this is it.

Life is an opportunity, benefit from it. Life is beauty, admire it. --Mother Theresa

This was taken by me a few minutes from my house on the Mediterranean coast of Alicante. It is the most beautiful thing I have seen in awhile, maybe ever.

Take a moment to appreciate your surroundings. Your soul will be better for it.

Navidad

Christmas here was tranquil, family oriented, and enjoyable. Although I missed my family immensely during the days of celebration, I also grew closer to my Spanish family members here. My first out of eighteen years away from home, and though it was different, it was great. I felt like a part of the family, completely. "Noche Buena", or Christmas Eve, we went to eat dinner and exchange gifts with my host mom´s family. She has 7 sisters, and all but one have children, so it was quite a big party. The numerous people alone made me feel at home. The kids everywhere and laughter were soothing. As was the need to nearly yell to hear the person next to me, I just loved the quantity of people surrounding me. And, of course, the food was delicious. We had lots of small dishes like shrimp, salad, ham, cheese, chips, etc. and the main dish was amazing roast beef my grandma made. The night was incredible.
We drove to the neighbor city of my host dad´s parents after dinner, about midnight, and spent the night there, in his parents´house. My host dad is an only child so this was quite different than the night before. We exchanged gifts yet again and the next morning had a light breakfast then started preparing the lunch, which was great. We all relaxed and just enjoyed the company of family for the rest of the day, then drove home after some rain subsided and I´d taken a siesta.
Well, that´s a little glimpse of my Navidad, more to come and more to recollect with New Year´s and the Three Kings holidays coming.

thanksgiving.

Shift your focus from what your life lacks and dwell on the abundance that is present. Too many times I have decided to, instead of be grateful, mope around in some type of self-pity, when all the while all around me are so many blessings. They go unnoticed far too much, and the sad thing is, it´s so easy to just change you thinking to up your mood.
With that being said, I want to list some things I am grateful for. Since it is one of the best exercises for mood-upping. And it is also Thanksgiving.
I have the most amazing parents in the world. They work so hard at everything they do, without complaining, without fail, with unconditional love. They are my heroes. My mother has the qualities I hope to have soon, and my father is the model of a man I will be looking to marry someday.
I´ve been blessed with the opportunity to be away this year, to be put in difficult situations, fun situations, and just strange situations.
Scenery is incredible. There´s not much grass here, but I sure can see the sea and sky.
Music is alive. And it enchants me.
The sun always shines here.
My host dad makes me laugh.
My brother is fighting for American freedom, in this very moment.
I´m halfway to being bilingual.
I´m never going to view my world the same.
I´ll always laugh at myself when I mess up. I´ll get back up and try again.
And I´m completely happy with that.
Nothing but gratitude. And love.

Lady in Spain

Gratitude is the memory of the heart. Jean Baptiste Massieu

Spain is where I am. It is my home this year, and now I am really starting to feel it. My days are normal and I go about my life pretty comfortably. I can speak to more people in my host language, I can understand far more that is said in school, and I can read bits and pieces of magazines.

Alicante is my city. I don´t get lost any more, I give strangers directions. I don´t mind walking anymore, as it provides me with endless places to see. You cannot take the car out on the rocks and cliffs on the Mediterranean, you must walk. It is fantastic. I have been here nearly 2 1/2 months, and life is good. I have such an appreciation for life, more than I ever imagined I would have. I thought I was observant before, but now it seems as though I notice every little thing. The world is so much bigger, I don´t think I will ever stop saying that. And I think more than I ever have (now in Spanish and English), about EVERYTHING. My brain is processing much, as is my heart and my spirit. Every situation I go through is a learning process. I laugh, I stress, I cry, I breath, I grow.

And this life is my life that I love.

don´t worry, be happy.

It really is hard for me to grasp that the month on the calendar actually is November. Sunny with a high of 7osomething isn´t exactly what I expected for this time of year. But no complaints here. So next week I will have been here two whole months, with approximately 8 more left. Crazy. Still cannot believe I´m living my dream.

Casi dos meses y he aprendido mucho. Me encanta Alicante.

I feel as though every week marks some sort of improvement. While I cannot always see the improvement in my Spanish speaking, I do always notice something, like my relationship with my host family growing or I seem to be fitting in better at school, or a general boost of confidence--always something. I am nothing but grateful. I´ve noticed I smile more lately. Life here is beginning to feel almost normal. The routine is becoming quite natural, and easier than before.

So the my Physical Education class here actually is the real deal. At my old school we would do a lot of walking and maybe some basketball, but here we run. Corriendo. Lunes-15 minutos. Martes-25 minutos. Jueves-35. Viernes-todo tiempo en clase. Mas o menos 45-50 minutos. Thus, my calves are beasts. We run a lot. And I also swim a few days a week. Planning on being in pristine shape upon my return to the states. Or just to compensate for all of the eating I am doing here..
There are some little quotes I have either read, heard from friends or family, or come up with which have helped me a lot lately. When I need to get on track and focus on my task at hand, or just chill out and de-stress, there are some things I like to dwell on:
"doubt restricts dreams from becoming reality",
"take advantage of your opportunities",
"imagine a life brimming with spontaneity",
"always be true to yourself", and
"live one day at a time".
And my favorite, spoken from a true Spaniard, in purest form (strong accent which makes me laugh always): "don´t worry, be happy". Happiness in Spanish is a completely new feeling. Laughter is universal, but takes new form and provides new feeling when another language spoken evokes it.

50 days

i have been here in spain for 50 days today. i figured it was time to jot down some thoughts.
well, i have found my favorite spot in my neighborhood. it´s basically a beach outlet, but i guess its more like the side of a mountain, and like a quarry; it is a large opening with mostly mountainside and trees but also beach and big rocks that the water crashes against with absolute beauty and natural power. After soaking in that part of the scenery, i discovered the INCREDIBLE "puesta del sol", or sunset, which is the most amazing thing i have ever experienced. looking out into the mediterranean sea and against the coast jutting out to the right, one can view the intricate colors and the natural beauty. so pictures very soon.
and school is getting easier. the first month many of my classmates were hesitant to speak to me, which makes sense, because my spanish was terrible and their english obviously not as fluent as mine is. so the language barrier has been an issue, but as of late more classmates talk to me and that directly leads to me experiencing better days and learning much more spanish, as i´m practicing much more.
i have been living here for 50 days. i still cant get that through my head. it has flown by, it has inched by, it been the the best of times, and the most difficult, but everything well worth it.
i am thinking since it is the beginning of the day, i might just have more to say later on. for now, i want to recognize and document how absolutely blessed i am to be here experiencing life in spain. it feels like a dream, and thankfully i dont have to wake from this dream for another 8 months or so..
chau

Córdoba

Last weekend my host family and I visited the southern city of Córdoba, a city full of tourists, pubs, and more importantly history. The Roman Catholic Cathedral in Córdoba was originally a Moorish Mosque, but was converted into a Gothic style cathedral during the Spanish Reconquista. The mixture of cultures provides for an absolutely magnificent monument. The building began around 600 AD, which absolutely blows my mind. The place is breathtaking. It was incredible to be in the presence of something so ancient and so beautiful.
The old streets of Córdoba are so small ad lovely. And although there is not much room for trees or plants, many homes have patios or gardens in the middle, providing the beauty of nature in an area where there is no room for yards or lawns, unless you are royalty. In windows of the three-story buildings are hanging plants and planters, filled with fragrant flowers and sometimes herbs. You can almost reach across from one house to the other.
While there, I overheard Muslims, Brits, other Americans, and many, many Spanish speakers. It was interesting for me to hear the differences in dialects, as my host family is from the Valencian community on the east coast and we were in Andalucia, the southernmost autonomous community.

http://www.ryeflorida.org/Students/OB/2009-10/mariah.htm