It's unfortunate that the only time people in Spain seem to talk about the United States is when tragedy or violence strikes and news becomes international. So all the talk these past few days has been about the bombing in Boston, poisoned letters sent to Obama and the senator, and explosion in Texas. If only you knew how crazy they think us Americans are...
My host family is planning to visit Philadelphia and then Idaho to visit their daughter next month, so we've been discussing their trip a lot.
Today, my host sister called me into the living room while she was watching tv and said "Look, another explosion in the United States." And even though the fire in Texas was an accident, it still raises questions, instills fear in people, and and weighs on our hearts to know that lives were lost.
At the conclusion of the news broadcast Maria said "I don't want to go to the U.S." Which Vicky and I laughed at but could sense some real truth and fear in her words...
In other news, things are going really well with my new host family but I'm getting really excited as summer inches near. Both of my host parents are really great people and I love having intelligent conversations with them about education, religion, health, and of course all the latest news in the U.S. They make wonderful parents and also give me a lot of freedom. I never feel pressured to meet their expectations to be someone that I'm not or "the exchange student they wish to have" like I felt while living with my other two host families this year. I can just be me here.
My spanish is also improving by leap and bounds. I've been practicing my writing more and friends have commented on my progress.
Two nights ago, at dinner, my host family asked me if I was bilingual before learning spanish. I said no. They thought that I picked up spanish so quickly because I'm used to speaking different languages and they complimented me by saying that I barely have an english accent when I speak. No one has ever told me that before and I almost couldn't believe it. I was so flattered and pleased to know that I've made progress here.
My spanish is still nowheres near perfect and I have many more mountains to climb before becoming fluent, but I don't feel stuck anymore. At a steady pace I'm continuing to learn.
In the mean time though, my english is not to be neglected. Looking back on my blogs from the beginning of the year, I've noticed that my writing doesn't read as well as it used to. Writing is something that I enjoy doing and I want to be good at it, which means I need to put in the work to improve.
Besides the "Days until calendar" that is in the double digits and slowly decreasing, I have a lot of other things on my mind that both add to my excitement and anxieties about coming home in June. My main concerns right now are about school work, what grades will transfer back to my high school, and whether or not I will have to take more summer classes in order to graduate on time with my class next year. I'm really not sure if this year abroad was worth it after seeing how much trouble I've caused myself and the extra time, money, and stress that has to be put into working out every bump in the road.
Seeing as our time is running out, Emma and I have also really been trying to enjoy our time together. I don't know when either of us will be able to visit each other in the coming years after we leave Spain.
The weather has been reaching into the high 70's lately and we're taking advantage of our location near the beach, just hanging out, and being together. I don't know if I would've been able to last the whole year without Emma and it's sure gunna be tough to say goodbye.
!!!71 DAYS PEOPLE!!!
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