Adios Madrid, Hola America!

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My alarm goes off and it feels like I had just fallen asleep. Oh wait, that's because I did only just fall asleep three hours ago. Since I had spent all night packing and re-packing and catching up on emails to friends and family, I had a hard time falling asleep right away. Part of the reason I had such difficulty sleeping was the fact I generally think too much, especially when I have a big day awaiting me such as leaving Madrid and not wanting to. I knew that days ago, however it didn't really sink in until now that I didn't want to leave. I wasn't ready yet, it seemed like I had just gotten here and at the same time it felt like I'd been there for weeks and was just now getting used to things and really enjoying my time here. All I knew was that I would definitely be coming back someday when I had the money to.

Emily, Alex, and I all shared a room for the last night because other people had left already so several people switched into rooms accordingly to fit leaving times and save money. The three of us began to pack up our last minute items and shower to get ready to leave. We had planned on eating breakfast downstairs as usual but were disappointed when we realized that breakfast started at seven thirty instead of seven. Since we needed to leave by seven thirty to make it to the airport on time we tried stopping at the Starbucks two doors down from our hotel, which ended up being closed as well. Giving up on getting a decent breakfast we said goodbye to Abby, Alex, and Deanna and piled into the taxi that was patiently waiting for us outside.

Once we arrived to the airport we checked in and found our gates. Alex had a different flight than ours so we said our goodbyes to her and walked further down to our gate. Luckily ours was located right next to a small restaurant so we both purchased water bottles and our last bocadillos of the trip. As we waited for our plane to arrive we noticed that not that many people were in our gate. I kept checking the flight board and it was scheduled to arrive on time and start boarding in fifteen minutes. Just then, an attendant approaches us and informs us that our gate has been changed to the gate just two down from ours so we figured it wasn't that big of a deal. We find chairs and sit down at our new gate until our group number is called to start boarding. Emily and I get up to the front and are informed that we were supposed to go through special security before boarding. Considering we had waited so long just to get to the front we began to panic and rush down to where the attendant had told us to go, which was about twenty gates down from where we were at the time. As we ran down to the security check we went through some standard questions about what items we were bringing, who they belonged to, and if anyone had given us anything in our luggage. After we hurried through the procedure we ran back to our gate to find that they were making the last call for boarding and we were the only ones left to board. I was literally the last person to board the plane.

After dealing with that stressful situation, we find our seats and settle in for a long flight. Thankfully we are given a meal shortly after take off and have some free blankets and pillows again. They also showed two movies during the flight which weren't half bad. Hours later they served us another meal about an hour or two before we landed. For being as tired and stressed as I was, this flight wasn't as bad as I thought. Although I didn't sleep much I figured that the jet lag would only be bad for this first day and that I just had to deal with it while it lasted.

When we landed we found our gate fairly quickly and kept making sure that it was in fact the right gate. Luckily for us there was a Starbucks and bathroom right by our gate that we took advantage of. We took our time relaxing after we converted our money back at the same desk we had on the way to Spain. It was funny because we had the same cashier as before and he actually remembered us. I only had three euros left to convert which I was ok with because I actually spent just a little less than five hundred dollars total which was my budget for the entire trip. Since I had left my gift for my brother on the plane (a poster of Christiano Ronaldo, a soccer player for the Real Madrid team), I decided that I needed to find a last minute replacement. We walked down to one of the stores that sells small gifts and snacks and I found a special edition World Cup magazine that covered all the teams playing in the tournament as well as other details about this year's World Cup. Since I played soccer for so many years and consider myself a soccer fan I figured it was a good present to give after I read the entire magazine on my long flight ahead of me. I also purchased some mints and a shot glass that said New York on it so that I would have something to remember NY by. Not that we were fond of the JFK airport at all.

Emily and I find our seats and notice that the person who takes the aisle seat in our row is a cute young guy who looks close to our age. Amused by this we begin striking up a conversation with him and I am surprised to find how chatty he actually is. In fact, he talked way more than I did and proceeded to tell basically tell us his life story and ask us advice about his love life with his complicated model girlfriend. See he was a DJ from London, so his accent was adorable and fit well with his shaggy hair, skinny jeans, flannel shirt and black rimmed glasses. If he hadn't sounded and looked the way he did I probably would have been creeped out honestly. He talked to us for several hours from the time we boarded until the first on flight movie began playing. They played a movie called Leap Year which I had wanted to see but never had. It was about this girl who follows an old Irish tradition of asking her boyfriend to marry her on leap year which is the only acceptable day a woman can ask for a hand in marriage according to this tradition. Overall it was a good movie to pass the time but what I really needed was some sleep. At first my plan had been to hold off on sleeping until I got to my dad's house that night that way I could just pass out for a long time and feel rested the next day. However, I was really starting to feel my three hours of sleep from the night before and the jet lag was already starting to wear in. I was actually kind of angry because I had just started to get used to Spain time and now I had to go back to my home time already. The last few days we were in Madrid I didn't absolutely have to take a nap in the middle of the day in order to function and not fall asleep during guest speakers or tours. That is just one of the reasons I wish that our trip could have been longer.

Eventually I get maybe an hour of sleep or so, I'm not really sure how long it was but my neck was stiff enough that I knew I needed to switch positions. After that I think I dozed on and off and just kept listening to calm music on my iPod until we landed. I was excited to be safe and sound back in America and even more excited to be able to use my cell phone again to contact people I had missed and most importantly to sleep, sleep, sleep. Once we were out of the plane and walking towards the exit of the airport I called my dad and found him out front and said goodbye to Emily. My dad surprised me with a cookie which I gladly accepted considering I hadn't eaten since the last meal on our first flight! I realized how tired I was because the whole ride home I was rambling and rambling about how amazing the trip was and details about some of the places we went. Once I got home I passed out some of my souvenirs to my dad and two sisters who were awake at the time. Then I said my goodnights and passed out for what seemed like hours. In reality I only got about eight solid hours of sleep but for some reason it was deep enough that that was all my body needed. I knew I wouldn't be completely rid of the jet lag or time difference but I figured I would be alright.

The next day I washed all of my clothes, and I mean ALL of them. After packing up once again and saying my goodbyes to my family I headed down to Southcenter Mall to meet my mom and sister for a quick lunch at Olive Garden (one of my favorite places!). While eating my pasta I showed them pictures and told stories about what I had done in Spain and how much I had loved being there. I actually started to get kind of sad as I reminisced. Shortly after, I began my drive back to Ellensburg which I wasn't looking forward to. Once I got back to my apartment I realized how happy I was to be back and see my boyfriend and cats, even though deep down I still wished I was in Spain. Maybe next time I'll just bring them along?

Overall I was glad to be back with my friends and family and to get back into my normal schedule of work and classes. I did miss being home with everyone but I will never forget my trip to Spain and how it affected me as a person. I truly believe that this trip not only taught me more about international media, public relations and journalism, but that it taught me about myself. I did learn a large amount about Spanish culture and art, and I am truly greatful that I was able to see so many beautiful things and places. However, what I took most out of this trip was the learning experience and growth that occurred in myself. I feel more confident and independent as a person and feel that I have a better perspective of how big our world is and that it has a lot to offer us.

Last but not least, I would like to thank Jennifer and Cesar for creating this program and leading us on this trip. Without them it wouldn't have been possible or have gone so smoothly. Their knowledge of Spain and communications truly made this program complete and helped us feel more comfortable in a foreign country. I wish I could go again next year!

This experience is something I will never forget and will always cherish. I hope that others will take advantage of this opportunity at Central and use it to grow and learn about life, themselves, and the world. Thanks for reading about my trip and I hope that it inspires others to explore the world.

ADIOS!

Sincerely,
Allison

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Photos

The View
My view of New York as we descended.

The Ankle
Emily and her bum ankle waiting at the airport.

Successful Replacement
The World Cup magazine I found for my brother last minute.

Amazing Sunset
The sunset occurring ABOVE the clouds that I saw from the plane.

Good Old Gray
I missed my rainy gray Seattle!

Sisters at Olive Garden
Me and my sister at our get together before my drive back to Eburg.