Reflections

Wow! It just seems like yesterday that I said goodbye to my parents and grandma in front of the airport in Louisville. (Naturally I was running late and I was afraid if we parked the car, I would be cutting it too close. Of course the plane was delayed....) I had taken the bold step of leaving everything and everyone behind in order to follow my dream. That dream took me across the ocean, some 8,000 plus miles away from the only place I had called home. Almost a year later, I'm getting ready to board another airplane, except the circumstances will be a little different.

I remember going through a whirlwind of emotions that morning and on the flight to Madrid. I was excited, sad, anxious, nervous, and scared. I have to admit, those feelings are back again. I'm sitting here, typing away in my bed. I fly out to Louisville tomorrow afternoon. It's nearly 3:30 am, but there was no way I could go to sleep without reflecting on this past year. I'm excited and anxious to see my family at the airport tomorrow night. It's been six months since I've seen them. I'm sad because I'm leaving behind wonderful friends and co-workers. Thank goodness I don't have to say THE good-bye yet. I'm just leaving for the summer and I'll see them in 2 months. However, these people have become my support system and the closest thing to family I have here. And I have to admit I'm scared and nervous to come back for the summer. I know I've changed tremendously over this past year and I'm also going to have to get adjusted to the lifestyle again. The Spanish lifestyle is so different and it's what I'm accustomed to. I'm sure there's going to be day's where I long to be in Madrid, sipping a Fanta Limon on a sidewalk. Kinda weird that there's a part of me that's scared of coming back to visit, but it's true. I am also preparing myself for the fact that relationships with friends will be different because it's been a year since I've seen people.

Today was the last day of work. We had a school wide meeting in the morning, and then a end of school year mass. Somehow I found myself reading a passage during the mass. I was very nervous, but everyone told me I did great. After that we had a lunch with wonderful food and even better company. It was truly a great ending to an even greater school year.

Exciting news - I signed my contract for my flat for the next year! It's so nice to know I have a place to live next year. I stayed after and hung out with my future roommates. We really have good chemistry and I'm so looking forward to becoming friends with them. I think it's going to be perfect!

I ended the evening saying good-bye to one of my private lesson families, having a going away dinner with the family I live with (thank goodness for Domino's Pizza and their 50% off online ordering!), and then met some co-workers down in Chueca. I am absolutely exhausted, but am so excited to start vacation!

This year has been the best year of my life. I saw my dream come true and that's more than I could ever ask for. God has blessed me with a wonderful environment here through my co-workers who are now friends. It's amazing how much can change in a year. I want to thank you all for following me on this crazy journey. Year 2 is going to be even better!

Besitos to all,
Sarah

A whirlwind of an update

So I just realized that in my last blog, I promised to write more often. Seven weeks later....

Rather than go through a ridiculously long update and force myself to think about what happened last month, I'm going to give you an abbreviated version. Emphasis on abbreviated. I mean, I can barely remember what clothes I had on yesterday, much less recall what I've been doing with my life for the past month and a half....So, here we go.

My Uncle Bart came and visited me for Semana Santa. It was so nice to finally have company and to see a familiar face. It's a miracle that he's still alive for several reasons. The first being I dragged him all through Spain. Well, at least it seemed like all of Spain. We climbed mountains, walked for miles, and traveled non-stop. But secondly, because I drove us throughout the country. So that's why I say it's a miracle. The first two days, we stayed in Madrid. I showed him around the city, because sadly, the first time he was here three years ago with my Dad, we were in Madrid long enough to catch a plane or train. I also experienced my first bullfight. Then, the journey really began. On Monday, we went to Segovia, La Granja, and Guadarrama. It was there, at the foot of the Sierra Mountains, that yours truly learned to properly decapitate and de-leg (is that a word?) shrimp. Oh, what memories! Tuesday, we set out for a 5 hour drive to Pamplona. Bart has been longing to see the city where the famous running of the bulls takes place. After that, we drove to San Sebastian, a beautiful beach resort town nestled in the Basque Country. The next morning, we drove to France and spent the day in a quaint town, Saint-Jean-de-Luz. After that, we made the 7 hour trek home. But have no fear - we made it in time to see Real Madrid win La Copa del Rey! Thursday morning, we slept in and then set out for Zamora. For the next three days, we watched the religious processions and also made a trip to have lunch in Portugal. Bart left on Easter Sunday. If I had to sum up the week, it would be something like this: 2,000 kilometers traveled, 9 days, 9 cities, 3 countries, 1 amazing week. If you want to see the pictures, check out my facebook page. Moving on....

The spring semester came to a close and I finished with all A's and B's again! What a relief! I had a week off in between finals and the start of the summer session. I didn't know what to do with myself. I loved the free afternoons/evenings/weekends. Sadly, the week flew by and I had to start summer classes. I only have four days left and I will have successfully finished Macroeconomics and a Spanish translation class.

In between, I also went to a prom (the older students in the high school had theirs one Friday evening at the school. Being the cool teacher I am, I went!), celebrated my first San Isidro (the patron saint of Madrid) holiday, and attended my first first communion. I also went on a field trip to the "beach" of Madrid with my third and fourth graders, discovered a 50's style American diner, and suffered through Barcelona's Champions League victory.

Surprisingly, we still have cool(er) temperatures than I expected. But I'm not complaining, because I'm not waking up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat, dying to take a cold shower. Although, it does feel really weird to be walking around wearing jeans, a long sweater, and a scarf in June. Albeit, it's a thin scarf and sweater, but still....What a change from September when I talked would sweat just by thinking about going outside....

On Friday, I went to the Prado Museum. I´ve been several times, but this time I was invited by someone who works there. The mother of some students works in the restoration department and invited me to see her department, which is closed to the public. I got to see some huge masterpieces up close and personal. She explained the whole restoration process to me. I even got to see some of Goya´s works! My brother loves Goya. The entire visit was so neat and I definitely learned a lot.

Today, I went with two friends from work on a day trip to Ávila. You may remember that back in March, I had to write a paper on Saint Teresa of Jesus. Ávila is her birthplace and where she spent the majority of her life. We spent several hours walking through the old city, looking at all of the churches and her childhood home. We had a wonderful lunch of gazpacho, steak, potatoes, and arroz con leche for dessert. It really doesn´t get more Spanish than that! We ended the afternoon by looking at a beautiful church called Sonsoles and then drove to a site called Cuatro Postes (four posts) where you had a breathtaking view of the city. Pictures will be up on Facebook shortly. It was a lovely day, but my allergies are out of whack right now. Apparently I´m allergic to clean air. I started sneezing as soon as we arrived in Ávila. Naturally, now that I´m back in the smog and pollution of Madrid, I´m all stuffy. Just great. All of this change in location is killing me!

Sorry for the long blog today. The next one will be shorter! Oh, I almost forgot! I have a flat for next year. It´s funny how God works. Some of you remember my fiasco I had with the flat earlier in the fall - how I was confused about two girls with the same name and ended up giving away the flat I had. Well, they emailed me a few weeks ago and said the room would be available again and asked if I would like to live with them! What luck! These past two weekends I´ve discovered a new best friend with the name of IKEA. I now have all of my bedding and towels for the next year. All I have to do is pack up my room and store it at Sol´s house. Funny how this entire situation has come full circle!

I´ll be in the states from July 1st until August 29th. 19 days and counting!