An end of an era.
Ok, so if you would humor me and go to my very first entry in January, I said that I came to Spain with no expectations. That I didn't expect it to change my life because as with most situations where I expect too much, I get disappointed.
Well, guess what...I'm a changed woman! Hell has frozen over!
All right, it's really not that dramatic. But I will say this: The experience of studying abroad, traveling, learning or mastering a language that is not native - is something I recommend to everyone, if you have the means and the time. I met a lot of great people, forged a lot of meaningful relationships (and I'm the type to count my friends on hand, maaaaybe two) and confronted both my limits and my strengths. It was more than I ever could have dreamed of. I got to travel, got to practice my Spanish (which is now infinitely better)...and I grew to love certain things about Spain that will keep me going back for sure. Some will say that they didn't have the same experience, and I don't expect everyone to have the same luck as I did. But suffice it to say that I had a great time with my roommates, with Nuria, with my siblings, with Antonio, with everyone that I had the fortunate privilege of coinciding with in Spain. I will miss you all immensely, and you can bet that this won't be the last you've heard of me and my international adventures.
Some things I will miss about Madrid in no particular order:
My IES cronies (Evan, my partner in Spanish crime!)
Living in a city - public transport, museums, concert venues, flea markets, nightlife
Hearing Spanish 24-7
The Hermanos Delgados Fruteria
The barrios, especially Malasaña and Arguelles
Doner Kebap
Commo
Pozuelo
Taberna de Moncloa with its cheap breakfast and jazz music
Fernandez de los Rios, 18 4dcha and its inhabitants (love you ladies)
Antonio. Sin duda. TQ
Low-stress lifestyle
Independence, or the beginnings of it
Leche merengada ice cream
That age is what you make of it
Things I am grateful for in the States, also in random order:
My family, and Sergei of course :)
My friends, my context
Vietnamese food, especially home-cooked!
Cruising down Wilson Lane in my Corolla with the windows rolled down
A FUNCTIONAL WASHER AND DRYER!
Availability and convenience
Opportunities, academically, financially, etc.
That the East coast is not too far from Europe
Continuing growing and developing my independence
These lists are by no means complete, as well as this journal. I could go on and on about my feelings and thoughts, but I'm not feeling particularly eloquent. I'll leave the rest of the storytelling to the following pictures. Won't even place captions on them. They're mostly from this past week, but some are from during the semester too.
And yes, this is the end of of my blogging career for now, since I usually hate the idea of blogging for personal catharsis. My motto remains, "Live it now, tell it later." Thanks for reading!
Hasta pronto a todos. Os quiero mucho, no olvideis de mi!
Well, guess what...I'm a changed woman! Hell has frozen over!
All right, it's really not that dramatic. But I will say this: The experience of studying abroad, traveling, learning or mastering a language that is not native - is something I recommend to everyone, if you have the means and the time. I met a lot of great people, forged a lot of meaningful relationships (and I'm the type to count my friends on hand, maaaaybe two) and confronted both my limits and my strengths. It was more than I ever could have dreamed of. I got to travel, got to practice my Spanish (which is now infinitely better)...and I grew to love certain things about Spain that will keep me going back for sure. Some will say that they didn't have the same experience, and I don't expect everyone to have the same luck as I did. But suffice it to say that I had a great time with my roommates, with Nuria, with my siblings, with Antonio, with everyone that I had the fortunate privilege of coinciding with in Spain. I will miss you all immensely, and you can bet that this won't be the last you've heard of me and my international adventures.
Some things I will miss about Madrid in no particular order:
My IES cronies (Evan, my partner in Spanish crime!)
Living in a city - public transport, museums, concert venues, flea markets, nightlife
Hearing Spanish 24-7
The Hermanos Delgados Fruteria
The barrios, especially Malasaña and Arguelles
Doner Kebap
Commo
Pozuelo
Taberna de Moncloa with its cheap breakfast and jazz music
Fernandez de los Rios, 18 4dcha and its inhabitants (love you ladies)
Antonio. Sin duda. TQ
Low-stress lifestyle
Independence, or the beginnings of it
Leche merengada ice cream
That age is what you make of it
Things I am grateful for in the States, also in random order:
My family, and Sergei of course :)
My friends, my context
Vietnamese food, especially home-cooked!
Cruising down Wilson Lane in my Corolla with the windows rolled down
A FUNCTIONAL WASHER AND DRYER!
Availability and convenience
Opportunities, academically, financially, etc.
That the East coast is not too far from Europe
Continuing growing and developing my independence
These lists are by no means complete, as well as this journal. I could go on and on about my feelings and thoughts, but I'm not feeling particularly eloquent. I'll leave the rest of the storytelling to the following pictures. Won't even place captions on them. They're mostly from this past week, but some are from during the semester too.
And yes, this is the end of of my blogging career for now, since I usually hate the idea of blogging for personal catharsis. My motto remains, "Live it now, tell it later." Thanks for reading!
Hasta pronto a todos. Os quiero mucho, no olvideis de mi!
posted by J at 2:05 PM
1 Comments:
Late comment, but better late than never:
Boo-hoo, an of an era indeed! Here I was thinking you'd become a fixture in Madrid and we'd meet up everytime I was back... DAMN IT, when are they gonna invent a plane that gets you over the Atlantic in 2.5 hours for less than 200 bucks?
Heheh. I'll be in touch, child, fo' sho'!
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