The beginning...

Before I start Spain: Part 2, I thought I should make a new blog.  The last one, "Semester Abroad in Valencia," just somehow didn't seem appropriate for my upcoming year in Extremadura.  In about 18 days I'll be on a flight to Madrid, then take the train or bus (plans are still pretty nonexistent) to my small pueblo town of Navalmoral de la Mata in the region of Extremadura, Spain.   But I'll be about 2 hours away from Madrid, so I don't think small town life should be too bad...


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I feel like I have SO much left to do before I leave.  I stop working at Clyde's (waitressing) on the 15th, so I think I'm going to just wait until then to start packing. I'll go crazy if I start now.  I've been collecting things here and there over the summer from Target and other stores (but let's be honest...Target is the best).  Things that I wished I had had last go around in Spain: American deodorant, contact solution (one bottle is about $20 in Spain), peanut butter, the 4-wheel" suitcases (I'll never forget walking from my Valencia apartment to the metro rolling two of the regular suitcases on wheels and my backpack...never doing that again).

But in good news, I have a place to live once I get to Navalmoral!  This whole summer when people would ask where I was living, I would answer, "Umm, I don't know...I'll figure it out when I get there." Luckily a few days ago, the Spanish roommate of the two girls who were Auxiliares in Navalmoral last year contacted me and asked if I wanted to take their place as her roommate this year.  She found us a place and moved in the other day.  So, thankfully I won't be homeless when I get there!

Now it's time to get a little sappy...This year (2011) has had some very distinct phases to it.  I can divide it into 3 different "eras" almost.  Era #1:  Last semester of college.  Definitely the best time I had in my four years at UVa.  I got so close to so many people and was so sad after beach week and graduation to be leaving Charlottesville, my friends, and my home for the last four years.  But then came era #2: Clyde's.   Definitely nothing compared to my time at UVa, but it was a great distraction from the transition into the "real world". I had worked at Clyde's about 3 years ago, but this time was a lot better...this time I was over 21 and could go to the bar after a long shift. Such a necessary thing for restaurant life.  Between Clyde's fun, my sister and her husband visiting from their home in Australia, and quality time with the parents, this summer was wonderful.  So, now that I'm about to end the Clyde's era, I'm getting nostalgic. But, I felt this way (on a much bigger scale) I was when the UVa era ended. I'm just hoping that this means that when era #3, the Navalmoral era, comes to an end, I'll be sad to be ending that part of my life too.  I have no expectations for life in Spain and am going into this adventure fully open to whatever happens. All I know is that I'm going to be eating lots and lots of delicious food.  I'm going to miss everyone and please, please, please stay in touch!

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