Day Thirty Five: Even When It’s Hard, It’s Right

After I posted my blog post last night, I wrote down another thought:

There is nothing like being in another country. Other cultures are incredible and it’s fascinating to learn about them, especially coming from a country so new and without many traditions. I love it so much, and I want to keep learning. I can’t imagine stopping, and I really don’t want to. I have never felt more comfortable and right than I do now. It’s deeper than happiness; it’s contentment and rightness and feeling genuinely that whether it’s a good or a bad day, I am where my soul wants me to be. Nothing compares to that. I want to keep traveling for the rest of my life.

And it’s true. This new feeling I’m experiencing of wholeness doesn’t really come from Salamanca specifically or finding my dream city, but just from exploring in general, from getting out of my comfort zone and actively pursuing new things, and from learning about so many different cultures and ways of living. Whether it’s a good or a bad day, there is no where else I would rather be or feel like I should be.

Today was a bad day. I had to go back to the doctor when I wanted to sleep, get more medicine, and then I had a negative experience volunteering at the English school. On my way home from that I got lost when I did not want to be lost, and then I went home and wasted tons of time watching Netflix and YouTube. I realize that my attitude is actually what made today bad, and it had very little to do with my circumstances. I asked for a change at the English school, I have medicine that should actually help now, and I still found some cool things and learned my way around more when I got lost. I shouldn’t have binge-watched Netflix, but I did go out after dinner with a few friends to a new bar and had a really nice time just sitting and talking. My roommate and I are going to make more of an effort to be active and involved and we have things planned every day from now through the weekend, so that should be nice. But even with today when I basically cried of frustration, I know what I wrote last night was still true. Today was hard, but the hard days are good too. They’re challenging. They’re also a good chance to push me farther and test how I handle them. I’m glad that I went out tonight because it was nice and helped cheer me up. And above all, I’m glad I’m here and experiencing this amazing opportunity. It’s weird, but at the end of this crazy, difficult day, I’m just really thankful.