The Moment Is Now

I haven't put much thought into this post, other than the thought that I have to post sooner or later, because it has been too long. I'm really working on just being here in the moment right now considering the days left compared the days that have already passed is like comparing a mouse to an elephant.

This is my life now, the joy and pain (literally) are part of it, are part of everything. I've been thinking to myself lately, doing a lot of reflecting on the journey that I have already traveled, and the truth is that I am going to come out of this a whole new person. It is as though I've magnified a little bit of everything and added a bit of glitter. I'm curious to see how my new self will fit into my old life.

I am sitting here writing with my entire body crying out in pain. I got my butt kicked today. We mixed dry lands and swimming together today and  it was like a mini biathlon. Oh and add in the 90 degree weather and you've got the perfect conditions. All there is left to do is get myself out of bed tomorrow morning and hit the pool before school. Nothing new, just part of my Spanish life. I will definitely be taking away a different sort of experience and vocabulary than the rest of the other exchange students. Unique.

Next week is Semana Santa!

A Way Of Life

I can't imagine myself going home right now. I feel like I'm making my own little life for myself here: the daily routine, the friends and the family. It's been a challenge for me to open up to people here because I know that I'm going to be leaving, yet these past few weeks I've begun just letting myself be me. And the truth is that everyone is here for me, and I know that I've made a big enough impact on people that they will be just as affected when I leave as I will be.

Our school... or more our class is going to Berlin, Germany for their end of the year trip and I opted out. One due to the money factor, but also for the opportunity to go to Italy with my swim team. (WOW! I just said MY swim team) something is changing in me. Anyway, on my birthday eve, I found out that I was chosen as one of the 5 girls to go! It was quite the wonderful birthday surprise. So instead of taking the SAT's on May 7th I will now be swimming in another country...not that I'm not doing that already. Just goes to show how straight my priorities are for the future.

So Friday for school we went into Seville with our class for an excursion to the scientific parliament for kids. Defiantly wouldn't say it was the best trip, but it was interesting. When it was time to head back to school Ana headed off to Madrid with her parents for a swim meet, and I had this feeling in my stomach that took me off guard. I didn't want Ana to leave, I didn't want her to go to Madrid for the weekend. Of course this feeling was gone by the time I got home, but it surprised me because I hadn't realized that I had formed those kinds of feelings for her.

Birthday Girl

We celebrated 3 birthdays in 1

 

The chocolate chip cookies were quite the hit

 

 

Championship meet in Cadiz

 

A little swim team love

I wanted to put a slideshow up but it's not letting me so I will keep trying and next post I will put up some videos.
until next time...

A Spanish Birthday

I rang in 17 the Spanish way this year. Many embarrassing moments with people singing "happy birthday" just to me! Being a twin, I've always wondered what it would be like not to share the birthday song, however after yesterday I am more than content to share it with my sister.
I kicked off my day with French class and getting a 2.7 on my test! I ended school with a biology presentation which my teacher thought I did super great in, however I thought the opposite because I read basically everything off the paper. Which means only one thing, I'm upping my expectations for myself in Spanish school, uh oh.
To swim practice I brought a huge batch of chocolate chip cookies, which were gone within minutes, and my birthday gift was a balloon pink panther.

 

 

                       This seems to sum up the team <3

Yesterday didn't really feel like my birthday, because none of the things that usually happen on my birthday happened. However one thing was the same... I opened gifts with my family. Okay that might be a stretch, I talked to my family when my sister opened her gifts and we sang to each other. It is strange celebrating my birthday all by myself.
Today is my host sister's birthday. The truth is that if there is anyone who would have to be my other twin in a different country I would want it to be her. We are having a party tomorrow, so more pictures will be on the way.

Thank you for all the Birthday Wishes

Summer Time

I know that yesterday was the first day of Spring, however it felt like the middle of summer. My brain is lagging a little behind this one considering I'm still wondering where winter is. It's as if we just had three months of November and now were skipping ahead to July. I guess that's what I get for living in Maine...the state with ALL four seasons.

This past weekend we had our championship swim meet in Cadiz. Unfortunetly, all of the sight seeing I got to do was the inside of the pool and the bus ride to and from the hotel. Although what I did see was quite beautiful...I got to see the ocean!
The team got first over all:

                                           Our team captains

This is the first time in the teams existance that they have won the winter championship, so everyone was pretty pumped.
Our relay team for the 4x50 free relay placed 3rd which was super exciting for everyone because that was the first time that their girls relay had placed in over 5 years.

                Our 3rd placing relay along with the 1st and 2nd place finishers

I have to say that is meet really made me realize what I've become a part of, also meaning what I am going to have to leave.

                                                        My group!

Chocolate Chips

Me being the very untalented and unmotivated cook that I am, took a crack at chocolate chip cookies on Sunday, which to say the least turned out to be VERY yummy. Everyone who tried them thought so too... probably due to the fact that I thought it better not to mention that they were made with a cup of butter.

                                              Elizabeth my American buddy.



Today in philosophy (which I still do not understand), we had a debate about nature and culture and their interrelation, which to tell you the truth I did not understand at all. Of course it being a room full of teenagers and a safe area to express our true feelings, the debate went off topic and became a debate about cultures. I think this stuff is quite interesting so I was bummed that I had very little of an idea of what was going on. However, what I was able to decipher was that one kid had a totally different opinion than the rest of the class, so everything got a bit more heated which really made me disappointed that I couldn't understand.

Oh the language barrier, I just keep telling myself it's all part of the experience and it works for everything...literally.

As The Days March On

This post has been long over due, considering it's been well over a week and you all deserve a decent update. Well...
Nothing too exciting has happened, yet spring is on the way which means we are already in March, and to tell you the truth that makes me a little bit nervous. I don't know where all the days are going, but they just seem to be floating away into the never ending sky. Also March is when my birthday is and this is going to be the first year that I am going to be sung "happy birthday" to alone. Being a twin I always get to share the song and not just sit there awkwardly while everyone sings at me, however this year, I guess I will get to find out what all the fuss is about being a "single" person.

Nothing too exciting has happened this month. School is going well, at the moment I think I am passing a majority of my classes which is something to be proud of considering I'm taking all the same tests as my classmates. Sometimes I fall flat on my face, like today with a Biology test. I wasn't super duper prepared yet it wasn't like I went into the test cold turkey, however when the test was placed on my desk it kind of felt like I had. Oh the joys of Spanish school.

We have a championship meet coming up next weekend so we are starting to taper down, which is nice because we get to do short race stuff, but then the coach puts up 3000meters of nothing productive. Such a great way to pass 2 hours of your life.
I've been out (that is to say I've been kicking) with an injury for over a month now, tendinitis in my shoulders to be exact. The tendinitis is now gone, but my shoulders still hurt and the physical therapists for the team have come to the conclusion that my diaphragm is blocked from behind which is pulling on my back mussels and the the mussels under my ribcage which in turn are pulling on my shoulders and neck. I feel as though I'm falling apart and having to piece it all together from Spanish to English doesn't exactly help my understanding of what is truly wrong with me. Oh well, I still get to race next weekend and I guess at the moment that all that really counts. 

Welcome March... and the rain

Día de Andalucía

 

 

On the 28th of February El Día de Andalusia is celebrated. Celebrating the discovery or creation of their providence in Spain. Every year the swim team hosts a swim meet, and the above video is of the raising of the flag and the song of Andalusia.

Speaking Of...

Speaking, and my ever growing ability to carry on a conversation without having to translate in my head before letting it slip out from between my lips.  In the past few days I have done a few things that have made me realize that my Spanish has gotten really good, okay not really good, but I'm channeling the Andaluz (the very distinct Andalusia accent) and becoming more of myself since the language barrier has been and is still being demolished piece by heavy piece.

The first thing that I did happened on Tuesday when I got up in front of my class and gave a power point presentation on the controls of alcohol. When I found out that I was going to have to stand up in front of 20 kids, my peers, who not only speak Spanish as their primary language, but are teenagers who judge quite quickly, I was petrified and to say the least I freaked out. However after building it up in my head along with memorizing what I was going to say, getting up in front of the class seemed like no big deal since it had been build up and brought back down with my sometimes over reactive brain. So in the end I stood up in front of the class and gave my presentation with a steady voice, and still hands and the best part was that when I met some classmates eyes all I saw was encouragement.

The second thing that made me realize that my Spanish is progressing happened today. A sly comment flew out of my mouth even before I had a chance to realize what I was saying. Don't worry it wasn't rude or anything it was just a fact stating comment which resulted in a few high fives. All in all I have come to the conclusion that I just might be getting a hang of this whole "second language" thing. How exciting!

The Middle Zone

Five months past on Saturday, which means that I have entered the back half of my journey. I'm not sure if I'm happy about that or not, considering some days I have moments when I don't want to leave, and others I just want some normal Maine living.
I have titled this collaboration of thoughts, "the middle zone" due to my dad's wonderful insight as to where I am right now in the time line of my year abroad. I have conquered the mountain of getting comfortable and am in the peaceful valley before I have to begin to part ways with the people who have formed my life for nine months. Its a very serene feeling to know that I  am right where I am suppose to be, yet on the other hand it is chilling, because how often is it that someone is on their path that leads them to grow into themselves. At times I am still shocked and speechless that I'm here. That I have made it this far and continue to have the strength and courage to do stuff that I have NEVER done before. Its like a free fall, you just have to have faith that you will come out the other side alive. Notice how I said alive and not another word, because the truth is everyone is going to come out with a scratch or two maybe more, but the real challenge is having the faith and courage in yourself to continue to the end, when the reality is that it would be much easier to climb right back up that ladder and sit watching at the top.
                    
               "life ain't always easy, and everyday were survivors"

I've experienced a lot of different things during these past few months, however one of the most unpleasant is being dead tired and having to go out, and then everyone just laughing at me because I'm so tired, but never getting the idea into their brain to take me home. An example of this was last Thursday when a girl on the team had her birthday party. She likes to have her party on the day of her birthday which just so happened to be a school night for me, and of course on Spain's super late watch the party didn't begin until around 10pm, which for me is the time that I like to be curled up and in my bed, however that never happens. It may not be fun, but it is always... "part of the experience."

The Past Brought To The Present

"The pain you feel is the weakness leaving your body."

I was told this about 6 years ago by a swim coach, and each time it was said I hated it more and more. I couldn't find any relationship between what it was saying and my swimming. When I feel pain from swimming it is not weakness leaving my body, it is me over coming an obstacle. However, the quote came into my mind again this week and I finally understand what it means. All it took was 6 years and 3000+ miles away from home for me to figure it out, and now it makes perfect sense when applied to my year here.
Saying that this experience has been easy would definitely be an understatement, I've experienced a lot of emotional pain, and obstacles that I've had to face on my own. And each one has made me grow stronger, which in turn is the same as saying that weakness is leaving my body. I'm changing as a person, I can feel it. I'm growing into myself, becoming more me. Discovering who I really am, it is not better or worse it's just ME!