Tres Meses

I’ve officially been living in Spain for three months/twelve weeks/84 days. There are many ways to break the time up, but in whichever way, I’ve been here for a decent amount of time, and I can’t believe how incredibly fast it has flown by. Stepping off the plane appears as if it could easily have been last week but at the same time, 10 months left in Spain have quickly decreased to 7 months left in Spain and being overwhelmed with the amount of remaining time has shifted to being panicked that there isn’t enough time left. Everyday I fall more and more in love with this country, the people, and the language and everyday I feel more and more that this is where I belong.

 

So much has happened since my last blog post; there are so many things I’ve learned and things I’ve seen, it is difficult to begin to try to explain it all. However, if I were to break down my third month into one sentence it would be: Breaking out of the “slum” stage, Halloween, EXAMS, approaching fluency, handball, studying, Thanksgiving, Madrid, at home and happy.

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COLEGIO | SCHOOL

To be completely honest, the majority of my time this month has been dedicated to studying, studying, and studying for exams. We are wrapping up the first trimester so I have been studying for 8 exams, those of which are all in Spanish and are difficult even for the students who do speak Spanish. That being said, I have had a lot to do. Although it is no where near fun, it needs to be done, after all, this is an academic exchange. I spend a lot of time at the library studying with my friends (Andrea in the picture), which makes studying a bit more enjoyable. I am defiantly looking forward to get past this part of school to get back to the days with more free time and less stress.

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APRENDIENDO UN NUEVA IDIOMA | LEARNING A NEW LANGUAGE 

As I am approaching fluency (whatever being fluent means) in Spanish, I want to use this opportunity to talk about the positive parts of  being non-fluent in a language.

Study breaks on weekends are spent with my camera and the beautiful fall colors.

For the first time in my days in Spain, my hatred for the language barrier (because of the difficulties and frustration it brings), has shifted to an appreciation. It has taken me a long time to figure out how I have made such genuine friendships here despite the huge language barrier. I have recently determined I feel like I know people better by being non-fluent than I would be if I was fluent in the language. I feel like I genuinely know people by their essence. Words bring opinions, judgement, and separation. We label and classify people by what they say and how it resonates with us. I don’t know people here by their history, their hardships, or their best moments. I don’t know their opinions, dreams, desires or the mistakes they have made. I know Javier by the way his eyes light up before he begins to tell a story, Andrea by the way the corner of her lips curl when she looks up at me and flashes a smirk letting me know she understands exactly how I feel or when we have an inside secret (usually followed by contagious giggles). I know Irene by the way her insecurity is in her hands and how she always retreats to picking off the split ends on her hair to conceal her nervousness, and I know Adrian by the breath he takes before every time he speaks and by the finger he always points to strengthen his argument. I know people by their reactions and interactions with others, by the tone of their voice, by the expression on their face, and for this I am grateful. For this, I know people by who they are and not by my opinions of who they are.

 

Overall, this month my Spanish has improved DRASTICALLY. I can understand 85-98% of conversations, and when I don’t understand a word, I can ask what it means to understand the conversation completely. Conversation has become smooth(ish) and my attention level in class has gone up because I can pretty much understand what the teachers are saying. However, I still have so so so far to go and so much to learn, but I am up for the challenge. The more I learn, the more I love the language. And the more I learn, the more I loose my English (so much that I get 8/10s on my English exams).

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HALLOWEEN 

There was no trick-or-treating, pumpkin carving or haunted houses, but there were costumes, super great friends, it was a late night and memories were made. Costume making began at 9pm with Andrea and Olga and we headed out at 11pm (this is the typical time to go out in Spain).

This night was a turning point for me in my exchange. After a full night of CONVERSATIONS in Spanish and to have everyone out in the streets with positive and festive energy, my language confidence was exponentially boosted and felt a sense of home and belonging for the first time. This positive energy carried me through the next week of school with a lighter attitude, deeper friendships, and helped me bust out of the “two month mark slum” stage of exchange (YAY).

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MADRID

All my life I’ve been a small-town girl. Cities made me anxious, insecure, and would find myself wishing I was somewhere else. However, in Madrid I couldn’t feel anymore the opposite. Every moment in Madrid is a moment fully enjoyed. Each street is jaw dropping-ly beautiful and the energy of the city is unforgettable.

At 8am on a Friday morning I stepped out of the buzzing metro at Gran Vía into the morning with the sun just hitting the tops of the buildings and the streets surprisingly calm. I walked the length of Gran Vía on each side, seeing what there is to see. Each time I passed a Metro stop a newspaper was offered to me, each café I passed I was enveloped by the sweet smell of pastries, and the city became more and more to life with each passing minute with the sun rising. I was drawn to the rhythm of the shaking maracas of a man with no hat, sign, nor cup in front of him. After listening for a while I pulled 20cents from my pocket and offered it to him but he kindly refused. He told me (at least I think he told me) “I am playing for the music, not the money”.

As the streets started to fill with people, I decided to make my way down a side street. One of my favorite things about Madrid is there is art everywhere, graffiti, plant and curtain arrangements on the balconies, and the architecture.

I met Ryen (another amazing exchange student) in a coffee shop called “La Biciceleta” where we enjoyed coffee, Spanish tortilla and the vibe of the shop which reminded me so much of home. Every wall was covered in art made from bikes and had a character that makes it so that it could easily exist in Durango. So glad I got to cross it off the bucket list but I hope I get the chance to go back again!

We headed back to Gran Vía, got some shopping out of the way on “Black Friday”, which no where near Black Friday in the U.S, but I’ll take all I can get to save money. We ran into some other exchange students and spent some time with them in Starbucks. Ryen and I headed to Retiro park to take a break from the crowed Gran Vía. On the way be caught the Metro from Puerta del Sol, which is the city’s center. Street performers were every where and there were so many beautiful structures and monuments. We took the Metro and found ourselves in Retiro.  The park is absolutely beautiful and is such a peaceful place right in the heart of the city. Of course we had to visit the Crystal Palace and afterwards, ate some patatas bravas to fuel us back up before returning to Gran Vía.

 

I’d say the highlight of the day was lounging around on a rooftop overlooking Madrid with my exchange friends. As I looked over the city I realized “Wow, here I am, living my dream. How lucky am I.” Thanksgiving and this trip to Madrid was a perfect time for me to realize how grateful I am for this experience and the incredible amount of people who made this possible. Exchange is by far the most amazing thing I have ever experienced and feel so fortunate to be able to be living it. If you are reading this, in some way or another, you have helped get me here, and I am so grateful for you. I will continue to enjoy every single moment with a grateful heart.

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ACCIÓN DE GRACIAS | THANKSGIVING 

Spain doesn’t celebrate Thanksgiving, but ironically enough, I ate two Thanksgiving dinners this year. The first was on Thanksgiving day with the Rotary Club Majadahonda and exchange students from the Madrid area (which was great to see so many people).

The second was on the Sunday after Thanksgiving with my host family and friends with apple pie from scratch (and gluten free), turkey (aka chicken), mashed potatoes, and green beans. Had fun showing them a little bit of American culture, and eating an American meal!

I am so grateful for my two families here, my exchange family and my host family.  I also couldn’t be more grateful for my real family back in the U.S (who I miss dearly).

BALONMANO EN LEÓN | HANDBALL IN LEÓN

Waking up at 5:30am on a Sunday morning and being happy about is normally nonexistent, but on Nov. 15 I slid out of bed in desperate need of coffee, but nonetheless with a smile on my face looking forward to the day and the adventures it would bring. Anytime I have a chance to see a little bit more of Spain is always a treat and to spend time with my teammates is time I wouldn’t trade for anything. “So Anne, do you like play in the games?” Well, no. The good news is that now I understand the absolute basics of the game but have yet to figure out how to execute it. But, I’ve gotten the “every 15 minutes, grab as many water bottles as you can and run to the group circle” part down. And the “listen to what people are saying to figure out how to cheer for your team” part down as well.

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COMIDA | FOOD

As I stated above in the Madrid section, Ryen and I ate patatas bravas in Retiro, they were one of my first meals in Spain, and they are DELISH. That being said, they well deserve to be this month’s featured food. Nearly every bar and restaurant in Spain serves patatas bravas and are eaten as tapas.

Do your tongue, tastebuds, and soul a favor by clicking here!

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As always, if you have any questions, ASK ‘EM BELOW!

Or if there is something you would like to see in the next blog, let me know!