Waves Crashing

Slept in fairly late today, it was nice. When I woke up, I turned on my computer and saw that the Wimbledon tennis final was happening live, so I decided to see if it was on TV since it was a pretty close game so far. Boy was I in for a surprise. I turned it on when Roger Federer had just gone up 2 sets to 1. Andy Roddick won the next set, and things were all tied up going into the final set (guys play best-of-5 sets). Well, normally they play the first to win six games in a set, and you have to win by two games. But since this was the 5th set, instead of a quick tie breaker, they continued playing game after game after game until someone finally won by two games. Well, they literally went back and forth winning games when it was their turn to serve. I thought I'd see Federer win his 15th Grand Slam title within a few minutes, but two hours later they were still playing. He eventually went up 15-14, and Roddick finally fell apart. They played an amazing game, but Federer ended up winning the 5th set 16-14. He now has more Grand Slam Titles than anyone, and I think he's by far the greatest tennis player of all time. I'm not even a big tennis fan, but have become a big Federer fan over the past few years.

When I finally went downstairs, my mom was happy to see I was alive. After watching the end of Home Alone 2 with Rodrigo Jr, we sat down to eat lunch. We had some beef and rice, and it was pretty tasty. They told me that later we'd be going to Reñeca, a town a few minutes north, so I could get to know it a little better.

After lunch, I had a nice Skype session with Alyssa. It was really nice to actually get to talk with her for longer than ten minutes. I'm really looking forward to seeing her. It's been almost two months now, that's two months too long if you ask me...

Later, we hopped in a car and drove along the coast through Reñeca for a bit. The waves were absolutely huge today. At one point, the waves crashed into the rocks and splashed water some thirty five feet or so up into the air and onto the road. I'm not even exaggerating, the road is up above the water about twenty five feet, and there's this one spot where the water would splash ten feet up above the road. We stopped the car at the base of a heavily populated mountain overlooking the water, which had a whole bunch of giant boulders and rocks attached to it. We were able to climb right out on these giant rocks which were essentially cliffs due to the steep edges all around. I took a bunch of pictures and captured some video and we just sat and watched giant waves crashing into even bigger rocks. It was absolutely gorgeous and I'm so glad my family brought me. I'll upload photos later so you can see what I'm talking about.

Later, we drove back through the main part of Reñeca and stopped along the main walkway above the beach. We got out and walked along the path, and I was just fascinated at the size of the waves. Some of the swells must have been 10 or more feet tall. It was really cool when one swell would overtake another swell just as the one in front was breaking, resulting in a huge crash of water splashing way up into the air. I took more pictures and then we got in the car and drove back.

Once home, I watched part of Speed Racer with Rodrigo. After, we had our once (burgers with cheese and tomato, definitely the most legit "burger" I've had so far). Now, I'm considering shaving since I haven't done so in over a week and it's starting to really bother me. I'm not looking forward to my first class tomorrow, it's going to be killer.

Oh yeah, my parents were talking about going to Santiago either next weekend or the weekend after so I can actually get to know the country's capital a bit before I leave. They also asked how I was getting to the airport when I leave and I said I have to find my own ride. They then got really excited because that meant they could take me =) Rodrigo also asked why I'm leaving rather than just staying with them. Ha, they're awesome. Gisela also told me that next time they're inviting me to come, all I have to do is give them a call or shoot them an email before. But she made sure to say that whether I come alone or with Alyssa, that they are inviting me and I am welcome whenever. I love my host family, they're great. If I ever have the money, I definitely will come back in the future.

On a final note, yesterday was my grandpa's birthday (I'm not sure quite how old he is, but I think he's about 87). I mentioned it in my previous entry, but that didn't do him justice. I think it's very fitting that he was born on Independence Day, he is a true American if I've ever seen one. He fought in World War II and got a purple heart after getting hit with shrapnel. He was a farmer for much of his life, until he eventually settled down in Pullman. He was very involved with politics up until a few years ago, always supporting the Grand Ole Party wholeheartedly. He loved his wife with all of his heart and was married for almost 60 years. He suffered a stroke in January of 2008 and unfortunately, he never has recovered enough to remember who I am, but he still never did forget his wife. I was at the nursing home with her one day visiting him, and he just kept staring at her rather than eating. She finally asked, "Why aren't you eating?" He replied "You're pretty." She asked, "What?" and he replied, "You're pretty, I love you." Although my grandma just ignored it and kept helping him eat, I will never forget that moment. Love, still strong and evident some 60 years later. Despite forgetting about most of his kids and grandchildren, he still knew who his wife was and that he was in love with her. I'm still not sure if he was able to comprehend my grandmother passing away last Fall, but I know that deep down he knows something's missing, and he can't wait to be with her again in heaven.

I miss you grandma. I love you and thanks for looking out for me.

That's all I can handle to write anymore.