Confession

Today was fantastic. Really wonderful…mostly for one reason. The weather was sunny and hot. It was AMAZING. It’s truly incredible what the sunny and warmth can do for someone’s mood. I feel so rejuvenated. *Insert giant smiley face, happy-full feeling here.*

Confession: If it weren’t for the fact that my family is in the US, I would probably stay here in Spain. I’m really thankful that I was born and raised in the US, but I love life here in Spain. When I’m here, I feel like I’m really *living* my life. I have time for friends, time for walks, time for exercise and cooking. Here I can go to different cities on the weekend that have way more personality and things to see than say…Monroe, Lake Stevens, Woodinville and the other cities immediately around my good ol’ hometown of Snohomish. I experience things that challenge me on a daily basis without feeling like more than I can handle…they always feel like they have a purpose, maybe because I’m constantly searching for it. I don’t feel stuck in the rat race that is the American employment system where your job largely defines who you are and you frequently have to sell your soul to the long work days. Of course, I realize studying abroad and then working 12 hours a week really isn’t what I would have to do to live here under normal circumstances…but still…it’s more than the job, which I think is the point. Life here is about more than your job. You work to live…you don’t live to work.

This is going to be one of my biggest re-adaptation problems when I get back home. My entire life I’ve made a habit of running around like a crazy person, filling my schedule to the brim and yet never having the time to really *enjoy* and soak up life. I hope I can find some way to bring this part of my Spanish life back with me.

A perfect day to watch futbol

Today was wonderful. I even had to get up at 7am on a weekend and it still was wonderful. Number one reason why: Sun and heat. Luis works as a soccer referee for the kids’ soccer games on the weekend. We thought he was working in La Puerta today, so the idea was that I would get up early, catch the bus with him and the kids, watch the soccer games, Ben and Eve could also come and watch some of them games when they woke up and then we could all have lunch together. I got up, got ready and we rushed down to Rincon de Maxi to have a coffee before we had to leave. It was there that Luis’ boss showed up and reminded him that we were actually going to Beas de Segura today, not La Puerta. Awwwww. We were trying to think of a way we could still stop in La Puerta and have lunch after the games but decided it just wasn’t going to happen today (buses are even more sporadic on Sundays). Even though I didn’t get to see Ben and Eve I was still so glad I went. I left the house wearing a tank top, turtleneck, sweater, polar fleece jacket, my Northface jacket and a scarf. I even thought to myself “I don’t think I brought enough” as I started walking towards Rincon de Maxi. It’s been super cold here all week. Well, I was wrong. The sun came out and it was gorgeous. Really, seriously, amazing. The longer I sat on the bleachers the more layers I shed. I finally made it down to the turtleneck and sweater and was still too hot but couldn’t shed anymore layers without a little indecent exposure. Every now and then Luis’ boss would come over to check on me, joke about the fact that I could sit there and tan and then he would head back to work. There were about 20 teams at the field. There were two games going on simultaneously from 9:30-2. The 10-12 year old team from Siles played first and won their game. The 8-10 year old team played last and it was an absolute massacre. The kids seemed excited and surprised that I got on the bus with them this morning and throughout the day a few of them came over to give me updates about how well they played, or just come chat a little. The kids also tease Luis mercilessly about being bald, and he’s a good sport about it. Luis’ nickname in the town is Luigi so usually jokes about “Where’s Mario?” come into play at some point. This is an interesting fact that I don’t think I’ve shared yet. Apparently most everyone here has a nickname. My guess is that so many people have the same or similar names that they create nicknames for each other to more easily distinguish people. I’ve asked but it seems I don’t have a nickname (or at least one people are willing to admit to me). I’ll let you know if I eventually get an apodo (nickname).