Journey

I can´t believe how fast the summer has gone by. When I first came back to Louisville, I was excited about having 8 weeks at home. And now I´m down to less than 1. I´m ready to go back and get this last year of school over with, but this time at home with family has been wonderful. Figures - now that I´m finally adjusted to being back here, it´s time to leave again. It´s crazy when I think that out of the past 52 weeks, I´ve only seen my parents for 10. When I think about it in terms of those numbers, it´s hard! So here I am again, getting ready to start the packing process. As many times as I´ve done this and even though I´ve become a professional packer, it´s the one part I dread.

Airlines are now charging $70 for the second checked bag. Thankfully I bought my ticket before they changed the prices, so I only have to pay $50. But this is becoming ridiculous. Airline tickets are going up and from what I can tell, there is no shortage of flyers like the companies say. All of my flights are always booked solid. On my flight to Madrid, I´ll be sitting in row 24 or something like that. I normally sit in the teens, so this annoys me. With all the money I´ve been spending on tickets (three round-trips in the past year,) I could have had a new car with a low payment by now!

My grandmother told me she´s going to cry at the airport on Monday. I keep reminding her that this will be the fourth time I´ve left for Spain and she can´t keep doing it! But everything is just a part of my life now. From the tears at the airport, to being limited to seeing my parents 80% of the year on my computer screen, to dreading the packing of the suitcases, this is my life.

Tomorrow marks the one year date from when I left the first time. I started this journey a year ago amid lots of questions and whys from friends and family. Not once did I doubt my decision, because I was following my dreams, but also I was searching for myself. It hasn´t been easy for me - I wouldn´t suggest moving across the ocean to just anyone. But it´s been life changing. This journey has been such a blessing to me and I can´t wait to continue it. I´ll close with a quote from the book Eat, Pray, Love. The protagonist reminds me of somebody I know. I´ll let you all decide who that somebody is!

"If you're brave enough to leave behind everything familiar and comforting, which can be anything from your house to bitter old resentments, and set out on a truth-seeking journey, either externally or internally, and if you are truly willing to regard everything that happens to you on that journey as a clue, and if you accept everyone you meet along the way as a teacher, and if you are prepared most of all to face and forgive some very difficult realities about yourself, then the truth will not be withheld from you."

Thirty-One Party!

I'm hosting an online Thirty-One party, in part because I want a lunch tote to take back with me to Spain! All you have to do is shop online and everything is delivered to your home - it's that easy! The party closes on August 18th, so make sure and get your order in! Here is the link:


http://www.mythirtyone.com/shop/catalog.aspx?eventId=E846638&from=DIRECTLINK


Happy Shopping!

Summertime in Louisville

Wow, it really just seems like yesterday that I was blogging about traveling back to the states for summer break. And here we are six weeks later and it's almost time for me to head back to Madrid. So far the summer has been wonderful, but hot! Oh, and it's been going by way to quickly!

One of the hardest things to do is to transition from speaking 100% Spanish to 100% English. The first few days were really hard, because there were some words that just automatically came out wrong or in Spanish. In my head I kept thinking Spanish, but reminding myself to speak in English. Now, I'm dreading the transition back to Spanish, because my brain has been processing everything in English these past few weeks. It's going to be interesting.

I've gone through a reverse culture shock. I do miss the long coffee dates or just meeting a friend for a coke and sitting on the sidewalk. I had an awkward feeling the first weekend I was here, at church. It was 4th of July weekend, so everyone was on their higher-than-normal patriotic ship. Someone mentioned from the pulpit how glad they were to live in the best country in the world and I immediately tensed up. It made me appreciate the fact that I'm living outside of the US and am gaining so many new perspectives on the world. When I tell people that it is very arrogant to say the above statement, people mistake it for my being "un-american". What gets to me more is that people proceed to say, "it's the truth." I'm pretty sure if I asked my friends in Spain how they felt about this statement, they wouldn't tell me it was true. I really can't explain this feeling, other than to say it's something you can't understand until you live overseas. Regardless if I'm currently in the world's best country or not, there isn't a better feeling in the world than to be with your family. It seems like every single weekend has been planned out, but spending time with them has been priceless. One of my biggest concerns was gaining weight and I think I've done fine until this week. Today is the first day in a week that I haven't eaten out. So I guess we can call this my fat week! :)

A funny thing I've realized since being here is that Spaniards think I'm on vacation while I'm in the states and Americans think I'm on vacation while I'm in Spain. I can reassure you that neither is true. This summer has been a busy one for me Not including the first Tuesday I was here, I've been working every day, Monday-Friday, 7:30 am until 6:30 pm. So even though this is my "summer vacation", vacation is such a false word....

One thing I've been reminded of is how much has changed in one year. It's been a year since I've seen some people and a lot happens in a year. Mom reminded me that this is part of choosing to move. Honestly, I just wanted to come home and spend time with my family, so it hasn't bothered me that much at all. I've also changed over this past year, so it works on both ends. In two weeks I'll be back in Spain and life will go on not only for me, but for everyone here.

Until next time....

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!

Gooooooollllllllllll!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I know I'm never going to feel what it's like to play in a World Cup, but on the last day of school before our spring break, I'm pretty sure I came close to knowing the feeling. And it was pretty awesome!

We had our equivalent of a field day on the last two days of school. On Thursday, the teachers had a football game and the entire primary school came to watch. Thankfully, I wore my tennis shoes to work that day. We divided up into two teams - red and yellow. It was absolutely hilarious! But guess who scored the first goal?! Yep, yours truly! I don't even remember how it happened. I received the ball close to the goal, dribbled a few steps, and took a shot. Next thing I knew, it was in the net and that was it.

My co-workers and I took off running towards midfield, celebrating. A few seconds later, hundreds of kids swarmed me. The sixth grade boys were the first ones to reach me, and then the younger ones. I have to admit, it was pretty amazing.

Here's the picture one of my students took - you can see the boys rushing up (but you can't see me!) and all of the younger kids with their hands up in the air! Oh, my team won, 3-2 :)

Five seconds later, I was completely surrounded!

I'm a Belieber! Bieber Fever 2011

Let me preface this blog by saying that I've always had Beiber Fever. I remember driving in my former car one night and heard a new, catchy song and I thought to myself, who on earth is this kid? I was instantly hooked and have been ever since!

On Tuesday night, I went to the Justin Bieber concert here in Madrid. The kids all knew I was going. Some co-workers had told me that they announced on the radio that people had been camping out in front of the venue for a week, just so they could be first in line. Now don't get me wrong, I love Justin Bieber, but come on people, I'm 25 years old! I don't have the time or energy that these 13 year olds have. But then again, when I was 13, I was never infatuated with the boy bands. I liked them, don't get me wrong, but I was smart enough to know that it was pointless to fall in love with them. I guess you could say that I've always been a logical person. Anyways, we arrived at the Palacio de Deportes around 6:40 and the place was absolutely insane! These girls are serious! They were showing up with JB painted on their shirts and faces. Some had roses. And the line was wrapped around two blocks!

Best photo of the night!

It was really funny observing everyone. Once we got inside, I saw this one girl who had to be all of 14 years old, in tears. When they posted a 15-minute countdown on the screens, the place erupted. I have to admit, I was pretty excited myself. Especially to hear a few of his songs! And he is a little cutie.  There were a few moments that stood out in my head more than others. First of all, all of the girls kept saying his name like Justine. And I was cracking up, because that's a girl's name. I don't even think they understood what he was singing, but they knew the words. Even a little five year old girl was singing! Secondly, he took off his jacket at one point, only to reveal a purple and silver t-shirt. You would have thought it was the Chippendales performing. Those teeny boppers went nuts. Best part of the whole night, however, was that the concert was over around 9:50 pm. Early enough for all of the kids to get in bed at a reasonable hour!

JB singing, "Up", one of my favorite songs!

I'm glad I went and it was a really good concert. In the meantime, I'll be anxiously awaiting his new album. And Beyonce's upcoming album. (I'm waiting on her to come to Madrid!)