la ultima semana

Enjoying warm, summer-like evenings in the Plaza mayor

Finally, the rain stopped, the temperatures rose, and Salamanca came back to life.  This past weekend, my last weekend in Salamanca, was unforgettable.  Outside each afternoon enjoying the warmth and presence of the crowds, I never wanted it to end.  Despite the annoying book fair that has been set up in the middle of the Plaza, taking away from the beauty of the open space, the concerts and small festivals that were put on over the weekend were surprisingly fun to stop and listen to.

"I should be studying" was my motto all weekend...but no regrets, because I have confidence things will be okay.  When push comes to shove, I can study. Vale, vale.

I have LESS THAN A WEEK (dios mio estoy!) to enjoy Salamanca and to wrap things up. There is a tour I want to take, a couple photographs I want to make, a couple interviews to finish, and goodbyes to be said.  Then it's off to Vermont, the homeland. Which I am getting QUITE excited for!  The feelings of missing Salamanca, my friends, etc. I think will be pushed out of mind for a while as I readjust and move forward.  Or at least I hope so.

On a side note: Currently, I am working on a short documentary film about students reflections on study abroad and living in Salamanca.  After I am finished with finals and packing, I hope to finish it and publish it here, to share with everyone about why this experience is so awesome *(not just according to me).

PS: Happy Mother's Day momma guz!

if you are reading this...

If you are reading this, chances are you’re interested in studying abroad.  I am not here to preach why study abroad is ‘life changing,’ to convince you why it is ‘totally awesome,’ and to explain how much fun I had living abroad.  Chances are, if you’re reading this, we already have enough in common: we are seeking adventure, and we like to push the limits.   This year, I am studying abroad for two semesters in Salamanca, Spain.  It has been the best decision I have ever made, and the hardest choice I could have made. I will start by saying: it has not always the fantasy I thought it would be...

click here to read the rest of an essay I wrote for DU's study abroad blog about my decision making process to stay abroad for a year.

the farewell dinner

I'm a just a few finals, a couple suitcases needed to be packed, a whole bunch of goodbyes, and a final bus ride to Madrid from ending this chapter in my life.  The Time Has Come, my friends, the time has come.  And I cannot believe it. I cannot believe that I only have one more Saturday night out with my friends,  one last Sunday afternoon to be spent by the river, and (finally!) one more 9 am Monday morning class. It is only hitting me now that when Jen's boyfriend comes to visit in 2 and a half weeks from Scotland, I'll be long gone. This place will all just be un sueño, a dream.  That life will go on in Salamanca without me...how strange  !

Last night was the "Farewell Dinner" with ISA, the program I came here with.  We ate in a nice restaurant where Spanish food was served, and where I proceeded to eat way too many croquetas as I thought about how time is running out.  I left feeling uneasy and apprehensive, not wanting to deal yet with the transition of going back home.  But as I walked around with my friend Somer, who has also been here for the year, I realized that, perhaps: my time has come.

We have seen so many students and friends come and go. We have made so many friends and said many goodbyes.  And we realized this: Salamanca is the first of many places we will fall in love with and call home.  I know there is no way I could possibly stay here forever, and it will always, always be hard to say goodbye.  But we will always have the memories and the friendships.  So this weekend, I am going to focus on living in the moment, enjoying mis "ultimas dias" here in España, and taking none of it for granted.

I am off to study for finals (ugh!), wish me luck!

the place where I intend on spending my weekend, el rio 

The Old Man and the Apartment

6 months ago I had incredible anxiety about deciding to stay in Salamanca for the year.  Now, with a little over a week to go before I depart, I am incredibly anxious to go back home.

Sometimes I wonder: what will it feel like to be back in Vermont, to drive down the highway, listening to my ipod, hearing songs that remind me of Spain?  Will I be sad because it is behind me, or happy for the memories?   Okay, obviously I am beyond excited to see my family again. I mean, we haven't been together in Vermont since June of last year!  What I am most excited for:

1. To eat a meal together as a family. And to drink fresh milk
2. To sleep in my own bed, in my own room
3. To walk my dog and see my neighborhood again
4. To get a whole wheat bagel with cream cheese from the Bagel Market. YUM.
5. To drive in the Vermont countryside

But is is moments like THIS that I am going to miss, that I hope I never forget:

Dusk is settling as I walk home for dinner.  Though I have only been in Salamanca for a few weeks, it already feels as though I know this city well.  I have walked around the pond with the ducks, past the apartment complex with the old Franco symbols, and after the next corner and beyond the bridge is the entrance to my flat.  As I pass the bus stop, a flicker from above catches my eye.  I look up to see warm, golden light spilling out of a second story apartment window, illuminating the chilly October sky.  

Walking closer, I can see that decorations cover the interior walls.  "That's strange," I think, because my Spanish family keeps their walls white and stark, making for a very clean, very organized apartment.  Because that is all I know, I figured all Spanish homes were the same; predictably bare and boring.   From what I can see, old maps, certificates, paintings of landscapes, old portraits, and war metals clutter these walls. I can just barely make out a bookshelf and a fireplace against the opposite wall. But what grabs my attention is the outline of a man, sitting by the window in an armchair.  Is he listening to music, reading a book, having a conversation with somebody sitting across from him? I will never know, because it is just far enough away and so far up that I can only see the decorated walls and the outline of the chair.

I pause only briefly, because I need to hurry home for dinner, and it is getting chilly outside! Walking home, I would like to think that he must be an interesting old man with quite a story to tell.  With all that artwork and so many books, how could he be boring?  I have since walked down this sidewalk many times, and when I remember, I like to look up and find that 2nd floor window.  When the window is illuminated and when he is sitting there, it gives me a sense of peace and comfort.  I have left to travel,  I have gotten lost in so many cities, I have had adventures, I have met so many people, and I have had so much fun.  But whenever I return, I can always find him there, sitting, waiting, watching the world go by, and that makes me feel at home again.  That the simple things never change, that is when Salamanca felt like home.  

I will leave soon and say goodbye to this city, until, possibly...forever.  I'll go home, return to school and begin another chapter in my life.  He will never know who I was; I am just another person outside the window.  Yet when I recall memories of this place I have called home, I will always remember the old man in the apartment.