Holiday In Spain

It is weird to think that one week from today I will be getting ready to leave.  (well I’ll probably really still be in bed one week from today at this exact time, if we want to get technical…)  I can’t believe it’s come so fast.  I can remember back in February when I thought I would never have to leave Madrid.  Someone mentioned the other day how just when you start to find your feet in a place you are yanked out of it.  It’s true.  I finally feeling truly comfortable.  I’m working on enjoying everything so much more.  Last night at dance I actually remembered everything we learned.  I can now do my grocery shopping in half an hour (instead of two) because I know where to find everything and know exactly what I need.  I cooked real food for lunch yesterday.  I can manage traveling every weekend and still excel in my classes.  I feel comfortable speaking Spanish daily.  I have built some great relationships with people here.  And I’ve stopped counting down the days until I go home.  It’s coming too fast.

When I left the U.S. I felt unprepared to leave.  I didn’t know what I was getting myself into, and I had no idea what to expect.  Fall semester was a rush of putting documents together and filling out applications.  I had no time to actually prepare my mind for what I was going to experience.  I think it will be easier in that sense to go home.  The thought of leaving frequently crosses my mind, especially these past two weeks.  I know what home is like, no I know what Minnesota and Iowa are like!  Madrid is my home now too.  No surprises heading back to the states, and a wonderful family to greet me!  

It will be interesting to be back.  I know things are different back home.  And I’m definitely different.  I think it would be a waste if I went home exactly the same as I had left.  No.  My mind has been opened.  I have so much more confidence.  I am a true WOW (thanks Carol!).  I never thought I would be able to live in another country, pay rent, cook, grocery shop, go to school, work a little, travel, organize travel, book hotels, do homework, figure out a public transportation system, tour, learn, and speak a different language.  But guess what?  I can.  And I did.  Maybe I have a big head now… but sometimes I just get so utterly impressed with myself.  I can appreciate the way other people live.  I understand that every country lives differently.  The people value different things.  Most importantly I can say that no one way is the “right” way to live.  Different circumstances require different lifestyles.  I’m afraid of going back and falling into the same old patterns again.  So I plan to continue to learn and explore.  And travel.  It is safe to say that I will be back in Spain again.  (Hopefully living there… at least for a while.)

My last final is today.  Art and Civilization.  I have learned an incredible amount of information in that class.  I can tell you all about the different styles of architecture and Spanish history from B.C. until the beginning of the XIX century.  All in Spanish.  (I have absolutely no idea what any of the art terms are in english.)  So if you would like to know about the portadas of gothic cathedrals or the remate or cresteria of the fachada of a plateresco building feel free to ask!

A todos de mis amigos en los estados unidos… Hasta Pronto! (and I will write about the alhambra, I promise!)