So I think it's been about 3 weeks since I've blogged. I told many of you that I was going to keep a blog while I teach English this year in Spain, and I still plan on it! I kept telling myself, I'll just wait until my computer gets here, then I'll blog. Well, let me tell you about that. Right before I left to meet up with Pia in Rhode Island 3 months ago, I laid out everything that I thought I wanted my mom to ship to Spain once I arrived here. She very graciously packed everything (clothes, camera lenses, jewelry, toiletries, etc.) into two large boxes, and shipped them to my new address here in Madrid. Maybe I had forgotten to add my computer to the pile, because when I asked about it, she said, "you want your computer?" and I thought she was joking. So she packed yet another box and shipped it with the other two boxes. After about 6 days, I received two of the boxes, the two that didn't include the computer. A couple days later, I received a notice in the mail, and after a lot of translating and some help from my roommate, I figured out that my computer was stuck at customs. So this week, I took Monday off of work and went to Barajas to find my computer. To make a long story short, it took 3 hours, lots of paperwork, and I was sent to 4 different buildings just to get my computer. I thought I was going to have to pay an arm and a leg (or 'cobra una pasta', as they say in Spain), but it only ended up costing 5 euros! So now I have my computer! Which means I can blog more regularly and edit those 2,000-some pictures from this summer. And watch Breaking Bad. :)
It's hard to believe that three weeks ago, Pia and I were in Caceres, visiting my host family from two years ago. We stayed with Lola for 3 nights, which included lots of home-cooked meals, lots of translating, and lots and lots of amor, brazos, and besos from my Spanish family. That Friday, Pia and I spent the day at the school where I did my student teaching, where I was able to see some of my favorite teachers and students of all time. On Saturday night, Lola, her daughter, Maria, Pia, and I all went out to Club Boogaloo (love that name) to see a concert. On Sunday, Pia and I left to come back to Madrid. Here are some pictures of that weekend...
Sitting in on a music class at my school in Caceres :)
On our train ride back to Madrid, Pia and I reminisced about our adventure this summer. We made a list about our "favorites" and a list of statistics, which I will share in a moment. The three months I spent backpacking Europe with my best friend this summer were by far the best three months of my life. However, this trip was more than just a vacation. It was also the most challenging 3 months of my life. The most challenging part was being with the same person 24/7 for three whole months. I love Pia. She is still my best friend and probably forever will be, but there were many times where we felt like we were married to each other this summer. Not only did we learn so much about each other, we learned how to adapt to each other so we could make the three months traveling together enjoyable, and we learned so so so much about ourselves. Pia probably knows me better than any other person on this planet, all because of this summer. Right before we left, Pia's parents said they would be surprised if we were still friends after this trip, and I'm so happy to say that we are. Not only that, but we are better friends now than we were three months ago.
Since I studied abroad two years ago, I had a taste of what it was like to be away from my home and my own culture. Two years ago, I spent a semester in Spain and I was hardly ever homesick. However, on this trip, I was homesick more than a couple times. I think part of the reason was because Pia and I didn't have a "home". We just kept moving from one place to another every 3-ish days. I learned so much about all these different countries and cultures, and I really do appreciate them. But I've never appreciated the US and my home more than I do now.
A lot of people asked us how and when we decided we were going to go on this trip together. Pia and I first talked about it five years ago, our freshman year of college. We both had always wanted to do it, but we never really brought it up again until last year, summer of 2012. We both knew we were graduating the following year, and we weren't ready to enter the 'real working world', so instead, we wanted to see what the rest of the world has to offer. Then last October, we bought one-way tickets, and that's when we knew it was really going to happen.
And I'm so glad it did.
Pia left Madrid on October 2nd, the day after I began teaching. (I promise I will get to all of that in my next post!) It was very bittersweet saying goodbye to her. We weren't just saying goodbye to each other, we were saying goodbye to the best summer of our lives. But we also know that the end of this trip means a beginning to many other things: a beginning to an even better friendship, a beginning to better relationships with other people in our lives, a beginning to new perspectives, and a beginning to a new life. This year, I am teaching abroad and next year, Pia plans on going to grad school abroad. She and I also know that we will travel together in the future. We already have a couple trips planned... so stay tuned for more adventures! ;)
However, as far as the adventures from this summer... here's our list:
The number of...
countries we visited - 18
cities we visited - 31
hours we were together - 1,952
hours we were separated - 40
hostels we stayed in - 16
hotels we stayed in - 2
airbnb hosts we stayed with - 1
couchsurfing hosts we stayed with- 1
bottles of wine we drank - 29
beers we had - countless
trains we took - 20
boats we took - 3
buses we took - 10
convertibles we rode in - 2
planes we took - 5
languages we tried to learn - 11
tours we took - 7
times we missed transportation - 1
items Pia lost - 5
items Shea lost - 1 (that's right!)
times we were caught in the rain - 15
boys we kissed - 6
times we lost each other - 5 (2 of which were on the cruise)
movies we watched - 8
times we did laundry - 6
blisters we got - 21
live performances we saw - 23
bad/creepy hostel roommates we had - 13
times Shea spilled or dropped something - countless
cats that Pia became friends with - 3
The best....
Meal - Pasta in Rome, Italy
Ice cream cone - Brussels, Belgium
Gelato - San Valentino, Italy
Pizza - Venice, Italy (Shea) Pescara, Italy (Pia)
Scenic views - Swiss Alps and Cinque Terre
Hike - Cinque Terre, Italy
Country - Ireland
Cities - Berlin, Edinburgh, Helsinki, and Salzburg
Beer - Duvel from Brussels (Pia), Paulaner from Munich (Shea)
Wine - Red Aussie Shiraz in Rome
Hostel - Royal Mile Backpackers - Edinburgh
The worst...
City - Glasgow
Hostel - Hyde Park Inn, London
Meal - Hot dogs and beans in Glasgow, or the steak we tried to make on a hot plate in Vienna
Pia and I both know that we are so fortunate to have had this experience. Even though it sometimes wasn't fun planning and saving money for it, it is something that we created and it is something that we will always remember.
Now stay tuned for the next chapter in my life - teaching English in Madrid!
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| Yep, that's my host mom... bored in a museum. |
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| A nice dinner out with Lola and Pia |
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| Love my Spanish wine and love my host mom |
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| At dinner |
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| Pia and Tito created a special friendship |
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| One of my favorite beers! |
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| Lola and Maria at Boogaloo |
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| Concert at Boogaloo |
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| our last train ride together |
Since I studied abroad two years ago, I had a taste of what it was like to be away from my home and my own culture. Two years ago, I spent a semester in Spain and I was hardly ever homesick. However, on this trip, I was homesick more than a couple times. I think part of the reason was because Pia and I didn't have a "home". We just kept moving from one place to another every 3-ish days. I learned so much about all these different countries and cultures, and I really do appreciate them. But I've never appreciated the US and my home more than I do now.
A lot of people asked us how and when we decided we were going to go on this trip together. Pia and I first talked about it five years ago, our freshman year of college. We both had always wanted to do it, but we never really brought it up again until last year, summer of 2012. We both knew we were graduating the following year, and we weren't ready to enter the 'real working world', so instead, we wanted to see what the rest of the world has to offer. Then last October, we bought one-way tickets, and that's when we knew it was really going to happen.
And I'm so glad it did.
Pia left Madrid on October 2nd, the day after I began teaching. (I promise I will get to all of that in my next post!) It was very bittersweet saying goodbye to her. We weren't just saying goodbye to each other, we were saying goodbye to the best summer of our lives. But we also know that the end of this trip means a beginning to many other things: a beginning to an even better friendship, a beginning to better relationships with other people in our lives, a beginning to new perspectives, and a beginning to a new life. This year, I am teaching abroad and next year, Pia plans on going to grad school abroad. She and I also know that we will travel together in the future. We already have a couple trips planned... so stay tuned for more adventures! ;)
However, as far as the adventures from this summer... here's our list:
The number of...
countries we visited - 18
cities we visited - 31
hours we were together - 1,952
hours we were separated - 40
hostels we stayed in - 16
hotels we stayed in - 2
airbnb hosts we stayed with - 1
couchsurfing hosts we stayed with- 1
bottles of wine we drank - 29
beers we had - countless
trains we took - 20
boats we took - 3
buses we took - 10
convertibles we rode in - 2
planes we took - 5
languages we tried to learn - 11
tours we took - 7
times we missed transportation - 1
items Pia lost - 5
items Shea lost - 1 (that's right!)
times we were caught in the rain - 15
boys we kissed - 6
times we lost each other - 5 (2 of which were on the cruise)
movies we watched - 8
times we did laundry - 6
blisters we got - 21
live performances we saw - 23
bad/creepy hostel roommates we had - 13
times Shea spilled or dropped something - countless
cats that Pia became friends with - 3
The best....
Meal - Pasta in Rome, Italy
Ice cream cone - Brussels, Belgium
Gelato - San Valentino, Italy
Pizza - Venice, Italy (Shea) Pescara, Italy (Pia)
Scenic views - Swiss Alps and Cinque Terre
Hike - Cinque Terre, Italy
Country - Ireland
Cities - Berlin, Edinburgh, Helsinki, and Salzburg
Beer - Duvel from Brussels (Pia), Paulaner from Munich (Shea)
Wine - Red Aussie Shiraz in Rome
Hostel - Royal Mile Backpackers - Edinburgh
The worst...
City - Glasgow
Hostel - Hyde Park Inn, London
Meal - Hot dogs and beans in Glasgow, or the steak we tried to make on a hot plate in Vienna
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| Friends 5 years ago... |
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| Even better friends today :) |
Now stay tuned for the next chapter in my life - teaching English in Madrid!
The data, the numbers are fun. Thank you for sharing. What you learned about yourself priceless and valuable for life. And now another phase of the journey continues. Enjoy the view...and you know what I'm talking about!
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