La vida esta volando...

My, my, how time is flying by. It is simply impossible to believe that December is already here. I've lived in Madrid for over three months now and life here now feels almost completely normal. I came to this realization this week after Michael Ducker, a long time friend from Saint Paul, made a quick visit for a little over a day. Being my first visitor from the States, his stay here allowed me to see how far I have come and how much I have changed in such a short time. I felt so proud to show someone my new life here, and to share a little bit of my experience with someone with whom I have spent so much of my life. It felt strangely normal to have him here as well, maybe a sign of how I'm getting used to this fast-paced life of travel and short visits to keep in touch with friends that is becoming more common and more necessary at this point in my life. I gave Michael the whirlwind tour of Madrid, since he was here for such a short time. A true Spanish tapas experience at El Tigre after he arrived, throwing him into a crowded bar of young Spaniards, visits to the royal palace, Retiro park, Plaza del Sol, etc, and some normal time at the apartment to be entertained by my fantastic roommates. I had been so busy before he arrived that I hadn't much time to even think about what we would do, but I think he really enjoyed his stay, and I had a great time catching up with him on life.
His stay also really made me realize again how comfortable I have become here. After telling me he would have never have had the courage to go into the crazy El Tigre if I hadn't been there to take him, it made me feel really good that it never even crossed my mind as being intimidating. I also realized while he was here, despite my continuous self-disappointment about my progress with Spanish, that I have changed by leaps and bounds, and that I am much more capable than I had been previously thinking. Clearly, I have a long way to go, but I have made the type of progress that I was always looking for both in the language and my growth as a person. Every day I spend here in Madrid makes my worries about my future less pressing and while I'm further than ever from knowing what I want to pursue in my life, the issue seems so much less important. My confidence and self-trust have grown tremendously during these three months, and I've never been more sure of myself. Nothing seems too difficult or too out of the ordinary these days. As cliche as I'm sure this all sounds, reflecting after three months has shown me that it is all very true. I miss home. I miss my family and friends. I miss winter in the Midwest, blankets and kisses shared next to the fireplace, late nights in College Library, and a beer and a game with my boys. However, I've been lucky enough here to find myself in a situation that eases this type of home sickness, and I'm ever so thankful for it.

Thanksgiving came a day early here, as my Madrid family at the apartment came together to cook a fabulous meal. Emma made the stuffing and roasted potatoes, Maren and her boyfriend visiting from the States some delicious chicken curry, and I added an apple crisp and champagne. Alfonso brought some deliciously sweet white wine from near his home in the Basque country to top it all off. We stuffed ourselves in true Thanksgiving fashion, content after showing our fellow Europeans a semi-proper Thanksgiving dinner, and fell into a sleepy daze fueled by too much food, generous glasses of wine and champagne, and busy days beforehand. The next night our program took us out to dinner, which also was very nice, but didn't compare in terms of reflecting the family atmosphere of my second favorite holiday. Plus, we were still left without turkey... Blasphemy, I tell you.

I have started my English teaching in earnest now. Five classes a week between all of them, and it's definitely taking up a good chunk of my time. With midterms last week as well, sleep and free time were at an all time low. I think my exams went well, although I won't say too much until I actually get them back... One of my English classes, which I teach to a 7, 6, and 4 year twice a week is definitely going to get to me after a while. The kids just aren't in the mood for learning too much at a late hour and after a long long day at school. So far I've been able to make it fun enough, but I feel like it's going to get more difficult to keep up their enthusiasm... One of my other classes is with a 17 year old, fluent enough where I basically just talk with him about whatever comes to mind, bring in an interesting article or something to read, and help him when he has trouble. He's a fun kid, who likes to do most of the talking and share his opinions on things. I can tell that teaching will probably start to wear on me at some point, but I think it's still manageable. I also have a new intercambio with whom I'm meeting tomorrow, a 22 year old student, so, as always, I'm really looking forward to that. It's been nice to have a few people to meet with every week just to talk and work on improving my Spanish at the same time. Ivan and Elena have become close friends, and we tend to have lunch and catch a movie or something at least once a week. Ivan invited me to his house last weekend, my first time in a Spanish home.

This weekend I went to Salamanca with Alfonso, Dominik, Emma, and Annie, a friend from our program. It was a short trip, as we arrived around 3pm Saturday and left about 4:30 on Sunday, but it's purpose was more to have fun and relax than to sightsee. We never had the intention of spending our time hurrying to see everything. Instead, we took a different route, having some really good meals and stops for coffee in the almost winter-like weather. We spent the entire night on Saturday hopping tapas bars, passed frequently through the beautiful Plaza Mayor, checked out the University, and just enjoyed the beauty of a truly remarkable city, my favorite in Spain so far next to Madrid. I know I'll be back in the spring to visit Lizzy, who will be studying there, so I'll have plenty of time to tour all the sites at a later date. The drive to and from Salamanca in Dominik's car was stunningly beautiful, as we passed through a gorgeous mountain range. I'll get pictures up from the trip sometime this week. Alfonso is for sure leaving at the end of January to work abroad, Maren is moving to India in February to help start a business for a new lantern for developing countries which she helped to invent. It replaces the need for kerosene lanterns, creating cheaper, healthier, more environmentally friendly lives. She was just at Oxford for a grant competition, which they almost won. Dominik will be likely moving to Peru this coming summer to do some urban development research, if he can get a scholarship, but will be leaving Madrid in March, along with Moritz, who basically doesn't exist anymore. Always couped up in his room in a grumpy mood, working on architecture projects and refusing to speak a lick of Spanish. We've found it best to just forget about him in the midst of our happy family here after several attempts to include him. So, come March, we will have a whole different group of people here, apart from Emma, Arun, and me. A sad thought, considering how wonderful it has been so far.

Every day I get more excited for Christmas break, as my plans have finally been finalized. It will be strange not being with the family in Florida this year, but I'm at least lucky enough to spend it with some of my best friends. I'll be leaving to visit Dave the 19th in Freiburg, Germany, where he is studying this year. I'll spend a few days there with him, and the two of us will catch a train to visit Bern, Switzerland, on our way to visiting some of his family friends who live in the Alps. Like literally in the mountains. We'll spend two nights and a surely fantastic day there, and catch a morning train on the 24th to Geneva, from which we will fly to Prague to spend Christmas. One of my best friends in Madrid, Julie from Indiana, will also be in Prague, so we'll likely meet up with her and her friends to celebrate the year's most special holiday, my first away from home. On the 27th Dave and I will take a train to Berlin, either overnight or very early in the morning, and spend the day and night in the city before taking an early morning flight to Rome the next morning to meet up with Kyle and Chris, who will be coming from Madrid- Kyle all the way from the states, and Chris, who will be in Madrid with his brother and Spanish sister-in-law for the holidays. The four of us will stay in Rome until the 31st, and take a flight to Paris, arriving just in time to celebrate the new year, (maybe at the Eiffel Tower?). We'll stay there together until the 4th, when we'll all return to our respective countries... Should be the trip of a lifetime, and I'm getting more excited to see my boys every day. It's been way too long. Anyways, it's time for bed. Another busy week ahead. Cheers.