It's a rainy day in Sevilla and although I have plenty of homework to do, my time is clearly much better spent blogging. I can not express how the month of March just flew by me. It was like March Madness, but in the sense that I spent the entire month traveling, recovering from traveling, investing in my social life, and trying not to fail my classes. Now that April is here (Whaaaaaaaaaaat?? How did that happen?) I finally have time to breath, and, consequently to blog. Because those clearly go hand in hand ;)
While JP turned 11, my dad turned...a year older, Rebecca is racing her heart out and choosing a college, Mary is hard at work in her first City High musical, and Abby had her senior opera recital, I hit my halfway point in my "life abroad" and I realized my time here is going to be over before I know it. And because I can't seem to get myself to keep a regular journal, I decided I am going to do a little reflection on my blog.
One of the biggest things I have noticed is that as a student abroad I have lost a great deal of control over my life, and it's interesting to watch how I react to it. Although I am free to come and go as I please, I live with a family and am a part of a family. They pick my meals, when my laundry is done, when my bedding gets changed, and I essentially have no privacy. The other thing is that as a foreigner I find that often times I have to struggle in communication, and am at the mercy of my native counterparts. It's not so much the daily interactions at restaurants or when I go shopping (although the other night I asked the waiter for "tinto" and he brought me a "cerveza" idk how you mix those up), as the directions for a paper during class, or the fact that there really are certain concepts that do not translate or exist between two cultures that really make it hard. For example, there is literally no way to say "I'm salty" in Spanish, so that emotion never gets expressed. But because of all of these things I have been forced to get extremely creative in social situations, be open-minded, always ALWAYS always have patience, and last but not least to let stuff go. I feel like I'm in a mental yoga class 24/7!
But my mind isn't the only thing getting exercise. As I walk and run the streets of Sevilla I've noticed a physical change as well. I randomly catch myself smiling for no reason, skipping off a curb, and walking with a pep in my step, head held high. I go out of my way just to walk by my favorite park, plaza, or monument. I have a bakery, cafe, church, and study spot that I call my own. I am starting to feel at home in Sevilla! The best part of all is that I recently started dreaming in Spanish, which is supposedly a sign of beginning fluency. Now I know I'm not even close to being fluent, Mr. Subjunctive reminds me of that every day. But I've gotten to a point where I can hold my own with the natives. I plan on spending my remaining time in Spain soaking up the culture and the colloquial vocabulary to further improve my communication and so I can feel like I fit in better. Although I think I've mastered this no pasa nada lifestyle almost as well as the Spaniards :)
While JP turned 11, my dad turned...a year older, Rebecca is racing her heart out and choosing a college, Mary is hard at work in her first City High musical, and Abby had her senior opera recital, I hit my halfway point in my "life abroad" and I realized my time here is going to be over before I know it. And because I can't seem to get myself to keep a regular journal, I decided I am going to do a little reflection on my blog.
One of the biggest things I have noticed is that as a student abroad I have lost a great deal of control over my life, and it's interesting to watch how I react to it. Although I am free to come and go as I please, I live with a family and am a part of a family. They pick my meals, when my laundry is done, when my bedding gets changed, and I essentially have no privacy. The other thing is that as a foreigner I find that often times I have to struggle in communication, and am at the mercy of my native counterparts. It's not so much the daily interactions at restaurants or when I go shopping (although the other night I asked the waiter for "tinto" and he brought me a "cerveza" idk how you mix those up), as the directions for a paper during class, or the fact that there really are certain concepts that do not translate or exist between two cultures that really make it hard. For example, there is literally no way to say "I'm salty" in Spanish, so that emotion never gets expressed. But because of all of these things I have been forced to get extremely creative in social situations, be open-minded, always ALWAYS always have patience, and last but not least to let stuff go. I feel like I'm in a mental yoga class 24/7!
But my mind isn't the only thing getting exercise. As I walk and run the streets of Sevilla I've noticed a physical change as well. I randomly catch myself smiling for no reason, skipping off a curb, and walking with a pep in my step, head held high. I go out of my way just to walk by my favorite park, plaza, or monument. I have a bakery, cafe, church, and study spot that I call my own. I am starting to feel at home in Sevilla! The best part of all is that I recently started dreaming in Spanish, which is supposedly a sign of beginning fluency. Now I know I'm not even close to being fluent, Mr. Subjunctive reminds me of that every day. But I've gotten to a point where I can hold my own with the natives. I plan on spending my remaining time in Spain soaking up the culture and the colloquial vocabulary to further improve my communication and so I can feel like I fit in better. Although I think I've mastered this no pasa nada lifestyle almost as well as the Spaniards :)
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