I have decided to use a different site to publish my blog. Since my last post, I officially became a “Classmate” Connecting Cultures with ISA (my study abroad program). It’s a fancy way of saying I will be blogging on their blog in conversation with Girls, Inc. I will give you the link to that blog once I receive it, but until then visit my new blog: victorialingonzalez.wordpress.com
Sorry for the confusion!
Grateful: Time with friends, half price margaritas, tissues, and warm hugs.
Anxious: I have a very strong feeling that I’m going to forget to pack something.
Excited: PC Retreat Sunday.
Two weeks.
For two weeks I have been visiting Jeremy in North Carolina, for the next two weeks I will be reminiscing with family and friends in preparation to depart, and in two weeks I will board a plane in route to Spain.
This blissful month and a half of anticipation and reunions is just the beginning of what I like to call my six month vacation. Now, I understand the concept of studying abroad is to study abroad. However, I plan to do much more than that. Duh.
I have been compiling a mental list of things I wish to accomplish in Spain. You can’t haz. I kid, I kid. My primary goal is to overwhelm my senses with invigorating goodness.
· Taste- I don’t know about you, but exciting my taste buds are the key to a good day. Whether it is my grandmother’s cheesy potatoes or a sweet – and often cheap – glass of wine, the substances I consume directly influence the type of day I have. For example, lots of Bojangles fried chicken leads to a lethargic mess complete with lounging on the couch while losing at Mario Kart. Fresh tacos at La Gloria with a cold margarita equates to a refreshed mind and good conversation. So, what is one of my top goals in Spain? To eat. I mean EAT!!! Everything and anything - well, anything prepared with the intent of being eaten. Fortunately, there are very few food products I will not eat (I cannot think of any right now). Good thing I did not make “getting back into shape” my new year’s resolution. Suckers.
· Hear- Why Spain? Well, it’s about time I learned Spanish. After years of memorizing vocabulario in Spanish classes it has become apparent that I am an excellent test taker. I possess the wonderful ability to make A’s in my Spanish classes without actually retaining any of the information. іQué pena!I figured the only way to truly learn is to immerse myself in a setting where I have to utilize the repressed skillz I know are in the back of my brain somewhere. Naïve much? Maybe, but Salamanca is known for “the most beautiful Spanish in the world.” We’ll see. So the goal is to listen (shocker!). Listen to the words as they are pronounced, listen to the tone of voice used to portray emotion, listen to the music in las discotecas, listen to sounds stirred up in the Plaza Mayor, and - most importantly- listen to myself. So much of this trip is about self-reflection and discovery. Like every other college student studying abroad I yearn to “find myself” and figure out who I am. I will, for the first time in my life, be living in a place outside of the San Antonio Metropolitan area for an extended amount of time. No more H-E-Bs (gasp) or drives down 281 for a while. I do not expect to wake up one day and have everything figured out or be able to speak like a native, but I feel Spain will be an integral part of my maturing process. Once again, we’ll see.
· Smell – I have inherited a keen sense of smell from my mother. You can ask any of my former roommates what it’s like living with someone who constantly proclaims, “My feet stink,” or “The room smells.” It’s an interesting concept you see. I plan to take in the smells I experience and save them for later to remind me of my vacation. What does walking down the street to la Universidad smell like? What smell lets me know mi paella is ready? How long can I go before I need to take a shower, nose? (joke!).
· Touch- la la la la touchy touchy la la la. This is what goes through my mind. You better believe I will have my hands on everything and anything. There are several things I have already decided I want to do: go to the neighborhood church, make friends with the natives, and write cheesy blogs. I want to touch figuratively and literally. As I leave my carbon footprint around a city inhabited by so many before me, I hope to touch others and be touched in return.
· Sight- I have just received a year’s supply of contacts and brand spanking new glasses so you better believe I am set to see the world!! (cue cheesy theme music: here.) I want to document all that I see, but I know sometimes the best sights are those seen with the heart. I have witnessed pure joy through the birth of a child, angst through a Tarheel loss, uncontrollable laughter from a friend welcoming their 21st birthday, and sadness through the unexpected passing of friend who did not see theirs. I’d like to say I have seen so much in the last year alone, but I know there is so much I have yet to observe. With my new fancy camera in stow I will be prepared to take more than enough pictures. You can expect lots of pictures. In fact, I will probably post more pictures than write. After all a picture is worth a thousand words, right? I promise to share with you images of my vacation and promise to describe the things that cannot be seen but simply felt.
Well, stay with me if you so please. I will try my best to keep this sucker updated all semester, but we know how that goes. Know that this blog is for a few special people (mom, dad, Brina Bear, and Jeremy) and will be directed toward them. This may or may not be entertaining to read. I hope to leave one thing I’m grateful for, one thing I’m excited about, and one thing I’m anxious about at the bottom of the blog in case you prefer to skip all of the cheesy details and get the Spark notes version.
Here’s to the remainder of the exciting six month vacation I have ahead of me. May it be filled with enlightened senses and, oh yeah, studying.
Grateful: The Thompson/Gerlach family for hosting me these past few weeks in North Carolina.
Anxious: I found out I do not have a roommate next semester. Eeek that means I am not guaranteed an automatic friend. Hopefully, I’ll be able to make some on my own.
Excited: Spending time with Brina Bear before I leave.
