I have it memorized like the back of my hand, and know every bump, turn, corner, advertisement, and building on my walk to and from the Plaza Mayor. I even know what random people I will see, since we walk by each other almost every day. I wonder sometimes, do they notice me too? Back to the point; I have done this walk in the sunshine, in the rain, snow, wind, sleet. I have walked it at 10 am going to class, speed walking so I won't be late; I have walked it at midnight, sometimes (but rarely) in heels, leaving to go out; and I have walked it at 6 am coming home from the fiestas, exhausted and finally ready to go to bed.
Yesterday, annoyed that I was running late, hungry, and just wishing I had a pair of rollerblades to speed home, I thought to myself: at the end of the year, how many times will I have done this walk, and how many miles have I logged? So I started calculating: let's say I walk to the Plaza Mayor, where my classes are, on average, 3 times a day (1=to the plaza and back home again). Once in the morning to go to class, again in the afternoon after lunch to go back to class, then again at night after dinner, to meet friends. 3x7=21. 21 times a week I do this walk. Well, I am here, in total, for 34 weeks. But let's subtract 6 weeks for all the time I spent traveling. 34-6=28. 28 weeks I'm here in Salamanca. 28x21= 588. By the end of the year, I will have walked my beloved sidewalk at least 588 times.
How far is that, distance wise? I wondered. Well, I google-mapped it, and it's 1.3 km, or .80 miles, one way. So there and back .80x2=1.6 miles. 1.6x588=940 miles. 940 MILES!!! Ok, ok, but that's in 34 weeks...that's a loooong time. On a given day, it equates to 4.8 miles. On average, just to get home and to go to class, I am walking almost 5 miles a day! And that doesn't include all the other walking I do to go to the library, to go to ISA, to the park, shopping...you catch my drift. I walk a lot.
What other numbers can I use to define my time living in Salamanca and in Europe?
When this semester is finished, I will have spent 240 days abroad, living 3,331 miles from home, and 4,904 miles from my school and most of my friends. I will have seen over 25 new cities, and visited 10 countries. I have taken over 10,000 photographs, and, as of today, have written 64 posts on my blog which has received 4,420 views. I have learned 1 new language, and took 9 classes at the university. Most importantly, though, I have made countless new friends and unforgettable memories.
I have 10 weeks to go until I return home, so I better make the most of it because it will be over before I know it!
***My DAD would like me to point out that when he came to visit, I wasn't exactly the most active person on Saturday & Sunday morning. He said, "don't BS me! On Saturday and Sunday, you did not walk 3x per day to/from the Plaza Mayor, unless your boyfriend was waiting for you!" Ok Dad, fair enough. It's true. I guess I'm kind of a slug on the weekends....so I'll rephrase it: maybe I don't walk 4.8 miles everyday, 7 days a row. But I like to think I make up for it by dancing!
Yesterday, annoyed that I was running late, hungry, and just wishing I had a pair of rollerblades to speed home, I thought to myself: at the end of the year, how many times will I have done this walk, and how many miles have I logged? So I started calculating: let's say I walk to the Plaza Mayor, where my classes are, on average, 3 times a day (1=to the plaza and back home again). Once in the morning to go to class, again in the afternoon after lunch to go back to class, then again at night after dinner, to meet friends. 3x7=21. 21 times a week I do this walk. Well, I am here, in total, for 34 weeks. But let's subtract 6 weeks for all the time I spent traveling. 34-6=28. 28 weeks I'm here in Salamanca. 28x21= 588. By the end of the year, I will have walked my beloved sidewalk at least 588 times.
How far is that, distance wise? I wondered. Well, I google-mapped it, and it's 1.3 km, or .80 miles, one way. So there and back .80x2=1.6 miles. 1.6x588=940 miles. 940 MILES!!! Ok, ok, but that's in 34 weeks...that's a loooong time. On a given day, it equates to 4.8 miles. On average, just to get home and to go to class, I am walking almost 5 miles a day! And that doesn't include all the other walking I do to go to the library, to go to ISA, to the park, shopping...you catch my drift. I walk a lot.
What other numbers can I use to define my time living in Salamanca and in Europe?
When this semester is finished, I will have spent 240 days abroad, living 3,331 miles from home, and 4,904 miles from my school and most of my friends. I will have seen over 25 new cities, and visited 10 countries. I have taken over 10,000 photographs, and, as of today, have written 64 posts on my blog which has received 4,420 views. I have learned 1 new language, and took 9 classes at the university. Most importantly, though, I have made countless new friends and unforgettable memories.
I have 10 weeks to go until I return home, so I better make the most of it because it will be over before I know it!
***My DAD would like me to point out that when he came to visit, I wasn't exactly the most active person on Saturday & Sunday morning. He said, "don't BS me! On Saturday and Sunday, you did not walk 3x per day to/from the Plaza Mayor, unless your boyfriend was waiting for you!" Ok Dad, fair enough. It's true. I guess I'm kind of a slug on the weekends....so I'll rephrase it: maybe I don't walk 4.8 miles everyday, 7 days a row. But I like to think I make up for it by dancing!
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