Today marks it! One week until I’m on a plane for lots of hours and getting ready to surprise my puppy. I had a moment last night, of break down or panic, and was reminded that there doesn’t have to be any huge epiphanies with travel or experiences like this, and also, that I’ve grown a lot. I’ve learned a lot about taking care of myself and about myself in general, and also that during this entire trip since I was in London, I’ve just been wanting to share these experiences more with the people I love. I’m glad I’ve done this and seen new parts of the world, had my mind opened to new ideas and images, and I can do it by myself and keep up the positive, determined frame of mind even when things are challenging. I’ve learned that I really love travel, but I don’t always want to be doing it without people I love. This has been a beautiful, cool part of my life that I am extremely grateful for. And now, I am ready and excited for the next steps (minus saying goodbye to the wonderful few I have met here), and to be home pursuing the next great dream.
//Today I had class, literature, and it was one of the hardest. We got new material today and I did not understand a word of it for the two hours we read and discussed it, but I tried to keep up knowing I would study it later. Still, it made for a pretty frustrating class, and yet I was really happy to hear my professor teaching in Spanish. I realized how accustomed to that I’ve become and it almost made me sad to think about classes being taught in English. Sometimes, like today, I feel really behind and generally bad at Spanish, but I wouldn’t have changed that challenge for the world. I know my Spanish has gotten better, and honestly, it’s probably good for my growth as a person and as a future teacher to have classes where I’m struggling and don’t feel like I’m doing well.
After class, I went for a run in “el barrio del oeste” again, the neighborhood I posted about yesterday. That’s where today’s picture came from. I didn’t see it yesterday, but it captures my personal themes pretty well. My run was fantastic and felt so good, and that neighborhood is absolutely the perfect place for it. I only stopped early because my ankles were hurting from not having run in so long and I didn’t want to go too hard too fast. Although, my only plans for this weekend are to workout and study because next week is finals week, or really, next Tuesday is finals day.
I have three tests back to back on Tuesday, so I can’t spread out my studying like I normally do. On top of that, it’s really intense studying for all of these exams, so I might not have many stories to add in the next few days. Who knows! Tomorrow my host mom is taking my roommate and I to a restaurant she really loves for lunch. Tonight I realized how sad I’m going to be not being around her intense, dramatic, and completely lovable self. She is a gem, and today she gave us three of my favorite meals: paella, lasagna, and an omelette.
After my run, I really did nothing else but study, eat, and rest. I’m gearing up for a weekend full of that. Now I’m going to rest so I can keep it up tomorrow!
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