I'm sitting here on my terrace for the last afternoon here in Barcelona. And by "afternoon", I mean 8:00pm. I've truly adapted. Haha. It's cool because it's about to storm, and everyone's out because it's 8pm, aka the socializing period before dinnertime. I'm not sure I can actually pinpoint my mood-it's between ready to go home and get back into the "real world" and wanting to stay here just a little longer to be able to spend some more time with the girls. It's going to be Cryfest 2010 tomorrow night around 7:00pm when I leave Castelldefels for the last time. That 15 minute walk back to the train station will be brutal! But I can't say I'm going to miss those trains...
Almost identical to the train I took for the past month
Vilanova i la Gertru-Oh how I was so confused the first day and now here I am having memorized every stop on the way
My most expensive piece of clothing is officially a Barcelona jersey. Never in my life would I have guessed that I was going to live in Barcelona for almost three months, and I'm so glad I got the chance to do this, not to mention I got picked by the best possible family one can think of. They've been nothing short of amazing to me, and I'm not sure how you try to thank someone who's done so much for you. At this point anything I get them I will make me feel as though I'm falling short of what they've given me. Either way, I'm going to try to entertain them with some pictures I've taken along the way for their Florida photo album I brought when I first got here.
Me and the girls at Laia's 9th birthday extravaganza (I was sick as a dog at the time)
Living in Barcelona has made me more relaxed, unplanned, and calmer than I've ever been in my entire life. I know that my life in the U.S. will definitely cause some stress, but I refuse to go back to the stress I was experiencing before I moved here. Living here has really taught me to enjoy every moment and try not to worry about the next.
This past week being sick helped brew a bout of homesickness which has helped the process of packing and walking through some of my favorite places for the last time a lot easier to do. Of course, I'm not done yet-I've still got five days on La Costa Brava, where I'll be relaxing in a town called Llanca. It'll be the perfect conclusion to this trip!
Things I'm looking forward to the most:
-American promptness. I'm all for a relaxed way of life, but sitting on the runway for an hour and a half every time I've flown just shouldn't be normal.
-THE FOOD. And particularly Mexican food, mac and cheese, and normal meat. I've never been a huge fan of ham, and I've eaten it almost every day since the day I got here. I swear they would bathe in ham juice if they could! I just miss my chicken!!
-My bed. It hasn't been fun having my feet hang off the bed for the last three months! Plus, I had only spent two weeks in my new apartment with my AMAZING roommate and I left for Spain. So I still have a lot of adapting to do in Pensacola too!
-Air conditioning and ICE. I love having the windows open-but sweating on and off everyday because of a lack of air conditioning is old-especially since ice makers don't exist in refrigerators and their view of a refreshment is not water-it's Fanta.
Things I'll miss the most:
-Family closeness. I can't tell you how many times the 3 year old receives kisses when we're all playing Uno and he's just sitting on someone's lap. The importance of family here is eminent.
-PASTRIES! I came here being partial to bread and cookies and I'm leaving here with a brutal addiction.
-Being alone. Living in this apartment for a month has made me realize that silence is a good thing! Helps you think and lets you grow up a little when you're forced to do everything yourself.
-Mealtimes! I'm definitely going to miss eating lunch at 2:00pm after waking up late on a Saturday, or sitting around until 11:00pm on a weekday on this terrace drinking wine and eating some pan con tomate. Yum.
Well, enough lists! I have to go pack now. I'll write an update with pictures and experiences from La Costa Brava once I get home. I'll see some of you next Thursday, and the rest very soon after that! Adios-
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