One Year Later...

Like most projects in my life, this blog has been condemned to a state of incompleteness. Maybe one day I'll give it another serious try...but for now, I'll just use it once more to reminisce.

Just over a year ago, I stepped off an airplane into the biggest adventure of my life: Spain. I spent four glorious months exploring Spain, attending Universidad de Alcalá, living with a Spanish family, eating churros con chocolate and shawarmas, learning to love the other 10 wonderful girls in our group, and becoming all sorts of cultured. It was the best time of my life, and a dream come true. I cannot believe it has already been a year...

I feel so blessed to have been able to make this journey and have all of these experiences. I am so grateful for my parents and all their help and support that made this possible. I am grateful for my amazing director, Landes, and his beautiful family--they became a second family and were so good to all of us wild, hormonal girls. We were so lucky to have Landes--he was honestly the best director. He was just as happy and excited to be there as we were, and had so much knowledge and wisdom to share with us. He especially loved showing us "the best examples of Romanesque architecture" :)

Blanca Vera Flores will forever hold a special place in my heart. She is truly a remarkable soul. I loved hearing all of her stories, pieces of wisdom, and laughter. She spoiled me and Katie--2 meals of delicious food per day, doing our laundry, even folding our underwear...:) It is so funny to think back on the first night I met her, speaking in broken Spanish and understanding nothing (exhaustion and shock will do that to you), compared to our last few weeks with her, when we could have complete conversations and share jokes. I miss the time spent with her, watching "Vuélveme Loca" on TV, her scolding me for going outside with damp hair, watching her play with her granddaughter, teaching me to make tortilla de patata, the list goes on and on. I love you Blanca!

Oh dearest Katí. I don't know what I would have done without you. We probably felt every emotion under the sun towards one another...there were times when we were pretty grumpy (always from lack of food--after a good meal, we were back to being best friends :)) with each other. Of course, we laugh and joke about that now. Other than a handful of times, we got along perfectly. She was a wonderful roommate and traveling companion, and we had some really amazing experiences together. Lots of laughter (we are easily amused). And Rebuenos. :) I love all of our inside jokes we share from España. Thanks for sticking it out with me, Kate. You are the absolute best, and I love you para siempre.

 Meredít, Riley, Megan Niña, Hayley (said with lots of phlegm), Angela, Nikki, Adri, Rrrrebecca, y Haley: Todos ustedes son fenomenal. Thank you for all of the great times we shared together. I love you all. We will always have Spain...:)
Also..."es como un cárcel, pero mas mejor...para los niños edades 12-18..." Good times, amigas, good times.

Spain was the most incredible time of my life. It is so difficult to explain exactly how amazing those months were in just a few sentences...when people ask about it, I never feel like I give it justice. But it truly was the best experience of my life thus far. I cherish all of the memories, the good friends, and personal growth and enlightenment that occurred during those four months. It was sheer bliss, and sometimes I still think it was all a dream.
¡Viva España!