido a Tertulia cada semana, cuatro semanas. Por las tres semanas pasadas, he hablado con el mismo grupo.

Esta semana fui al bar temprano para comer algo. Cuando llegué, el trabajador ya sabía que quería beber.  Tambien hablabamos por 30 minutos hasta estar ocupado. Luego reuní con los otros hablando ingles/español.

Aquí esta donde puedo hablar del titulo de esta mensaje. He conocido a gente in otros lugares de mi propio pueblo anterior: un amigo en los Virgin Islands; una profesora en mi escuela nueva en Hawaii. Pero después de graduarnos de la misma universidad, estudiar la misma tema (español) por cuatro años, conocí a alguien aquí en Huelva, casi el otro lado del mundo.

Es un mundo tan pequeño!

Another type of 'backpacking'

I remember my first backpacking trip. I was about ten or eleven years old and it was with my boyscout troup. I don't remember where we went or four how long; I just remember being in pain from a cheap backpack that was overloaded.

But now, it could be said I am backpacking in Europe, although I am not camping this time (not that I don't like the idea). Instead it has to do with luggage fees. As much as we complain in the United States about airline fees it seems to be a little worse here in Europe.

Most flights I have found only allow one carry on item, unlike the two allowed on airlines in the United States. And after they checked each passenger's bag before the last flight I made, I don't dare risk taking anything larger than a backpack. The flight I am taking this Friday charges 10 euros per kilogram for those checked bags not pre-checked online. The weight limit is around 23 kilograms.

I read an article today where a Senator from Louisiana has proposed a bill to either tax airlines who charge a fee for the first checked bag, or require them to allow one free checked bag. I like the second idea somewhat. The first however would off course be passed on to the consumer with higher costs, although I am not quite sure the latter wouldn't be made up with ticket costs either.

The flights are generally cheaper which is nice. I don't know what jet fuel prices are like but I know regular gas for cars is about double the price here in Huelva as it is in Little Rock, Arkansas.