Buen Viaje!

Bennie Coco and I

It's almost 3:00 in the afternoon, my last afternoon at home for awhile. I'm still in shock that I've reached this moment. The last few days have gone by so fast and yet the summer as a whole has crawled by. Very conflicting. I'm not sure how that happens but there you have it.

And, I can't believe I'm saying this but I'm packed!! For the most part. Everything but my winter coat has made it into 2 large suitcases, a carry-on bag, my purse (which has to fit in my carry-on) and my laptop case (which is only holding my laptop so doesn't really count...wait - yes it does, my laptop is the other half of my brain!).

 Anyway, times like these make think of past travels. I still remember the first time I flew on a plane. I was 8 and we were headed to Colorado. There had been countless times before that trip when I had gone with my parents to drop my grandma off at the airport on her way to visit my aunts. It was always a mystery to me what lay beyond the arched doorways at Lambert. I remember being very excited to fly for the first time just for the fact that I could finally see the inside of the airport. It's no mystery to me anymore. More than 15 years later I realize that airports are all the same no matter where in the world you are, which is comforting and a let-down at the same time. I've done quite a bit of flying since that trip to Colorado so I'm excited/nervous to say that this is the first time I've ever bought a one-way ticket! Don't ask me when I'm coming back - I have no idea. All I know is that I will come back...eventually. Hopefully with more pictures and funny stories to tell.

Mom and Me

Some things to look forward to in Spain (in no particular order):
1) Kebabs
2) the Metro - no more driving for awhile!
3) FOOTBALL!
4) Seeing old friends and making new ones
5) Walking across the street to do my grocery shopping
6) Teaching! Little kids! Oh my!
7) Making my way to other countries - Istanbul, Turkey is at the top of my list
8) Churros and chocolate
9) Manchego cheese
10) Dry air - if you have oily skin, you know what I'm talking about!

Wow, I'm kind of embarrassed that almost half my list is food! Sad thing is, I could totally add more to it :/

I've gotten asked a lot of odd questions about my upcoming travels this summer. Most everyone wanted to know when I was leaving, and until about a few weeks ago I had no idea. This is part of life in Spain - you just can't plan ahead because no one else is. I also get asked: "What are you bringing?" and most people are shocked when I tell them I'm not bringing my sofa and TV with me. Try as I might, they just wont fit in my suitcase. Sorry ya'll, I gotta keep it simple. I'm also not bringing my dresser or bed or car. I know...crazy. Again, not gonna fit! This might sound strange and hard to understand, but my life is going to be a bit different in Spain. Mom thinks this is a good brain exercise. Could be.

I mostly get asked if I'm coming home for the holidays. No. Birthdays or other special events? No. Football games? I'd love to, but no.Will you bring home a matador? Yes. Yes, I will. His name will be Diego and he'll have a house in Madrid, Sevilla and somewhere in the Canary Islands. It's going to be epic. And we will have beautiful bilingual babies - a triple threat!

On a more serious note (not that Diego is trivial), I am really really sad I'll be missing out on some cool stuff while I'm gone. But there will be more holidays and birthdays in the future, and I just have to be content that  everything will still be here when I get back. Love and miss you all.

Wish me luck!

Home sweet Home

~Caralyn