When I got back from my 5 day weekend I was so happy to be home. Being in Santander felt like my home away from home. My host mom made me paella and tortilla atún which are my two favorite Spanish dishes. That feeling of being connected to a place that was once foreign but is now home, being with people who were strangers but now know you well, and feeling successful have made me fall in love with Spain more and more each day.
On May 2, I came home for siesta to find a package from Land and Dad. They sent me a sweatshirt, peanut M&M's (anyone who knows me well knows those are my favorite study snack), and other candies. Although I love Spain, it was nice to have a little taste of home. After siesta I met up with Erika, Geoff, and Natalie to go shopping. I was on the hunt for a watch but came back with a belt, leather jacket, sun glasses, and a tank top. I must have been sick because it's unlike me to buy that much in one shopping trip. I practically gave myself a heart attack. It must have been all the sun and feeling refreshed after my trip.
In grammar class this week we read an article about an elderly couple reflecting back on their life and what advice they have for others to live a fulfilling life. They talked about how we come up with excuses like “I would only be happy if…” and “my life would be better if...” that keep us from being happy. Life is full of “laters” but it’s time to take advantage of the great things you have sitting in front of you. Turn “tomorrows” into today. Take the time to stop and smell the roses. Carpe diem. Disfruta al momento. A modern day translation would be “YOLO” which stands for “you only live once.” Reading it hit home and accurately described how I’m feeling about this experience. I'm having the time of my life in Spain and trying my best to soak up every moment and take advantage of every opportunity I have. It was also just what I needed to hear to confirm my decision of buying a leather jacket.
Here's the quote from the article:
"Nos convencernos a nosotros mismos de que la vida será mejor después... Después de terminar la carrera, después de conseguir trabajo, después de casarnos, después de tener un hijo y después de tener otro. Luego decidimos que nuestra vida será completa cuando a nuestro esposo o esposa le vaya mejor, cuando tengamos un coche mejor, cuando nos podamos ir de vacaciones, cuando consigamos el ascenso, cuando nos retiremos.
La verdad es que no hay mejor momento para ser feliz que ahora mismo. Si no es ahora ¿cuándo? La vida siempre estará llena de "luegos," de retos. Es mejor admitirlo y decidir ser felices ahora de todas formas. No hay un luego, ni un camino para la felicidad, la felicidad es el camino y es ahora. Atesora cada momento que vives."
Today Natalie and I met up with another conversation partner to practice Spanish. Her name is Ana, she’s 22, and studying history. We met her for coffee and talked about our adventures in Spain, what we like to do on the weekends, about our families, differences in culture, and she gave us ideas of things to do in Santander. In meeting Ana I realized how much I’m improving at my Spanish because I could understand almost everything she said, and she was not speaking slowly. In conversation I used all the different verb tenses I know (not sure how accurately, but I tried) and we had a real conversation. It’s neat to realize how many doors I’ve opened since learning Spanish. I’m getting to know people that I woudn’t have the opportunity to meet because of my language abilities.
Disfruta la vida! Love your life!
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