The Things I'll Miss the Most...

So as of today it's officially three weeks before I make the move 'across the pond' to Madrid.  Being so close to my departure date I'm feeling so many mixed emotions.  As excited as I am to go on this adventure and see all my friends (and my boyfriend) over in Spain, I know that there will be plenty of things I will miss about the US and my home state.

Beautiful RI beaches, even in the winter.

While I know this move is the right choice for me, it's still bittersweet as I say goodbye to everything I know.  Even when I went to an out of state school my freshman year I came home once a month and was home for all important holidays and events.  This time though I won't even be home for Christmas and may not see my loved ones until next summer (Though I'm very lucky to have such a great support system waiting for me in Spain!)

It's a giant leap into the 'adult' world and is full of scary unknowns and 'what-ifs': What if I don't like it there?  What if I don't like teaching there?  What if my boyfriend actually can't live with me? What if, what if, what if.  Instead of focusing on my worries I thought I would keep my mind on the positive.  I love Spain a lot, but I also love where I am from, and there are plenty of things I love about home that I'll miss.  I mean, it's a pretty awesome place to live if I do say so myself...

My Friends And Family

We didn't make matching t-shirts or anything...

This is a give-in usually, I think it's pretty common when you pack up and leave a place you've lived (in my case for my whole life) that you miss the people you've met along the way.  I have a great group of friends, some from high school and some from college, that have been there for me over the years and have been a really great support group.

It's taken a few years to get a solid group of real friends that I know I can depend on and will support me through anything, even if it's something like wanting to eat all day at Friendly's...or moving to Madrid.  

Best friend piggy back rides

It's definitely bittersweet saying goodbye to these who have been constants in my life, but it's even harder with most of us graduated and going our separate ways this year.  With myself and another friend to Spain, one to China, one staying in New Jersey, one maybe going to Idaho, and the others on the 'adult' job search, we're all going in different directions.

It's like we're the Sisterhood of Traveling Pants, but without the traveling pants...or all being girls...

And likewise with my friends comes missing my family while I'll be abroad this year. We may be small, but we're very close. My parents are divorced, but my mom and I are close and always do girl things together. I see my Dad every week and we've always been incredibly close too. He's my go to for logical advice on anything, especially handy now with my packing underway...

Not to mention my brother, my cousins (even though they might as well be my siblings!), my grandpa, and my aunt. All amazing!

As for my grandpa, he's probably the hardest to say goodbye to.  He was diagnosed with Alzheimer's earlier this year and it's hard knowing he doesn't always remember me anymore.  I often feel guilty leaving him behind this September as I head out on this adventure, but I know that if he was in a better state he would be the one pushing me to Spain.  So as much as this move is for myself, it's for doing what my grandpa would want for me. <3

Can't forget my baby!  I'll miss him too!

Food

Yum, wings with sauce!

This is my favorite topic in the entire world, food.  I love food.  And even though I do love Spanish food, I love saucy, spicy, sweet American food too.  I'm trying to hit all of my favorite local spots before I leave because I know food is something I missed a lot while in Spain the past two summers.

It's funny how things you don't really think about, like specific foods, can make a world of difference in homesickness.  Last summer when I was missing American food my boyfriend took me to Foster's Hollywood so I could get my American food fix and that little taste of home made me so happy.

Delicious, delicious Bismarks.

After visiting Spain a couple of times before I know what American foods I miss the most: good BBQ sauce, Buffalo sauce, any sauce, spicy food, good burgers, blue cheese dressing, peanut butter, dessert, maple syrup, and ice cream that's not plain. I'm trying to fit all of those in within the next three weeks...probably not the healthiest choice, but hey that's why I go to the gym so much!

Thanks to my food-loving friends I've definitely been making a dent in my list of must-have foods.  Not to mention so many people have already started stocking me up on food supplies to bring to Spain this year!  I already have BBQ sauce, Buffalo sauce, vanilla extract, and whole sauce recipe book my cousin put together for my birthday (I know it will be a lifesaver!).

But even with all this preparation I know there is one thing I will miss most of all.  Good beer, and a wide selection of good beer.  It's a hard thing to say "good-bye" to 69 beers on tap and "hello" to only one.  And that 'one' might as well be water.  Oh well, I guess you can't have everything.

I shall miss you dear beer with actual flavor!

New England Landscape

Rhode Island is a little known state.  Really.  Ask anyone outside of New England and they don't know it exists (sometimes even in NE!!), but I think it's one of the most beautiful.  We have a beautiful, rugged coastline, large forests, and hidden ponds and rivers.

It's full of New England charm and its landscape is something I will sorely miss while in Madrid.  I've always grown up near the ocean, my house is fifteen minutes and my dad's is only five.  My whole life I've never lived more than fifteen minutes away the ocean.  The beach was always my escape; a place I would go to study, read a book, or take a walk when I just needed a break from everything.  To not have that this year will be one of the hardest things to get used to.

Another part of Rhode Island, and New England in general, that I miss when I visit Spain is the woods.  How else could you have beautiful New England foliage in the fall if there weren't so many trees!  I live on a dead-end, seriously surrounded by trees, and have only one neighbor.

Along with not having the ocean, I won't have the solitude that comes from living in the wooded country.  I'm definitely moving out of my element going to Madrid, the third largest city in Europe, where I'm sure it will be much harder to find the solitude I'm used to.

While I'm excited for a new experience in the 'big city' I'll definitely miss my country roots and the landscape I grew up with.  I'm trying to take in as much of the woods, ocean, and rivers as I can before the trees I'll find will be in a park and I'll be serenaded by noises other than crickets at night.

Growing up my friends and I were all so excited to leave our small town one day and start out somewhere new in the big world.  Now that the day is coming up fast I find that I have much more appreciation for the beautiful area I was so lucky to grow up in, but so little time left to appreciate it!

I'm king of the world!  Or something like that...

Holidays and Traditions

Just my pumpkin patch donkey friend.

This really goes hand and hand with my missing my family, as most of these traditions are things we've done together since I was a little kid.  Being so far away, this is the first year I won't be able to celebrate birthdays, do any of these traditions, or celebrate any major holidays with my family.  

In the fall we always go pumpkin picking at one of the local farms.  Usually we also go in the corn maze and on the hayride, then go home and decorate our pumpkins.  I doubt I'll even be able to find a whole pumpkin in Spain, and celebrating Halloween there is very different (if even celebrated).  

Along with Thanksgiving, which obviously isn't traditionally celebrated in Spain, is cutting down our Christmas tree.  We always get it the Friday after Thanksgiving and it will be hard not being there to help pick it, cut it down, then decorate it at home.

While I know the Spanish Christmas celebration is not as different as Halloween, at least in my boyfriend's family, there will be certain traditions I'll miss doing with my family.  

Making all of our Christmas cookies for example, sometimes I think we end up with more cookies than dinner food...  Or our annual arts and craft project, reading the "Night Before Christmas," watching our holiday movies, and celebrating Christmas with specific traditions from our mixed cultural heritage.

1000x yum!

My family is a mix of the British Isles, Sweden, Germany, and French Canadian and a lot of that is incorporated in how we celebrate the holiday.  Our Christmas Eve food is normally a mix of traditional food from the British Isles, our Christmas Day breakfast is always Swedish (Swedish pancakes and coffee bread), and we of course have the German Christmas pickle...yes that's a real thing.

I know I'll miss spending the important days with my family but I know I'll get to experience a whole new set of cultures and traditions, as well as share some of my own as well.  Some of my friends have already mentioned having a Madrid Thanksgiving, and who knows, maybe I'll bring my own German pickle!

Free Gym Membership

This may sound like a strange thing to most people.  What normal person would miss a gym membership so much?  Well maybe I'm not that 'normal' but I honestly just really love working out, is that weird...  I seriously do like having my routine of three hours a week, I like doing cardio and strength, I like feeling stronger, having more stamina, and I like that I can go for free.  I'm sure most of you stopped right there, free?  As in no money?  But yes, you read that correctly.  For the past two years I've worked at the local YMCA and as a part-time employee I get a free membership, saving me hundreds of dollars a year!!

Now with moving to Madrid I'm worried about how I will be able to workout there.  I don't think I'll have enough money to spend on a monthly membership, as most seem to be at least €30+.  I've really been dependent on my membership while at home because every time I try to run outside I have intense hip pain (thank you scoliosis for my uneven hips).  I definitely will miss the free membership, and thus far have not come up with any way to soothe this loss in the move abroad...

My Car

Told you I was surrounded by woods!

As much as I do love the reliable transportation in Spain and don't really like driving that much, I will still miss my car.  

Or at least the freedom having my own car gives me.  I don't have to wait for the public transportation schedule, I don't have to worry about how late or early the transportation runs, and I don't have to know where I need to meet it either.  When I want to go somewhere, or need to get away, I can just hop in my car and I'm off.  

Having my own car is again something else I often took for granted living here.  Yes, driving is not my favorite, but I had the freedom to come and go as I please.  While I really am looking forward to public transportation this coming year I know I will miss not having the independence to rely on myself when I want to get somewhere.

Definitely won't miss this:

9 inches of snow...and only the middle of the storm

Sorry if this is a little "down," but now you can read about all the great things I'm looking forward to abroad!

For those of you moving, or doing a similar program, what will you miss about home?  Do you think you'll miss any of the same things?

The Week that Wouldn't End

So for the first time in long while I let a whole week go by without posting.  I can't help but feel guilty about this; like my lack of posts breaks some unspoken blog-world rules.  Then I remind myself that I'm pretty sure all those blog "views" are from my mom...

Regardless, my silence this past week has half been because I just didn't have any topic I felt strongly about writing, but also half because this has been a non-stop week of crazy.

Normally my schedule this summer has been babysitting three days a week and working twice at the local YMCA (yay for free membership!); but this week I picked up extra shifts on top of all the events that happened to land on this week.  All of this meaning I can't remember the last time I had adequate sleep or didn't need to chug a coffee to remain semi-conscious.

Since I don't want to bore everyone with my thrilling seven-day week work schedule, here are some of the more exciting parts of my long week in picture form.  Hopefully this coming week will bring more inspiration to post, and a little bit of a break wouldn't hurt either...

Finally rode my bike to the local beach, too bad it was 90°+

Enjoyed a much belated birthday dinner.

A nice storm-filled WaterFire Captain's training

Made some fabulous blow-art with the kids I babysit

Not to mention domino chains...

Had some quality time with the world's coolest (fattest?) cat.

BEACH BOYS CONCERT! AKA dream come true.

Enjoyed a manicure by one talented 6-year old.
(Don't worry, she saved the thumb for glitter)

How has this past week been for you?  Are you enjoying a relaxing summer, or working your tail off?

Spainless Summer

With summertime right around the corner (or you know, officially today...) I'm having a hard time coming to terms with my current summer plans.  For the past two summers I have been lucky enough to call Spain 'home.'   But not this summer. *insert sad face*  My boyfriend is finishing up his semester studying abroad in China and will be traveling around Asia before he returns home to Spain in August.  Not to mention I'll be working throughout the summer saving up the last bits of money I can scrape together before I move to Spain sometime in September.

Puerto Chico, Santander

Parque de la Magdalena

So next Monday when public schools end here and I am finished working with the kids, it's official.  I will begin my "Spainless Summer."  But you may ask, "but aren't you going to Spain for a full year?!"  Yes I am, but it's just not the same as summertime in Spain!  There's just something entirely different and beautiful about being in Spain in the summer months.  Especially in the northern regions of Spain known as 'Green Spain.'

While it truly is wondrously green in this region of Spain, it gets that way by raining quite frequently throughout the year.  Until the magical summer months where from June through August, at least in Santander, it is its driest.  This is when everyone flocks to the beautiful local beaches, enjoys the festivals and fairs, drinks in the streets, and basks in the generally glorious summer weather.  Here are some pictures of the beautiful coastline throughout the summer (in case you didn't believe me):

Llanes, Asturias

But why would I miss the coastline of Spain so much when I live in the 'Ocean State?' Well the summer is a wonderful time for traveling in northern Spain and I miss the culture and history you constantly encounter.  In the summer there are so many local festivals and many of the people are very in tune with their local history and customs.  It was not uncommon to stumble upon a festival and see people dressed in the traditional clothes of their region.  This is so unlike anything here because most of us have a mixed heritage and don't often celebrate where we came from in such a distinct way.

Oh you know, just exploring a stone church

As for history, my town back home was only founded in the early 19th century, before that there were no permanent settlements in the area. Santander however has existed since the 12th century, even though it wasn't officially recognized as a 'city' until the late 18th century and like many cities in Europe, you don't have to travel very far to see some ancient ruins. Everywhere you go in Spain you are reminded by how 'old' Europe really is; many of the countries, structures, customs, and cultures have been in place for centuries.  I remember my Spanish friends dismissively introducing me to the 'new' part of the city by saying, "Oh, it's only been here for a few hundred years. It's really new." Back home anything that is a few hundred years old is practically considered ancient! Most cities in Europe are have been around longer than our country has even existed.

Not to mention it's so easy to travel between countries when in Europe. Visiting Spain in the summer has allowed me to easily country hop and see different sites in Europe. Traveling in the United States is quite different because it's so much larger and everything is more spread out. A five hour drive in Spain gets me from Santander to Madrid, here that would only be from Rhode Island to Maine.

Casually in some Roman ruins...

Guaposss

But the biggest thing I will miss during my 'Spainless Summer' is my wonderful friends across the pond.  By the time I arrive in Spain it will be a full year since I have seen them all.  They have been a huge part it what has made these past two summers wonderful; from the first day I met them all at the airport with a banner welcoming me to Spain, to the last time I left with tears in my eyes.  They may have started out as my boyfriend's friends, but they have become some of my dearest friends.  They patiently encourage force me to practice my Spanish and always make sure I feel comfortable and included.

In Spain I got to see them every day and I've come to define summer as being my time with them.  I'll miss the backyard barbecues, the lazy beach days, the late night kebabs, the spontaneous adventures, and the laughs we shared.  More than a group of friends, they've become my family when I'm thousands of miles away from my own and everything I know.  Last summer I spent my birthday at Sanfermines and they surprised me with a wheel of cheese and sang happy birthday in the middle of the park.  Then threw me a surprise party back in Santander.  Their constant care and consideration has made my visits to Spain more than a trip to Europe, but a visit to my second family.  And not having them this surrounding me this summer will be the most difficult thing to come to terms with.

I'm so lucky to have them all!

 Now that it's officially first day of summer, I must come to terms with the fact that I will not being going to my 'summer home.'  In my mind part of me still thinks I'll be on the plane in a week or two and see those lovely faces inviting me to some tapas and cañas.  But I won't be spending my summer enjoying the free beaches of Santander, or having my ice cream buddy Pedro convince me that we need more llaollao, or going shopping with my girls, or having Julio yet again try to teach Spanish games (sorry Julio, I'll remember how to play one day!), or any of the other things I have come to associate with summer.  There really is no denying that I've been incredibly lucky to have had all of these experiences for two summers in a row.

Basking in Parque del Retiro, Madrid

BUT

Perhaps a trip to Block Island with my Dad
to visit my Great-Aunt...

I'm not moping around about my 'Spainless Summer.'  I mean I'll be there for a whole year starting in the fall making memories and this summer gives me the chance to spend time with my family and friends before I leave.  I'll be babysitting two wonderful kids who I will miss so much in the Fall, enjoying my last tastes of home, and it also doesn't hurt that summertime in Rhode Island happens to be gorgeous.  My 'Spainless Summer' means I'll get to enjoy the Fourth of July for the first time in a few years, have a real blazing campfire perfect for some s'mores roasting, go crazy on all the rides at the Washington County State Fair, and takes some long awaited road trips.

Or a road trip to my friend in Maine.

Overall, it means I'll get the chance to do many things I love about RI in the summertime, but haven't gotten to do because I haven't been here.  It may not be the kind of summer I've gotten used to, but it's the kind of summer I have grown up on and love with all my heart.  This could very well be one of my last summers I'll get to enjoy in the 'Ocean State, ' depending on where the wind takes my boyfriend and I with future work offers.  So I want to enjoy every second of it, even if it means having to fork over $60 for a beach pass... *ugh*

There's so much I want to do and so many people I want to see before I leave for Spain.  I have many amazing friends right here whom I love dearly and have been there for me for many years.  Spending this summer at home has turned into a blessing in disguise, giving me the means to say goodbye to everything and everyone I love before I take this next step in my life.  I may not know where I'm going, but I know where I came from.  And it's a pretty great place.

I plan on volunteering with WaterFire as much as I can...

Roasting some marshmallows...

Enjoying RI's beautiful beaches...

Or taking in a baseball game. (GO RED SOX/PAW SOX!)

I want to put some more miles on my kayak...

Devour delicious, delicious wings...

AND GOOD BEER!

Have you ever had a 'second home' for the summer?  Do you have any summer plans so far?