learning

I must've done something right in a past life, because this one is proving to be incredibly rewarding. I'm going to apologize in advance for my deteriorating English (especially in terms of grammar and spelling), I'm finding myself rewording things the way that they're spoken in Spanish. For example, in Spanish, the adjective comes after the noun. So if you want to say "yellow house" you say "casa amarilla" ... I'm finding myself saying things like, I want a bite of that sandwhich tasty. Uh oh :)

I suppose in some ways the language business is a good sign, I'm starting to be able to really joke around with my classmates, and since there's no personal space in Spain, my best friend Alicia basically pounced on me at school the other day and told me that I was never allowed to leave, that she'd miss me too much when I was gone. Of course, that didn't hurt my ego one little bit :) I'm getting to a point of reflection on my trip. I've been here long enough now where I'm starting to be able to actually look back on what's already happened. I have moments that I know I'll remember for a long time- turning around to look at my parents one last time before I passed through security, walking in the airport and first seeing my host mom and Bea waiting. I remember I really liked Bea's blue strappy sandals and Ana was taller than I had expected her to be; Bea was holding a sign that I still have set up in my room. The airport smelled like B.O. and exhaustion, but maybe that was just me, as I'd recently gotten off a 10 hour flight. I reread the first few emails that I sent my mom recently, realizing how much I've already grown, and how much room there is for further growth.

There are some things that I just plain old don't like doing in Spain. But there are things like that in America too. I'm guessing there are things like that in Japan and the Czech Republic and South Africa as well. When I start to think of how much better this situation would be "if only", I remind myself of where I am, what I have the privilege of doing, and how I'm not going to spend more than 2 seconds whining about anything, and even those 2 seconds are two too many. I have about one billion things to look forward too still on my adventure. I have family coming and I think I'm going to England to visit my friend John Linford in February. I have art museums and street markets and discotecas and walks through the park and my bread with olive oil in the morning. I have a family that considers me one of their own children, my host mom started tearing up at a Rotary meeting the other day when she talked about me having to go home. Speaking of Rotary meetings, I had my first this past Thursday.

It was held in a restaurant, where they meet every Thursday at 930 pm. for dinner. There were about 16 people there, a decent mix of men and women, talking over one another and chowing down on the delicious steak in mushroom sauce and fried apples, scalloped potatoes and crunchy, warm bread (my aunt Marisa here in Spain calls this bread "musical bread" which makes Jacobo laugh everytime). Of course, mostly everyone was smoking so by the end of the two hour meeting my eyes were tiny slits and red-rimmed. I'm really thankful that no one in my family smokes, I don't know if I could handle it all the time in the house... It's overwhelming enough at school and in the streets. I gave a little speech at the meeting, everyone laughed and asked me questions and it was very casual and easygoing. I got a lot of compliments on my language and I presented the President with the Rotary flag from Northfield and he gave me the flag from Majadahonda. I thought it was hilarious how the members of the club would snap at one another for talking over other people and would freely tell each other to shut up; there was even one woman who was the official "monitor" of the meeting and would tell people who got to talk next- sort of like in grade school when there was an object and you had to have it in your hands to speak. I giggled to myself at one point imagining all these older, distinguished members of the community passing around a tennis ball for the rights to talk aloud.

I went to a play on Wednesday night with my classmates and tonight I'm baking cookies with Jacobo and then babysitting for a friend of the family who is paying me 30 euros for a few hours. Yesterday was Jesse's birthday and we celebrated with dinner, brownies, and friends, both Spanish and American. Tomorrow I'm going to El Rastro, a giant street market in Madrid that's very famous, I'll be sure to take pictures :) and tomorrow night I might be going to El Prado, the biggest and best art museum in Madrid. Monday is Bea's birthday and I have four tests next week... I have a feeling time might just start flying :) Things continue on back in the United States, I had sort of a slap in the face with this when I discovered a friend of the family had recently fallen ill. I guess things didn't just get put on hold when I left, the world does not, in fact, revolve around me :) I'm continuing to talk with the ones I love, this experience teaches you who you're real friends are, as they're the ones you miss, the ones you still seek out and don't feel guilty about halfway around the world... They're the ones that I appreciate an incredible amount for their support and encouragement. Thank you to all of you who read this and continue to ask for more. In some ways I'm glad that I don't update the blog every day because I truly can't-- I don't have the time. And that's pretty exciting :) November is the month to get through my friends, I'm lovin it.

Besos Amores Mios, Samantha Roma