Liberation

A couple weeks ago, I started to get restless and bored.  I had been traveling quite a bit, but I was feeling quite anxious for the next 6 months, when I wouldn't be able to afford to travel like I had been first semester.  During the week, I wake up, walk to class, go to the library, walk home, go to class, etc. I had a routine. Routine is good...but I felt like I wasn't seeing any new parts of Salamanca, other than when I went running.  And once you get into a routine, it's hard to break it! My challenge was to make Salamanca feel like home and to get to know the city better.

So I decided to buy a bike! For 50 euros off of eBay, I was able (with the help of Roberto at ISA) to buy a used, all-purpose, blue painted bicycle.   And what freedom it has given me.  My first day, I biked all around Salamanca; it was like seeing the city through a completely different lens.  No longer did my 15 minute walk to class feel like a long trek; on my bike, it took only three minutes to cruise to class.  Last week, I biked along the river and found a big, beautiful park full of windy paths and green grass, where I proceeded to find a bench and crochet for an hour.  Yesterday, I explored the other side of the river and found a track where I could do a track workout.  And most days I simply use my bike to get to class or to run errands, when I don't feel like walking.

Already, I have seen new parts of Salamanca I otherwise would have never seen. On days when I don't want to run, instead I take a long bike ride. I never realized that a bike could provide such freedom; without access to a car here, it is easy to feel trapped.  But with my new bici (as they say in Spanish), this place is finally starting to feel like home.