Wrapping it up

My time here is drawing all too quickly to an end...my classes are ending, some have ended already, and i am preparing to say my goodbyes not just to my home and this city, but to all the people i've met here--spanish, british, italian, and american, who won't be with me in the next part of my journey.
I have to admit that i'm absolutely devastated.
I returned to Spain this year to "get my fix." I reasoned I already knew Madrid well and loved it, so it would be a good homebase for a year of travelling--the teaching job was merely a means to support myself for my travelling. Travelling never seems to give one their "fix" however--it just wets your appetite for more . the more I see, the more I want to see. I yearn for more places as well as the places i've already been. My desires were in no way quenched, but my interests expanded. I would need 2 or 3 lifetimes to do this world justice.
As I said, I came with the intention to travel, to branch out of Madrid and what I ended with was so much more fulfilling--I became attached to people and even more invested in this place, in this community. I love my job. I love seeing the progress my students have made over the year, and being able to identify that as my work. I have an impact! I've done something with results!
But it's not just my students who've made progress--I can't deny being an entirely different person than i was a year ago. sitting in the various offices, homes, and classrooms around the city, I learned a lot of things. Not just Spanish, though that has vastly improved, but about culture, new ideas and opinions. About people's lives who have grown up on a different continent. Each of my students had something to teach me; there was a lesson for me in each lesson i taught. It is so rewarding uncovering a friendship, relating to someone and beginning to understand them through broken languages. The friends that have been on this journey with me this year are like family--we've been through the ups and downs, the penny-pinching, the crazy travels, the language barriers and we've come out on the otherside different--changed by this experience and one another.
Theres no way to put in words what i've learned and the way i've grown, but this experience has been absolutely unforgettable. I've never felt more autonomous, more capable, and more in touch with myself. I have been truly happy.

I have just about 2 weeks of teaching left, but nowhere near a full schedule. Just a few remaining, dear students. I will fill my free time with shopping sprees (!!), Retiro, cleaning out my room, the world cup along with everyone in spain, and any other things I missed in Madrid...hopefully not anything. And of course preparing for my big July adventure.
A friend and I are backpacking for the first 12 days of July--on the 1st we are headed to Budapest, followed by Pisa/Siena, Athens, and Santorini. We are back in Madrid very late on the 12th and fly to the states on the 14th. It's going to be an amazing adventure and a great way to wrap up an incredible year. I've done so much--and somehow theres still so much more in Europe alone!

Gijon, Asturias

Gijon, a coastal city in the northern region of Asturias, was AMAZING. it looks like Ireland or Scotland (or so i've heard...) We had the most beautiful weather. There were endless beaches, golden sand on some, and others rocky and wavy. You could walk along for miles along the cliffs and catch the views. everything was GREEN GREEN GREEN.
it was so relaxing and refreshing, one of the most beautiful places i've ever seen, and, like everywhere in spain, the people were soo friendly! we had an amazing weekend just walking along the cliffs and enjoying the beach! On saturday we had lunch on this grassy area above the sea. there were lots of people drifting around above us in hang gliders ( i think thats what they were?) it was also nice because it is not a very touristy part of spain, so we had great opportunities to speak spanish!
anyway, it was really perfect and no words will be enough...so i'll just post the pictures!! this weekend is a puente (a "bridge" which really just means its a long weekend) so we might go back to asturias!

ciao!