In my time in Spain, there are many things I’ve learned to live without: English, driving every where, and having a huge wardrobe, but one thing I don’t have here that has been completely life altering and I am at a loss on how to adapt living without, is peanut butter. So, I have been partially satisfying my cravings for peanut butter by eating an embarrassing amount of Nutella.
But on a more serious note, the past 50 days in Spain have brought an extremely large range of emotions, countless new friendships, amazing experiences, and ultimately has changed my perspective on life. The things I’ve seen, the emotions I’ve felt, the experiences I’ve had, have all contributed to shaping and shifting of my values and yes, my personality (for the better, don’t worry). Since my last post, I think I have really settled into my life and routine here. I’ve really limited contact with Home, with only one FaceTime call with my family, and week long periods without messaging my mom (sorry Mom! Love you!), and significantly cut down on posting on Facebook. I’ve realized that when I talk to people back home, I’m living there and not in the moment. As you can guess, this is not good thing because it is so important that I experience all that I can and involve myself in my life here because this is my home for the next 8 and a half months. But lucky for you, to fill the posting my experiences on Facebook void, I have wrote all about my adventures below:
APRENDIENDO UN NUEVA IDIOMA | LEARNING A NEW LANGUAGE
“So Anne, how does it feel to be a bilingual human being?”
Pretty good, I mean I keep mixing up phrases and forget words in both languages, but it’s nice.
My Spanish is coming along, I can truly follow conversations now, can semi-follow T.V, the radio, and songs in Spanish, and I may be butchering conjugations and word order, but I am speaking exponentially more than when I first arrived.
One of the most challenging, and frustrating, parts about learning a new language (for me), is that you will never be as funny in your second language as you are in your first. In my first month abroad, I really missed being able to join in conversations and throw in a couple words that would make everyone laugh (everybody was missing out). Now that I am completing my second month abroad, I am figuring out how to (partially) let my humor shine through (mostly through my accent and horrible conjugation skills). It’s the best feeling in the world when the person you are talking to understands what you are saying, and on the contrary, the most deflating feeling when they didn’t catch anything of what you are trying to say. But trust me, one day when I shared with my friends a story that had them in tears from laughing so hard, I might as well have won the lottery (like three times) because I felt so accomplished and incredibly ecstatic.
LA MORRIÑA | HOMESICKNESS
To tell you every moment of every day in Spain have been the best of my life, simply wouldn’t be truthful and would’t be expressing one of the most challenging parts and key ingredients of foreign exchange, which is homesickness. It has been fifty whole days away from my dogs, my family, my friends, Zia Taqueria, my bed, curry turkey salad from Natures Oasis, biking, and peanut butter. There are days when I just don’t want to speak Spanish, can’t stand not fully understanding what is happening, and lying in my bed in The States eating peanut butter is the number one thing I want in this entire world, yet is the only thing I can’t have. So to cope with my separation anxiety from all things Home, I usually:
- Eat Nutella.
- Go for a run.
- Talk to my host family (yes I have completely broken down in tears in front of my host parents).
- Eat Nutella.
- Journal/Draw.
- Or simply wander through the streets until I feel better.
I find myself missing things I never previously thought I would miss and making plans to do something that I can’t do because, well, I am literally on the other side of the world from. Although I think about Home frequently (because my mind has nothing better to do in class when I don’t understand), so far, my homesickness has only been fleeting moments and not a constant state of sadness.
My fellow Durangotang who is also currently living in Spain, Dylan Williamson, wrote a blog post that hits everything spot on about the hard parts about exchange and is so beautifully written that instead of trying to express the same things in my blog, I’m just going to send you over to his by clicking here.
I’m homesick and happy.
VIAJE A MADRID | TRIP TO MADRID
I thoroughly enjoyed my day in Madrid with my second host family and Caroline, also from Colorado, visiting architecture exhibitions, art museums, and restaurant hopping. Madrid is a stunning city and I can’t wait to explore more of it!
BALÓNMANO | HANDBALL
I’m in a new country, living a new life, speaking a new language…so why the heck not learn a new sport?
At this point, I have become comfortable with the fact that I am constantly in a state of confusion, I endure many (many) awkward and uncomfortable situations, and I mostly rely on observation and instinct to determine what my next action/reaction will be. That being said, I think I was as prepared as I could have been to attend my first practice of Balónmano, a sport of which I know nothing about, with people I didn’t know, in a language I don’t really understand.
My teammates are the most supportive and encouraging people I know hands down (but not on the court cause thats a foul). They have welcomed me with open arms (and sore arms) and make me truly feel like I have a sense of belonging here. Every single girl at some point has stopped what they were doing during practice, all to explain to me the rules or the game or point me in the right direction when I am lost. All of them are a year older than me, but most of them go to my school, so it is so reassuring seeing familiar faces in the hallway and to know I have a very large support crew. They are also so patient with me when I’m speaking, and they help me so much, because they are interested in me and truly want to hear what I have to say.
Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays are the best days of the week (because that’s when I have practice) and Tuesdays and Thursdays are meant for lying in bed not moving because I am so sore. On days that I have practice, my average time spent walking is 2 hours, 1 hour total to and from school and 1 hour total to and from practice. On top of that, I have P.E two days a week, so I am defiantly staying physically active (yet another reason to justify my consumption of Nutella).
LA PEDRIZA
On Friday afternoon I packed a backpack, bought a bus ticket, and found myself in Madrid exploring the beautiful city with my fellow exchange student, Caroline. We wandered through El Parque de Retiro, devoured a large bag of Lays potato chips, walked to the world-famous Gran Vía and hopped in and out of stores, drank smoothies and ate nachos, shared stories, secrets, and sorbet on our walk to the bus station, and had our first sleepover in Spain together.
Woke up early, sprinted to the bus station, and waited 30 minutes for the bus to take us to Pozuelo to meet up with Madison (another amazing exchange student). Met up with Rotex (Spanish kids who studied abroad last year) and the other exchange students in Madrid, and made our way North to La Pedriza where we spent the day hiking through the mountains, sharing stories and laughs.
COMIDA | FOOD
This month’s recipe is my second favorite Spanish meal, after Arroz con Leche, is Tortilla Española. Spanish food IS NOT Mexican food, in fact it is quite the opposite because spicy food simply does not exist here. So tortilla is not your Mexican tortilla you use to make a burrito, it is more similar to an omelet, but with potatoes, and is crazy delicious.
This recipe is a little difficult to attempt because it involves perfectly flipping the tortilla in a large skillet, so if you want, you can wait until I return and I can teach you how to make it like a pro. But in the mean time, if you are feeling especially adventurous and if you want to do your tongue, tastebuds, and soul a favor, click here.
Did I miss something you want to know about? Or got questions? Ask me below!!!!!
Postcards from Spain 