Halfway there...

As yesterday marked the halfway point in my time here in Spain, I am looking back on the past five weeks. The time seems to have flown by and dragged on all at once. Although this isn´t my first time alone overseas, I have to tell you it really doesn´t get any easier to say goodbye to family and friends. Not being able to pick up my cell phone and call any of them the moment I want to is always the hardest thing to get to used. And of course, leaving Cody behind hasn´t been easy either. When I think about everyone I miss back home, it feels like I´ve been gone forever.

But when I think about everything I want to do and see while I´m here, it feels like time is flying by. I´ve been looking forward to this trip since December of last year. And here its already halfway over! What have I been doing all this time? Well...working and living it up in España, of course. The truth is, work is going much better. I am finally getting used to dealing with the clients and learning not to take anything personally. I am getting to know my coworkers and actually starting to enjoy my job here at Hombre y Tierra. In fact, last week my boss, Maive, took us all out for lunch after work on Friday (see picture below). It was a chance for her to say goodbye to me and Janet (the other intern) as she is leaving for vacation next week. She even had gifts for us! I couldn´t believe it!

After work, I usually roam around the city with my friend/roommate Sarah. There is a big park next to our apartment with a pond and trails where we like to run in the evenings. We also bought passes to the public pool in the same park and have been adjusting to Europe´s love for topless sunbathing :) We usually meet up with the other Sara at least once during the week (although she lives just a few blocks away, she works 12-9pm, so we don´t see her as often as we´d like!). On Thursday we are meeting her to watch the Spain vs. Russia soccer game. Like the rest of Europe, Spain is crazy about their soccer team. The other night while lying in bed, I could hear the entire block celebrating Spain´s victory over Italy. We´ve been told that Plaza Colón, where we are meeting Sara on Thursday, is a really popular place to watch the games. I´m really excited to experience this huge part of Spanish culture.

Also, last weekend we visited Toledo with our director from EUSA. Its a really beautiful town outside of Madrid known for its unique religious history. We toured a cathedral, synogogue and monostary and tried some traditional Spanish food and wine. It was a really nice trip.

So what will I do with the time that remains? The Sara[h]s and I have planned trips to Pamplona (to see, not participate in, the running of the bulls!), Lisbon (Portugal) and Barcelona. Also, there´s lots I still haven´t seen of Madrid. Parks, museums, and of course since Madrid is known for its nightlife, a few clubs. This coming weekend the Sara[h]s and I are hoping to visit Aranjuéz, a small town outside of Madrid. My coworker, Kris, lives there and has invited us to a birthday party for her boyfriend on Saturday. Its a fiesta hawaiana, that is to say, a luau! I can´t wait!

Until next time...adios! (Aloha?)