Hi all! With Thanksgiving around the corner, I want to take a moment to say how much I appreciate you all. I'm about to teach Thanksgiving for the second week in a row (I repeat classes every two weeks so I am with new kids every day until then), which involves a lot of discussion about what we're grateful for. This past week, every question I asked my students reminded me of my own answers. Here are a couple of the prompts, maybe some food for thought this holiday season!
What are you taking for granted that you should be grateful for? Besides a "Thank you", how do you show your thanks? What have you experienced lately that reminded you life is good?
I'm so happy that my other roommate Brandon finally moved in. He works in the
the wine business, is in his mid-20s, and has lived in Spain for the last 15 years (born in Bolivia). We already went to an awesome wine tasting with his bosses in Jumilla the first night he arrived! I didn't know what we were walking into when he asked if I wanted to join, and next thing you know we're sitting in a large banquet hall gargling wine with about 30 other people; being a wine town, the wine club of Jumilla is no joke! The restaurant was great too, serving us some delicious tapas. It kind of felt like finding a secret club...
The aftermath.
The next night my friend Annie came out with the two of us, and we finally got a taste of what Jumilla nightlife has to offer! Admittedly, very little. But to find that there are two "discotecas" in town rather than just one was a huge win for us! Saoko and Gold are the (only) two places to be on a weekend night in Jumilla! We had a great time getting to know each other, dancing, and bridging language gaps.
The next night Annie and I spent in Murcia, walking around and exploring new restaurants, including a fancy food hall and the most beautiful five guys I've ever seen. Overall a lovely weekend. Spending a night in the main city has become like
routine for Annie and me, as it's something we try to do most weekends. This past week flew by what with the private English lessons I'm giving, cooking, and playing soccer. The next thing I knew, I was heading back towards Murcia once again. But this time, I spent one night in Altorreal with Isabel and Oscar. We had the best time, and it was great to go to the mall Nueva Condomina, eat some ramen, and binge-watch The Wheel of Time with them. Spending time with them has become extremely comforting and familiar, something I so appreciate being an ocean away from all of you!
The next day Annie joined me, and we met Cass, William, and an Argentinian friend they'd made from a hiking Facebook group to go on a hike. As the bus took us further and further out of the city, things got rural pretty quickly. Unfortunately, the trail to the giant statue of Christ was closed, but the lack of No Trespassing signs was encouraging to us. We scrambled our way across unmarked rocks, and once we were tired out we headed back to the main city for a siesta. We then all met up for Indian food, tried some new bars, and went to bed. Annie and I went to an awesome ramen place the next morning before taking our bus home!
Now that I've been here a little over a month, I am feeling more adjusted to my schedule. It's funny that even though I haven't been here for long, it feels way different than just studying abroad. While living in Seville, a decently sized city, for 4 months with a built-in study abroad community, it was hard to get homesick. Another major difference was knowing exactly what I was coming home to. As a junior in college, I knew the life in Boulder that I would be returning to. It feels so crazy that the safety net of college is no more, and that if I really wanted to, it would be easy to renew this program and live in Spain for another year. There is no certain future for me, but I am so grateful for all my loved ones who help ease the anxiety of uncertainty. Who knows what the rest of my time here in Jumilla holds? What I do know is that I have loving friends and family across the Atlantic, and it's starting to feel like I have loving friends and family here in Spain, too.
...That being said, everyone come visit me!!