New Home

One of the best and reassuring feelings of your new/temporary home is when you come back from a trip, and upon reaching your new home after a weekend away or even a day away, hitting your bed in your new room gives you a feeling of "i'm home". It doesn't matter if Cartagena has only been my home for a week or a month or a year, that feeling reassures that this is where I'm suppose to be. My new bed, room, piso, it feels right. 

Homesickness from my experience comes in waves. Some days you wake up excited and ready to take the day on, other days you want to hide in your room reminiscing over memories that seem forever ago.  I wonder if my brother is experiencing homesickness being away at college, but he'll be home in a month for Thanksgiving. Anyway,

"It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change." -Charles Darwin

I tried remembering that quote last night, got most of it. CHANGE, who can't get used to such an inevitable thing? I think it's better said that some cope with it better than others, yet we are all constantly changing as are our surroundings and the world as a whole. Keeps life interesting. 

I've been trying to make time to write in my personal journal, but it's difficult if you don't have the urge to. Just have to wait for that push. Life has been busy, still trying to get into a routine here. In order for a new home to feel like a new home, you must get involved. Jobs and school are great, but something more. Sports, clubs, hobbies. Easier said than done huh. It's so easy to just lay around. Tonight and every Monday night there will be free salsa classes, which I definitely will go to. Planning to join a gym, or at least a boxing class. Because here unfortunately, you can't join a gym with classes included. So I think I will just do the classes. But the people working the front desk of the gym don't really pay attention, so I think I could just walk in. Either that or use the gym before/after the boxing class. I though of taking up Zumba again, but I figured all the walking i'm doing is enough plus the dancing on the weekends. Because unlike Arcata/Humboldt County, dance clubs are not a difficult thing to find here in Spain.

I need to start cooking again as well. As stereotypical as it is for a woman to cook, for me it's kind of rewarding and meditative. It's exciting! Especially since you get to eat it afterwards! I have Pinterest pulled up right now. It's difficult though, coming back from 12 hour days and thinking about cooking. Especially when there's so many delicious tapas floating around every corner. One day after work I stopped at a place that looked good and sat drank a caña and ate some tapas. Walking home was beautiful because the entire sky was pink from the sunset and the people were going about their lives, kids playing in the streets, old couples enjoying an evening walk. People live for the night in this country. 9pm bedtime? Forget it.

I must admit I've gotten subtle feelings of homesickness. Mostly thinking about the length of time I'll be here for, which is crazy. Although, I know it'll go by fast and before I know it I'll be on that plane back to the U.S. probably crying because I won't want to leave! It's also nice knowing I have 8 months to travel and live, so there is no rush to do everything all at once. Already went to visit a small pueblo near here called Mazarron, next weekend possibly Almeria in Andalucia, and the next weekend Valencia! So actually I am traveling a bit...but afterwards I will not so I can save money and enjoy the city I'm living in!

Work Begins...

(Roughly around 5:00pm)

Just got done with a tutoring session right after getting out of work at 2pm, luckily one of my teachers drove me. This second program Nanny Speaking is pretty unorganized as well, just like the Auxiliares. Pero “no pasa na”. I have half an hour to kill before I’m picked up by the dad of my next tutor session. They live on the other side of Cartagena so I thought it would be best to get a ride the first day. I also don’t know how I’m going to commute from here to there within an hour by bus. On a lighter note, I found my new favorite pastry shop! Of course it won’t beet La Mallorquina (I think it’s called) in Madrid, but it will have to do! Snacking on a ham and cheese croissant a couple tiny cookies that were ok. Healthy living!

Tuesdays and Wednesdays are definitely my long days. Going out to El Algar from 9am to 2pm and coming back to do two tutor sessions each day. Luckily tomorrow after working from 8am-11am in La Union I’ll come back to rest until 4pm when I have another tutor session.  But if I weren’t working I’d probably just be bumming it out on my couch or something. Trying to make/save money while I’m here! Tomorrow I have my first day at the high school, which here goes until the age 16 then they enter a two year program that’s directed towards pre-college studies I think. I believe it’s a recent change here in Spain.

The two girls I had were really great, well behaved, and the two hours went by stress-free. I’ve only met with one other family and they had a 3 year old boy who I think may be too young to sit for 2 hours straight, his sister in 1^st grade was great though. My other two families canceled yesterday, one of which I wasn’t notified until after I had walked over there. The program was suppose to notify me but didn’t. Oh well, got to see more of my new city! It’s bigger than I thought which I like.

Tomorrow is my birthday, second birthday celebration in Spain. Pretty crazy to think of it from that perspective. We’ll have some people over for drinks/food then head out for the night. But not too late for me because I have class at 10am Friday morning…unfortunately.  

(Later at 9pm)

Well the tutor session I just got out of was with two 4 year olds that aren't really friends but their parents set them up for the same time as me. At first it was awkward, because the parents are staring at you expecting to be some magical being and the kids are in the other corner terrified of you haha, all you can do is laugh really. Eventually I picked up the action figures and began making the best sound effects I could. It worked! 

I'm back on my long schedules, tuesdays and wednesdays are the longest. From 8am to 8pm. And people are still trying to get me to do tutoring gigs. But I like being busy. Just like the last two semesters of college, which probably added to how fast time flew by. It's still hot here, but at night time it's beginning to get chilly, just might have to put on a sweater!  

1 Week In

Sorry the title isn't more creative. Been here for about a week, two nights in Madrid which were basically just a blur due to jet lag, and the rest here in Cartagena. While in Madrid me and my mom had plans to do all this stuff one day, and ended up sleeping until 5pm. Gives you a crazy feeling when you wake up like that and think "oh it must be no later than 11am or something", then BOOM! All your plans are gone and you're just sitting on your bed wondering what you should do.  Well anyway we go back this weekend to take her to the airport so I'll be able to squeeze in El Parque del Retiro and El Botin.

Cartagena is nice, warm and humid, but not unbearably so. The fact that it's right on the coast allows the ocean breeze to come into the city which without, I would die. The main city Murcia about a 45 minute bus ride inland is super hot. Glad I'm not living there!  All my roommates are great, one is from France who is doing the same program as me, another is from Canada who is here studying and her first language is french but speaks good English, and the last girl is from a small pueblo near here, studying also at the university.

Friday we have our big orientation (about time), and instead of starting this week for my two main jobs, i'll be starting next week (figures).  The Spanish lifestyle is very stress-free in the sense that people tend to wait until the last minute then say "no pasa nada" and know that in time everything will work out in the end. Which as you can imagine, drives people who are not use to that lifestyle, crazy. For me I figure, whenever they want me to work, i'll work. No rush. Still getting adjusted to this city and lifestyle, plus my Mom is still here, so more time to spend with her!  We went to La Manga yesterday, but I think the wrong part, because there was a total of 8 other people there. Across the small bay of water we saw the real La Manga with sky scrapper buildings build along the coast. So tomorrow we will go there. Our mistake was taking the FEVE train instead of the Alsa bus, dropping you off in two completely different areas. We ended up in the smaller pueblo Los Nietos, which is right next to La Manga.

Today will be a bunch of chores, opening a bank account, making copies for Friday's orientation, etc. My Mom is trying to find an asian market here, which is difficult because it's a smaller city. But my roommate who loves to cook (she's made crepes and sushi within the past couple days!) told us of a Carrefour a few blocks away that has fish sauce, glass noodles, so my Mom of course is set on going today. She wants to make some Thai food for my roommates. Today I also actually have my first private tutor session with an 11 year old girl. Meeting here mom a few blocks down the street then we'll walk to their piso. She is a friend of one of my teachers. Should be fun!

Oh, also I woke up this morning with a stuffy nose and swore throat...great. I had heard a bunch of the people I was partying with say they started to feel sick, so I figured it would catch up to me. There's nothing worse than being sick in a country you're still trying to get use to. At least I have my Mommy! And it could be worse. Like when I went to Los Banos with a high fever the entire weekend and still did all the activities, rafting, horse back riding, but I survived!

I've taken photos, but haven't had the time to upload them.

Time to go drink some tea to sooth my throat :)