Hello and goodbye Becca. It was a short visit but we loved every minute of it. I tried to get her to write a blog but she wouldn't. Typical.

Sooo. NYC. After we got in and stayed that first night with Jess at her Uncle's in The Brox we slept in and were off to Gisa's house. Freakin public transportation. We got on the bus, got on the subway and then got lost. And it was freeeezing. Not snowing but pretty dang cold. Gloves and hat and coat cold. But of course we had fun nonetheless. Jess and her friend Jane were with us and while we were lost Jane taught us the moonwalk. I'm actually pretty good and Becca's getting there. I already showed it off in the dining hall the first day we got back to Swat. So we finally just grabbed a taxi to get to Gisa's little brownstone- thanks dad- and then she wasn't home. After a little moonwalk practice Gisa came home. She had gone to the bus stop to wait for us :/ It worked out though. 

Gisa is one of the most incredible people I think I've ever met. She ushered us into the basement apartment of her little house, showing us everything- "This is my boiler room." "This is my closet" "This is my bathroom. I have toothbrushes. Do you need a toothbrush?" Gisa, her husband Benek, Becca and I sat through a lunch of bread and cheese for a good couple hours talking. Benek has dementia and it made me pretty sad but he would laugh when we'd laugh so that was happier. But Gisa makes sure she talks enough for both of them. Stories started pouring out with philosophies and theories and conclusions. It was too good not too get out the video camera. A little inappropriate for the dinner table, I thought, but too good to not tape. She doesn't seem to mind, though. For the rest of the day and the next morning we listened to story after story and saw pictures and letters from an unimaginable past. We did run out of tape but there's got to be some good stuff in what we have. We spent a lot of the time at the dinner table eating cucumber and cheese and meatballs and for breakfast, lat and bagels. I can't bring myself to think of that meal now but Becca really liked it. It was all in all an amazing experience. Once in a lifetime.

We said our goodbyes and spent our last day roaming around Manhatten, doing really nothing to mention. We took at least 5 different subways all over the city, thank goodness Jess knew what she was doing. We finished the day off with pizza and hot chocolate in Brooklyn. Jess's uncle dropped us off at 5 and we found a cute breakfast diner downtown to burn time before our bus came. My friend drove Becca and I to the airport to drop her off this afternoon. It was unbelievably good to have her here. I miss her already.

Love ya'll.