Yo hablo español

If you closed your eyes you could almost hear the faint echo of footsteps along 9000-year-old stonewalls. The scent of orange oil permeated the air floating delicately from the fruits hanging off the trees. It was a meandering stroll, passing ancient graves, lush greens, and places where spots were worn on the floor from prayer long ago. It held a ghost like quality, carrying a soft chill on your shoulder even though the January air was reaching the last of its warmer days. As we reached the outside edges where Benedictine monks had once meditated beneath lumbering trees that grew from deep beneath the soft bed of pine needles, I found peaceful silence fill my ears. This is what I had come for. It was without smog or bustling cars and people. Only pure blue sky across vast golden fields with crisp clean air, and finally, only the sound of crunching footsteps throughout the courtyard.
A pang of homesickness hit me for a moment, I longed for the narrow, winding roads of the shrinking countryside and the warmth of my childhood home. A hug from my dad or joking with my brother while mom just rolled her eyes at us. The lazy mornings in my boyfriend’s apartment with 2 pm breakfasts. Relaxing moments that stand out of a chaotic life that I have abandoned.
Pushing it aside, I walked back out to the bus with Maria, relaxations pulling me into a soft napping on the ride home. The buzz of the city traffic pressed me from my dreams and I stretched out the kink of my neck. The glow of the city lit the sky to a deep purple and the stars faded from our eyes, the day’s moments settling fondly into our memories.

It is a wonder, why these days are the days that make you pull home closer more than others. Here you are, abroad, a foreigner in a foreign land…shoving culture down your throat as you try to pull in as much as you can. Time is limited you know. But then, it’s when you stop and take a deep breath, letting yourself feel your lungs fill and release, that you relax, you enjoy, and your over thought mind is cleaned and cleared…even if the air is tainted with car exhaust and second hand cigarette smoke. When you stop being a tourist and start being a traveler, when you start living instead of viewing, when you take it step by step…doing as you feel…these are the moments when being true to your soul will bring the best experiences upon you.

Afternoon sun no longer brings warm gusts of air across my face, the breeze is chilled; coming straight from the core of the icy Atlantic waters, as Barcelona becomes surrounded by snow in neighboring cities. I wandered through my neighborhood today, searching for the library (the one I walked by five times before realizing so) and was stopped and asked for directions. Decked out in my fluorescent green Columbia jacket, backpack strapped tightly on my shoulders, I was to surprised to answer right away. He smiled patiently, and I kindly pointed him in the direction of the train station. As he walked away, I looked back, giggling to myself. Incredible. Flourishing my confidence, I walked into the library, and without a stumble or blank stare had a library card in my hand five minutes later. Bounded up four flights of stairs and asked how to get on wi fi. Success, I savored the free access and let my ego glow for a few minutes longer. Spanish dreams are not far away.

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