It’s going to be four months that I’ve been here soon. The days go by so slowly, but thinking that its already been four months is mind blowing. Lately I’m just taking everything day by day, one thing at a time. Not a ton has changed, but there have been a few interesting days. My birthday passed, on November 22nd. That was an interesting day. Also we celebrated Thanksgiving, or Dia de Gracias, as people here call it. That was something I probably won’t ever forget! Other than those days, things have been going pretty normally. It’s holiday season, and of course, I really miss my family. Setting up the Christmas tree here almost made me cry, because that’s such an important tradition my family at home has. Every year, my family would put up the ornaments, each kid putting up their favorite ornament first, and of course, my mom being herself, would take a picture of us putting up “the first ornament of the year!!!”. We would always make some kind of Christmas sweet, and listen to Christmas music. I missed home a lot that day. I think what made me miss it so much was that what we did was so similar! Here, we had on Christmas music, my host mom made us a special chocolate drink, as she explained it, “tee-pee-cal espanish”. At one point the song came on that says, “I’ll be hoooome for Christmaaass… If oonly in myyyyy dreamssss…” I was thinking, “seriously, if only.” So I guess you could say I’m experiencing a little bit of homesickness! But, don’t get me wrong. I still love it here. I would not go back even if I got the chance. It’s only that everyday things seem to get harder and harder. But I need to remember that this is normal. Most people get a little homesick around the holidays.
My birthday was pretty good, actually. I got to skype with my whole family! I finally opened my birthday box, which they sent me way before my birthday. I was getting sick of just looking at it sitting on my dresser for the past month and thinking that my birthday would never come! I wasn’t really expecting my host family to do anything for me, so when my host mom handed me a birthday present, and then even made me cake, I was so happy, words cannot explain. I had just figured since I’m not their daughter, they wouldn’t really care that it was my birthday. The cake she made was actually pie. Apple pie. I asked her why she made apple pie, and she answered, “ Eres Americana, estaba segura que te gusta tarta de manzana!” Which translated, means, “You’re American, I was sure that you like apple pie!” I was laughing at that for like ten minutes straight. There are some really funny stereotypes people have about us, I’ve found.
Thanksgiving was pretty interesting! Rotary was nice enough to give a Thanksgiving dinner for us Americans. Our entire meal consisted of some corn soup, cooked carrots, potatoes, and a patty that contained a mashed up mix of some (undercooked) turkey, bacon, chicken, and pineapple all mixed into one little hamburger looking thing. But it was a really nice gesture towards us Americans, trying to make us feel more at home.
Next month, I’m going to Barcelona! It’s a class trip, and I am SO excited. I remember signing up for it, and thinking, “Wow, its in January? That’s so far away, it’ll take forever to come!” And now it’s practically here! Time is going by so quickly, I feel like sooner that I think, my exchange year will be over, and I’ll be thinking of all of the things I wish I would have done and experienced. Those thoughts scare me. I don’t want to have any regrets! So from now on, I decided to take every single opportunity available to try something different, or go somewhere new, or make new friends. I’m just trying to cram in everything possible. It’s crazy how I’m almost saying that I don’t have enough time, and this year is only a third of the way over. I wish I had more time. Sometimes I feel like if we had more than a year here, we would be able to make deeper relationships with people, perfect the language, and really let the culture sink into who you are. At times, I feel like I just moved somewhere new, with no culture difference, and I’m just kind of living here, like it’s no big deal. But I know that when you go to a place like Spain, it takes a while to even learn what the culture differences are, and a much longer time to be able to feel like you’re a part of it. For me, at least. Yes, I’ve adapted, and I am absorbing everything that goes on around me, but I just want to feel like a part of everything.
I think once January comes, everything will go by. I think that I’ll blink, and everything will be over. January first, I’m going to Granada, for New Years. January 8th, I change host families. Which will be interesting, and maybe take away some of the stress and anxiety I’ve been going through. Then, on the 24th or something like that, I’m off to Barcelona. Then, in February, I’m trying to travel to see another exchange student, maybe two! That’ll take up a lot of time. Then in March, my family is visiting! And right after that, I may go to Madrid for a while! In May, my sister is visiting, and then in June, we have the big Rotary trip, around Spain and Portugal, which is for 15 days. And then July is summer, so of course that is going to go by fast. So when you think about it, I really don’t have that much time…
My host parents always ask me how I’m doing in school, and how I do on my exams. I don’t know why, they know that I don’t have to do work! So, when I would answer them honestly and say, “Oh, I don’t do anything in class besides talk and doodle, and my teachers don’t even call my name in attendance,” they would get really upset and say LINDSAY YOU STILL HAVE TO TRY. I do try, honesty, when teachers assign me work, I do it. The thing is they never assign me work. Sometimes they even tell me that I don’t have to go to class. For example, the other day, I walked into class, and when my teacher saw me, she automatically said, “ What are you even doing here, Lindsay? Go to the library.” It’s cool! But anyways, lately I’ve been answering my host parents’ questions about school by saying good, but that I fail all my tests. THEN, today, my host mom was like, “You know when we get your grades here were going to send them to your parents in Florida!” And, they know that I don’t do anything. That’s not what I’m worried about! I didn’t know report cards even existed here. I didn’t think they would ever be able to see them… My grades or my attendance records. Oh well, I’m not really doing anything bad.
My Spanish I feel like, has skyrocketed in the past month. I can understand everything, and can speak back understandably. The best feeling in the world, is when you’re just sitting in the classroom, or at the dinner table, not even paying attention or concentrating on what anyone is saying, and you realize that you are understanding everything that is being said, without even having to try. I had my first dream in Spanish a few days ago. It was way to long and weird to try to explain here, but, I HAD A SPANISH DREAM YEAH!
Ok, I’ll write more later. Also sorry for not posting anything in foreveeerr!
