Well here I am, sitting within a week of leaving this beautiful, beautiful country. Moment of silence please.
I have not been so faithful posting, for which I apologize, but I've just been too busy soaking everything in!
If June was a month of acclimating myself to Spain and everything Spanish, then July has been a month not-so-much Spanish, but European. Confused? Allow me to explain.
In June, I lived with one other girl from my American University and our two host parents. I made a lot of Spanish friends, learned the language by leaps and bounds, and explored the customs of Spain as much as possible. Come July, I have become much more comfortable with the language, already have Spanish friends, and really feel like I'm living here. And due to my situations this month, the focus shifted to a broader, international experience. Which I love!
This month I've had a beautiful flatmate from Belgium, and another beautiful flatmate from Swizterland. Also, another girl from my university took the place of the previous one. So if you're doing the math, that adds up to two Spanish host parents with four 19-year-old girls. It's been SO fun! So I have spent many nights and weekends hanging out with them and the students from their language schools here in Valencia, where the common language is English and I always meet such a wide variety of people. The other night, we were sitting in a circle on the beach and I counted 12 countries present! All of sudden I know kids from every corner of Europe, including Czech Republic, Hungary, Russia, Poland, Turkey, Germany, Italy, France, UK, The Netherlands, and many more. I'm absolutely enamored by all the different cultures and backgrounds, but also the common bonds that everybody shares. And it floors me by how proficient everyone is in English, as it is everyone's second language (excepting me, the Australian, and the Brit, of course). This month has been great in reaffirming the international social science is the exact right major for me!
Besides meeting other students from all over the world, I've also been able to spend time with Spaniards this month, which really does wonders for my language ability. When I look back to my first week, I can't help but laugh. Then I was excited if I could hold a five minute conversation with my host parents. Now I can almost find a way to express anything I want to, though sometimes I still need the help of my lovely roommate Amanda. And when we watch the news everyday during la comida (lunch), I can understand so much more, provided that I put the energy of focusing in.
Now I have less than a week left here, and even though there are a few things I'm very excited to return to in the States (most especially AC!!), after having lived here 10 weeks, it is going to be immensely hard to say goodbye. But before that comes, I'm going to make the most of every moment I have left here!
Now it's time to go to the pool, as 90 degrees with no air conditioning and very little airflow can be a little insufferable. Also, I'd like to apologize for any incoherency that is all over this post - I'm not used to writing so much in
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