Halloween Weekend

I woke up Wednesday morning, went through my usual routine, and it wasn't until I was half way to school on the bus when I realized it was Halloween.

It was Halloween, and I was wearing jeans and a T-shirt. 

To cheer me up I started to draw a pumpkin with "Happy Halloween!" across the top of my page, and I was finished before the beginning of second period. My classmates saw my stupid drawing and started asking me questions about Halloween in the US, and as a result they started to tell me about Halloween in Spain. First of all, I am really glad they did because the outfit I had planned for the night, was not at all appropriate. I was going for the typical lazy American girl costume when I chose to be a cat. All black with ears. Easy. Apparently everyone in Spain goes for the scary costumes, a tradition that the youth of America for the most part let slip. I can't remember one Halloween where I was actually something scary. Lets see... Mermaid, Rock star, Rock star, Rock star, Rock star, Avril Lavigne, Tooth fairy, Chicken Burrito, and a Devil. That just about sums up the past nine Halloweens. 

So I got home, then Paige and I went out and got some vampire teeth and fake blood. After Paige applied the blood to my face, we were both thinking "We definitely put too much on", so of course Paige didn't put on any at all. Then we went out to the center to meet some of my friends from class, and we realized we were so out of place. 98% of Valladolid was completely covered in fake blood, scars, masks, etc. It was unbelievable. 

Sandra and I

Then on Thursday, there was the AFS Halloween party. It was exactly what I needed... some pumpkin carving, homemade pizzas, and a night with my best friends. It was only the students and volunteers from the Castilla chapter, but we had a great time! Then we all got our makeup done by Jimena (Paige's liaison), and went down to the center. This time it was the complete opposite, I guess we got a little to excited and in the midst of it all, we forgot that it was Thursday... not Halloween. But we live in Spain, where the fiesta never ends... so it wasn't a big deal. 

Esther and I 

Jimena, Utku, and Esther

ESTHER, you go girl!

Pumpkin carving!!!

A for Effort?

The group!

Manuel, Diego, Me, Lani, Esther, Luca, Paige, Utku, and Irene

And at the end of Sunday, after a four day break, I had a realization. I realized that my life here will not always be exactly similar to my life in America. But that is completely okay, I didn't choose Spain because it was America across the ocean. I chose Spain because of the culture, because of the language, because in reality it is so much different. I came to learn a new culture, language, and country, one that is no better or worse than my own, just different.

Lani, Paige, Me, and Esther

In the end, Halloween weekend may have just ended up being my best weekend here. 

Conectando Vidas, Compartiendo Culturas

I have been staring at this blank blogger page for the past week and a half. I guess it is true what they say about blogging, it only gets harder and harder as the time goes on. But that is no excuse, because I know in the end I will be so glad that I will be able to look back on all of these great moments.

Now for one of my many highlights of October, the AFS orientation.

Almost all of the girls! (From Iceland, Germany, California,
Pennsylvania, Ohio, Delaware, Hungary,
Switzerland, Denmark, France, China, and more!)

I wish I could get across the extent of what a great weekend it was, but it was beyond anything that I could ever express in a blog post. Sitting at a dinner table with friends from all over the world, all with the same mentality, the same final goal in mind, it was incredible. We all were there to learn a new culture, to experience new things. And while we all came from different countries, different lifestyles, we are all united. And that bond will last forever. We are all sacrificing so much to be where we are, and everyday while every moment is so worth it, every moment is a struggle. And to know that I have 90 other people who understand exactly what I'm going through, people that will be there for me from the beginning to the end. That gives me all the hope and willingness to persevere. 

Esther and Paige finishing of my goldfish on the train

The four Valladolid kids (Paige, Esther, Clement, and I) boarded the train around 6, and were in Ponferrada by 10. We were picked up at the train station by a volunteer and taken to the camp site. It was a closed off site with about twenty cabins. When the Valladolid kids finally got settled in, we went in search of our friends from surrounding cities and provinces. This orientation was for the kids in Asturias, Galicia, and Castilla y Leon. We swung a door open to find all 30 of our friends crammed in one room talking and listening to music. That was such a great moment, the friends we had left at the train station just two short months before, were now sitting right in front of us. I was latched on to Amy for at least 20 minutes, oh how I missed these people! And of course since we had to catch up with every single person there, we didn't end up going to sleep until 5am. 

Luca (Hungarian) and I

Milena, Lani, Paige, Esther, Luca, and I

Clement (Belgian) and I

We were woken up around 9, and we all headed to breakfast. Of course every meal that was prepared was delicious... because we are in Spain! After that we did a series of activities that would help us evaluate our individual experiences thus far. We drew our own emotional curve, and I was surprised that once I had thought about it, my lowest points had been in the beginning, and I was now on an extreme up rise! Then there was another activity where we had a few sentence starters (ex. I want..., I need..., I hope...) and we had to finish them. Here are a few examples of my final sentences.

I want... JAMON (Ham).

I need... to stop skyping my family and friends so much.

I hope... I will be fluent in Spanish by the end.

Martha and I writing our letters

And then after another very late night, we woke up Sunday morning for one last activity. An activity where we had to write a letter to our future selves, one that we will receive at the end of our ten months. I began my letter (Dear Megg...) and after that I just stared at the blank page for a while. How do you even begin to explain what you've been through, what you hope everything turns out to be like, and how you think you will be effected as a person in the end. For me, that was the hardest part of the entire weekend. I guess you can say I'm scared. Scared of the future, I guess we all are. But to know that my new self, a better version of myself awaits, and will be found within the next eight months. It is all exciting, terrifying, and overall just emotional. In the end, I sealed the envelope with a textbook inside. once I started writing, I couldn't stop!

I guess the future awaits for all of us. Time goes on for all of us. We just have to remember to take advantage of the time we have in the present, to make sure that the future becomes all that we've hoped it will be. 

And enjoying the present is exactly what we did that weekend, I love my AFS friends from all around the world, individually they have each taught me so much, and as a whole they have helped me get through the hardest of times. Because "connecting lives by sharing cultures" is what AFS stands for.

my sassy best friends, love you guys!

I got to see Aitor again, miss you already!

Strikes, Bull Fights, and My New Family

My first two weeks in Valladolid have been perfect. Last week I witnessed a student strike, which ended up not being at all what I expected. In America, the only thing we could ever fight for is better cafeteria food and shorter days. Nothing of actual importance. I was honestly very impressed with the student strikes. All across Spain, students are fighting for their rights, protesting against the government, because apparently there were education cuts made. I don't know the exact gist of things, but I do know that the spanish youth population was very enthusiastic about it all. We have already had 3 strike days in the past two weeks. And for the most part, the schools support it because it isn't the school the students are fighting, it is the government. It all has to do with the crisis, meaning this year there will be more strikes than normal. I heard a rumor that every Thursday until Christmas is a strike day? I love how this just happens in Spain, I could NEVER imagine this being possible in the US. 

fighting for my rights?

"If the government doesn't listen, then the students will rebel!"

Paige and I

 Last weekend, I spent the night at Paige's house. That night, we ate pizza and watched Gossip Girl in spanish. The next morning we were on our way to what we thought was a bull fight. We went with her sister, and when she first told us the details we had imagined a bull fight/festival kind of thing. All we knew for certain was that we were taking a bus here and there. Well when the bus picked us up, to our surprise it was a rented mini bus with all of her sisters friends. The "bull fighting ring" was actually a small sandy patch in the middle of nowhere, and the "bulls" were small cows. The day ended up being better than either of us had expected. We unloaded the bus, and then the boys started the barbecue. The lunch was fantastic, way better than any of my friends in the US could have put together! Then the "fights" began. Even though there was no hurting or killing of the bulls. In reality, more people were hurt in the ring, than bulls!

Paige and Laura (sisters) 

Laura (Paige's sister) and I

Why is Paige on a horse led by an eight year old?

my new dog!

I have been in Spain for six weeks and it had not rained at all up until this Tuesday. There has been non-stop rain ever since! Now don't let that fool you though, my mood does not reflect the weather one bit! I am proud to finally announce that I am living with my new family in Arroyo de la Encomienda. Arroyo is a very small pueblo RIGHT outside of Valladolid. And I feel like I have the best of both worlds, the peace and quiet of a small town, but because Valladolid is right around the corner (literally), there are always things to do. Also, Paige and Esther (AFS students) both live in Arroyo too! It is perfect, and my family is really really great! I have two sisters Irene (15) and Alba (18), and my mom's name is Marta. I am still getting to know my new family, but I already feel like I fit in really well. And my room is amazing, I have the loft all to myself!

Valladolid!

I officially start school on Monday, now that all of the paperwork is finally done! I can finally get back into a normal schedule, which I am beyond excited about! Normal is exactly what I need. And this weekend I will be in Ponferrada for an AFS Orientation, which I have been looking forward too since the day I left Madrid back in September. All four AFS students in Valladolid (Paige, Esther, Clement, and I) will be taking the train there and back (Friday-Sunday), and I am sure I will have another long blog post dedicated to this coming weekend!

For everyone in Alexandria, I am extremely jealous that it is spirit week, and today you are having the pep rally, and tomorrow... Homecoming. I can't believe this will be the first time I've ever missed a school dance. But I know you will all look beautiful, and you will have such a great time!

Hasta pronto!

“Today is the first day of the rest of your life.” -Anonymous

A lot has changed since September 30th.

I'm not sure how to begin this post, or how to write it at all for that matter. I don't want to take the topic lightly, but at the same time it isn't my place to give every detail. 

On October 8th, I left Ponferrada for Valladolid. I had decided to switch families, and while it was for the best, I don't wish a situation like this on anyone. It was very difficult, because this family made it possible for me to live in Spain in the first place. When it came down to it though, we had very different lifestyles, and that made adapting to the cultural aspects that much harder. There were other reasons as well, but again it is not my place to share.

Now I am being vague, but I don't want anyone to think that switching families is easy, fast, or emotionless. In reality, October 8th was the hardest day of my life. And you wouldn't know how hard until you are sitting across the dinner table from a family that has given you all they could, and you have just told them that you will be taking the next bus out to a city four hours away for the remainder of your year. It's hard. It's not easy. And It's not a fast process. I write my blog for a few reasons, but mainly because I want to inspire upcoming exchange students. I hope you understand that switching families was not my first choice, nor the easy way out. Switching was my last option, but truly for the best.

I am currently writing this blog post from Valladolid, where I am living with an AFS volunteer Monica, and her Daughter Michelle (who is also a volunteer). Michelle just got back from her year abroad in Finland this summer, and Monica is a study abroad returnee as well. Michelle and Monica have been so great to invite me into their home, where I will be living temporarily until a new host family is found. I am truly grateful for everything AFS has done for me, and I am 100% sure that I made the right decision when choosing organizations. They have helped me every step of the way, and I couldn't thank them enough!

I am sorry for the brief update, but the past weeks have been very hard. There is not much more to say about my situation, other than the fact that I am now extremely happy with where I will be living for the next nine months. I have complete faith that AFS will find me a great family here in Valladolid.

Valladolid.

My new home.

Like my best friend Paige said, "This is it Megg, the moment you've been waiting for your entire life, the beginning of your year." Now I could think back on the past, on the millions of mistakes I've made or I can treat today like it is the first day of the rest of my life. I can treat every day like it's the first day of the rest of my life, and I will because that's the only way to move forward. 

Hopefully I will update soon with my great adventures in my new home! 

¡Chao!