Adventure Time is Adventure-y, That's Why They Call it Adventure Time!

Hey beautiful friends! I'm sitting in a plaza and drinking coffee in the sunshine and it's perfectly picturesque. I finally found a little cafe near my house and it's got great outside seating near this huge fountain. it's gorgeous and the coffee is fantastic. Sorry I'm so lame and bad at writing here! But I'll update you guys on my adventures of the last few days. (Sorry if lists annoy but I'm diggin' on them right now. I've always been crap at transitions.)

1. Thursday- I went to a museum! It was on the third floor of this really beautiful building and it was free. They had an exhibit of nude drawings and sculptures and paintings and it was gorgeous! (Pictures are on my facebook!) The rest of the museum was filled with coins from ancient Rome, ancient Greece, Spain... They were hundred, some even thousands of years old! It was incredible to be surrounded by that kind of history but one can only look at coins for so long, especially when you can't read the plaques so you're not totally sure what it is that you're looking at. I was in a really cool San Fran-esque region of town so I walked around and shopped for a few hours. I didn't buy anything but I am on a quest... The quest for the perfect purse! it's a quest every woman must go on at some point in her life, and I am on it. The purse I brought with me is too small to carry everything I need so I've been looking for one that's bigger (and cute, and moderately priced and over the shoulder...) Anyways! The stores were really cool and the one store that I really liked reminded me of Urban Outfitters fused with Pac Sun. Like what a hipster would wear if they lived near the beach. But we all know that hipsters hate the sun.

2. Friday- Navigated the metro! Whoo! Take that fear of public transportation! It's super clean and easy to figure out, even when you barely speak the language. I was super proud of myself for not getting freaked out or anxious. I think it helped that I was listening to a really really good mix on my ipod. (Fyi, Time to Pretend by MGMT and Wake Up by Arcade Fire blend super well with subway sounds, if anyone wants to try.) I went to Retiro Park (the Central Park of Madrid) and walked around for like 3 hours. It was gorgeous! Pictures and videos to come. There were a ton of incredible statues and flowers and architecture and poeple from all over the world! I heard conversations in at least 6 different languages. I went to the center of the park where there's this little pond to rent row boats! It was super cool and once I have friends, I'm going back and getting a boat. Then I went into this incredible plaza and sat and wrote in my journal and people-watched for a while. The weather was perfect and I was a happy camper. Then this street vendor guy who was selling jewelry started talking to me and we had like a ten minute conversation (in Spanish) and he was really nice and I bought a ring off of him for my mom (and I haggled for it. Bam!) Then I left the park and found a cafe and had some coffee and the BEST croissant I've ever eaten in my life. My mind was officially blown and my skin was officially sunburnt.

3. Saturday- Saturday was lame and therefore not worth writing about. Wait! The moon was cool on Saturday! It was huge! And awesome! The end.

4. Sunday- Went to some bad ass Roman ruins today at Segrobriga. We went with a few families who have children about Ishor's age so there was a group of 11 of us! We went into the park and the first part was a movie and museum of information about the ruins. I got really excited cause the movie had English subtitles and all the plaques had translations! But the park had obviously not spent a lot of money on their translating service because there were a TON of really funny misspellings and grammar mistakes and misuses of words. It was hilarious. Direct quote, "These ruins was builded by the romans in [some year] ad..." Then we waited for the tour guide but I was not too fond of the tour. I couldn't understand the guide and the group of people was hugeeeeee. The ruins were gorgeous and incredible but the feeling reminded me of going to Garden of the Gods. I realized why I don't like it, and it was the same with this park. I hate that people take these amazing marvels of the world, or of nature, and industrialize them beyond recognition. They make them so commercial: adding guard rails, paved trails, cement so things don't fall apart... It's the same way I feel about the cog and Pike's Peak. All these additions are nice because they make these places more accessible but it seems to detract from the grandeur. I can't absorb the history and feel of a place when it's been tampered with so much. So that was sorta disappointing. But I took a ton of pictures and had a really great day anyway! The other families we were with were really really nice and I spoke in Spanish all day! During our picnic lunch all the parents were asking me questions and the skills I've been taught since Spanish one kicked in! I told them about my family, my interests, my home, my city, my school... It was awesome. I was surprised how easily it seemed to roll of my tongue. We all talked and laughed together and they told me I was nice and they liked me. WIN! I am now officially charming in TWO languages.

4. Overall, I feel like I'm learning a TON. Not only am I learning a new language and a new culture, but I'm learning things about myself. I'm learning how to be alone and content in my solitude (Bukowski would be proud); I'm learning to be a sponge, more of a listener and less of a talker. I have a constant inner monologue and not a lot of ways to express it, so I'm writing more. I'm learning to give myself credit for doing something this challenging when I'm still young. I'm learning to give myself "little victories" that make me feel better when the hard stuff comes. I'm learning how to be separated from my family and take on these huge battles without as much as help as I'm used to. I know my family and friends will always be there to support me and guide me, but it's harder when they're so far away. And I'm still homesick... A lot. A friend who is also traveling right now told me that homesickness is like a callous: it doesn't go away, but it starts to hurt less. You learn how to cope. I think this a pretty accurate assessment of my current feelings. I miss everyone SO much; I wish that you could all be here with me, laughing at poor English, exploring parks and museums... I wish you all could have fit in my suit case. But I know that you are all supporting me, sending me beams of love and happiness and courage, especially when times are hard. And I know that you will all be waiting for me when I get home. Waiting with love, hugs, kisses, open arms and open ears. (Open ears especially, cause we all know I'm gonna be a conversational steam engine to make up for three months of being quiet.)