spain to me

June 12, 2017

spain to me

so I have been keeping a little note on my phone of things and experiences that are very Spain to me, or moments I have enjoyed or just little funny things. And I also want to write just a little about what I have been learning about myself and all that fun jazz. OK, intro done. {scroll below for photos}

my Spain songs:

The universe knew, so Ed wrote me a song.
Barcelona {even though now I don't think I
am going to make it to Barcelona :( }

Lady in Spain, Ingrid Michaelson

Spain's songs:

Despacito
Okay, so I adore this song, but now I am afraid to
listen to it on my own cause I don't want to end up
hating it because of how often it is played. haha

common phrases:

"Vale"

I have never heard the a single word more in my

entire life than I have heard the word "vale" in the past

month. When people are explaining things, validating

things, questioning, agreeing, etc. It is used in every

instance.

"Que tal"

To this day, I still don't know how to react to "que tal."

For some reason its significance doesn't equate in my head, so

every time I just freeze and stare at them

until I remind myself to just say "bien"

"No pasa nada"

Haha this phrase is kind of like "sí Dios quiere" on the

level of irritating.. haha, well I guess it depends on how

it is used. When it is used as, "Oh don't worry about it,

it's not a big deal" type of thing, then it doesn't bother me.

BUT if it is used by the street venders trying to get me to stop

and look at their products by saying oh don't worry, nothing's

going to happen, just come look at my stuff, then it's irritating.

what I have learned:

First and foremost, life's just life.

I kept thinking that it would be this life altering something, or that it would be really hard, or something, but no. Life is just life. I am having so much fun! Every day is incredible, truly, but that's only because I have decided to make it that way. Poor can be fun, blowing through all your money can be fun, planning trips can be fun, taking trips can be fun, staying in and watching movies can be fun, and even burning to death inside your apartment at 3:30 can be fun ;). But if you decide to stress and worry about money or time or experiences missed here or at home, miserable-ness will follow.

Sí o sí.

I have been having so many wonderful experiences and am learning a lot about myself and who I want to be. I am drawing closer and closer to teaching. And I don't know/think it will be in a university setting, but maybe. I am learning the things that are really important to me. The things I miss, and the things that I am grateful to be away from.

Constant communication is really important to me. It has been such a blessing to still have my phone working so in any moment I can call or text m&d or my friends, but it has also been hard being 8-9 hours ahead of them all.

I love teaching, and I miss being with my student more than I know how to say. I miss being ridiculous to make them laugh or cheer up. I miss being in a role where I can help and inspire and push people to reach towards their potential.

It's easy to put gospel development to the back of my mind {even though it is a constant thought and conversation} and I don't even realize it until I open up my scriptures and don't remember where I was, or when I realize "this is the same prayer I said last night" and begin to express gratitude for the incredible life I have and the great experiences and people I get to know. Deep and personal prayer affects everything.

things I miss about Utah: seeing my friends whenever I want; that the weather cools down at night; summer nights in general ---up the canyon or just hanging out until late{that tired sunburnt eye feel where you smell like water and dirt but in a good way and there is also a hint of chlorine and sunscreen}; my dancers and working with them; tall people {hah}; Cafe Rio {sad, isn't it, while in Europe, food should be all I do}; my free Vasa pass; closeness to the mountains/canyon;

things I prefer in Spain: the metro that gets you everywhere without having to deal with dumb drivers/traffic!, the slower laid back feel for life ---punctuality is important, but 1 or 2 (or 5-10) minutes never killed anyone; the brain works better with a break, a snack, and caffeine; people walk really slow {which honestly takes some adjusting, but I think I adore it}; the cultural diversity ---maybe this is just because it is a tourist site as well, but I love hearing all kinds of languages everywhere I go, and I don't feel bad about speaking in whatever language I feel, whenever I want; the freedom to make decisions without the culture telling me if it's good or bad, (sino) I get to say based off of my life experiences; it is easier to get lost and find a park if I just want to go for a walk or listen to music; I love being around people who are SO different from me --I don't think I have ever experienced this-- I love listening to the things they complain about {that is really interesting} and their opinions and actually having an opinion that someone has never considered and being listened to when I talk --I'm not just someone on the back burner of life;