Just a little update...

I hope everyone had a safe and fun Saint Patrick's Day.  A lot of my friends are in Ireland this weekend celebrating the holiday and even the Salmantinos have taken up the tradition.  Last night, the main facade of the Plaza was lit up with green lights instead of the standard golden hue.  Unfortunately, I didn't get to see it in person as I was in bed most of yesterday with a headache...something that has become much too common for my liking.  But I am feeling a lot better today.  I just got back from our local flea market, el Rastro.  My friend Alex and I walked to the outskirts of the city in search of cheap scarves, shoes, and tights.  Luck was on our side today.  I found a cute pair of shoes and Alex found knock-off Ray-Ban sunglasses.  You really have to be in the mood to go to the flea market...digging through the clothes, people yelling constantly, price-haggling in multiple languages.  I have a couple of Skype dates set up for this afternoon so until then I am just going to finish this blog post, eat lunch, and study a little bit.  I have two midterms on Tuesday:  Grammar and Translation.  I'm not overly nervous for them but it's nice that we have tomorrow off so I can study more.  Tomorrow is Father's Day in Spain so I would like to wish my dad, "Feliz Día del Padre."  On Friday, I will be on my way to Portugal with my program.  I am so excited for this trip and I can't believe it's already here.  We will be stopping in a lot of cities and smaller towns on the way to the capital, Lisbon.  I've heard that Portugal is a beautiful country.  I'll post pictures and an updated blog when we get back.  This past week, I have been working on a contribution for our Spring 2012 memory book.  I will probably submit it to the AIFS website as well, like I did last semester.  What follows is just the rough draft but let me know what you think!  Besos.

La Plaza Mayor.  El Puente Romano.  La Catedral Nueva y La Catedral Vieja.  La Universidad de Salamanca.  La Clerecía.  El Huerto de Calixto y Melibea.  El Río Tormes.  La Chupitería.  You can be sure that all of these places will be highlighted in your travel books.  Yes, even the local chupitos bar.  But there is so much more to this city.  It is a place full of life and full of peace.  What you find depends on what you’re looking for.  If you want to study in a great university, you can.  If you want to go out every weekend, or every night for that matter, you can.  If you want to learn Spanish, believe me, you will.  If you want a quiet spot to think, you will find that too. 

I have been fortunate enough to have almost eight full months in this beautiful place.  At the beginning, last September, everything in Salamanca was new and exciting.  Every single day presented a new adventure to take on, a new place to discover, and a new ice cream flavor to try.  Now, as I near the end of this life-changing experience, things have become comfortable and normal.  I have done everything you should do in Salamanca, I have found my favorite spots, and I have tried nearly every flavor of ice cream at Café Novelty.  This blooming metropolis has become more than just a tourist destination for me.  It feels like home.  I enjoy finding the hidden cafés with the best coffee.  I would rather stroll along the river where there are less people.  I love to sit on top of the wall in my favorite park and watch the city below.  It still takes my breath away…just how beautiful it is here.

Even more than the beauty of the city, I know I will miss the people I have met here.  During the fall semester, I met some of my closest friends.  I feel like I will always identify more with my first semester in Spain…all of us started this insane adventure together.  But the people I have met this spring remind me of how important it is to look at things with fresh eyes.  And for that, I am extremely grateful.  The new friends I have made encourage me to rediscover the beauty of Salamanca that I sometimes take for granted.  I have an incredible support system here that includes my friends, both International and American, our program directors, and my Spanish host family.  It is amazing to me that my host parents open their home to students semester after semester.  It must get exhausting.  But this family has given me so many things:  an opportunity to learn Spanish in the most effective way possible, delicious food, comforting words when I need them most, and a home away from home.  That last one, a home, is invaluable to me.  It was hard for me to leave the States and my folks.  I had never done anything like this in my life.  Heck, I had never left the country.  I am incredibly close to my parents and I know that for them as well, it is comforting to know that I live with such wonderful people.          

There is no way to know how it will feel to leave.  Honestly, I’d rather not think about it.  Last semester, I was excited to go home and see my family because I knew that I would be coming back in a few short weeks.  Everything will be different this time.  But I know that someday I will come back to Spain.  Who knows…maybe I’ll bike the Northern route of the Camino de Santiago de Compostela in the future.  For now, I want to take advantage of every moment I have here.  I owe this place so much.  Who I am now is a direct result of the experiences I’ve had, the people I’ve met, and the love I’ve found for Salamanca.  It’s a rare joy to have the opportunity to study abroad.  It was a decision that, to this day, I’m shocked I had the guts to make.  But here I am...and here a part of me will always be.  Ten fe en ti.