Sandidgecom212's Blog
Just another WordPress.com weblogArchive for March, 2010
Time flies when you’re having fun…
I don’t know how many times I’ve said I’m ready to go home or I miss home or I need to get away from Salamanca…well now the time is finally here! I have about a month left here and it’s left me wondering where in the world the time has gone?! I mean honestly I’m already registering for my senior year classes!!! Ahhhh it’s absolutely crazy and mindblowing to me. It seems like just yesterday I entered the Wake Forest campus and now here I am, 3 years later living it up in Spain!! I feel so blessed, better than blessed! God is really showering me with his blessing and I pray he continues to lead and guide me in the right way.
I’m 3/4 of the way done with my time here and now I’m having a hard time dealing with having to leave soon! There are definitely a lot of things I’ll miss and sooo much I feel I have to do before I have to leave. I guess my biggest lesson learned is to never rush time…because it rolls by anyway. Enjoy the moment, live in the present, take advantage of all opportunities, and don’t have any regrets 
So I’m no longer saying “I wish it was May 8th” or “only _ more days left”. I’m taking it one day at a time, because I know when I’m back at Wake sitting in a 50 mins. class I’ll be daydreaming wishing I was back on the streets of Salamanca <3
Paris – the city of lovers
So0ooo it’s been awhile, but I have a few new updates for my blog! Mainly about my trip to Paris last weekend!!! I had an absolutely amazing time! It was sooooo gorgeous. And to think I didn’t even want to go to Paris?? I know, crazy huh? I guess I was thinking it wasn’t all that, but it was everything I could have asked for plus more! It was definitely worth … missing my train (yes, unfortunately), running to the bus station (on the outskirts of salamanca), an extra (yes extra) 20 euros, rapid hearbeat, 12am bus ride to madrid, paranoia on the metro, a night spent at the airport (without sleep), a crazy security check (lost my biore), 2hour flight, arriving in the countryside of France, a 1.5 hour ride to the city of Paris, being deceived out of 6 euros, 4 hour look for the hotel only to discover…McDonalds was right next door
On the bright side, we had an amazing little hotel!!, FREE museums/sites tours (because we’re under 26 of course!), the best pizza, croissants, and crepes everrrrr, a view of Moulin Rouge, amazing pictures, memorizing the metro line, the best deal on scarves by far, nightlife in the city , las galleries lafayette: louis vutton – chanel – versace — the original ones yesssss to sum up the trip it was AMAZING!
I’m pretty proud of Morgs and myself being able to navigate the HUGE city of Paris on our OWN! We did extremely well. We have conquered Paris and look forward to Rome now.
Things I’ve noticed about Paris: 1. the people there speak ENGLISH – don’t be afraid to ask immediately “je parlas anglais?” because they know english (hell, they know it better than I do) 2. the french are sooo laid-back and chill – I didn’t see anything obscence or crazy, just quietness…everyone is honestly really cool and they don’t stare at you like the people in spain lol 3. people in France shop as well – the galleries lafayette was PACKED 4. everything is a good 2-10 euros more in France (expect it, a can of Coke = 4 euros 
, 5. PARIS is huge, but their metro system is AWESOME – it will get you to where you need to be in NO time! you literally hop off the metro and you’re right there at your destination. It’s really easy to follow and understand as well. 6. sleep is NOT a given in Paris, you really don’t need it. your main focus should be seeing as much as you can while you’re there and enjoying your experience. 7. all the major monuments, eiffel tower, arc, etc, look wayyy better at night 8. i honestly didn’t see that many lovers there lol. people just seemed to be on chill mode. 9. there is a mcdonalds EVERYWHERE so have no worries 10. you will be forced to FALL IN LOVE WITH PARIS it’s beyond magicallllll
I feel as though this trip has definitely taught me a lot more about being responsible and being on time. Everything in Europe is puncutal – with that being said you need to be an hour ahead of the schedule AT ALL TIMES. There is no time for f-ing up or missing flights/trains/etc. because you WILL be left. Hey, I had to learn the hard way when I missed my train in Salamanca (sad, but true) but it’s taught me to be more aware and responsible with my time and to plan AHEAD of schedule. I’ve learned you should always be prepared and have an idea of where you’re headed and what you plan to do.
Another thing this trip made me realize is just how much I would love for my family/friends to be here to partake in this experience with me. But I realize I’m the one blessed with the opportunity to be here and I MUST take advantage of every moment. More importantly, I would have loveddd for Aaron to be here as well because that’s his city and I could SO see him there! I pray he’s afforded the opportunity to travel there, because that’s defn where he should be. Being there gave me an even greater appreciation for his love of the French culture, language, and people. I look forward to learning more about from him I wish more than anything he could have been there to partake in the trip of a lifetime with me, but I trust and believe we’ll have our day. If anything this trip has renewed within me a sense of faith, trust, and love in him! I’ll never stop believing in our love for one another! <3
Be yourself
Right now I feel that the biggest lesson I’ve learned since being here is to: Be YOURSELF. I’m here travelling with a big group of people and within that group there are so many different personalities and attitudes and perspectives. It’s sooo easy to become caught up in the hype and follow the crowd. But I’ve always been a leader. I’d like to think it comes from me being an only child and being able to venture off on my own and handle things on my own. But more importantly, how to be an INDIVIDUAL.
Believe me we’ve had our fair share of drama within the group with personalities colliding and what not. I’ve definitely seen the leaders take an active role, take charge, lead the group, and direct them in the way that is pleasing to them. And I’ve seen the followers – following behind the leaders, not speaking out, agreeing to go along with the group. But me? I make my own path. If there’s something the group is doing that I don’t want to partake in, I go do what I want to do. More importantly I feel like I shouldn’t have to be judged for doing whatever it is that I want to do. I’m all about a person choosing to do whatever it is that makes them happy. But here I feel like if you’re not rolling with the group you’re talked about, cast out, or looked down upon.
If anything this feeling has made me want to be even more individualistic. I play my own horn and I definitely don’t need anyone to tell me what I need to do or direct me. If there’s something I want, I make it happen on my own. I never want to feel like I have to fit in or depend on other people to make things happen for me. I have no problem rolling solo or rolling duo with Morg =)
Another thing I’ve learned related to this topic is that you don’t have to make friends with anyone. Granted I enjoy meeting new people and whatnot, but I’m not here for these people and from what I’ve learned neither are these people here for me either. It’s a man eat man world out there and you’ve got to know how to survive. I’m not going to waste my time forcing friendships with people I know that it’s not going to work out. There’s no time to be phony and fake. As Morg would say if you’re not “vibing” with someone you might as well let it go. It’s not going to happen!
The last important note I’d like to mention is standing up for what you believe in. If there’s something you don’t agree with or dislike, SAY IT! Holding your tongue only makes the feeling/situation ten times worse.
I know on this trip things have been said, behind my back more than likely, and even to my face. Jealously is rampant here. I feel like I’m judged when I eat (what I eat – especially if it’s McDonalds), what I buy (whenever I go shopping it’s like World War III), and even my major (which apparently is the “easy” way out at Wake) These things among many I have allowed to upset me and anger me, but I have done something about it – I have spoken out and let people know that they can’t just say anything and think they can get away with it. These people are used to dealing with weak individuals and I’m definitely not one. And I know there are even times when I think people don’t think before they speak, but when you speak out you can then show them that they are wrong/inappropriate for saying whatever they did.
At the end of the day, I realize you only have yourself, your family, and your true friends. It’s always, of the utmost importance to “be yourself”..
Try something new
Soooo I realize it’s been about 3 weeks since I last blogged so I definitely have some catching up to do (and luckily I have a journal as well so it makes catching up a lot easier!)
I’ve definitely been feeling some kind of way about being abroad these last few weeks, especially after travelling to different places like Santander, Llanes, Bilbao, and of course, San Sebastian!!! (I love it)
Over the course of these trips I feel like I’ve definitely put myself out there to try new things I don’t normally do. I feel like in life we become so comfortable and so complacent with the way things are that when we’re finally presented with the chance to try something new or try something different we don’t take that opportunity to do so.
My greatest challenge when it comes to trying something new here has been food. I’m probably the world’s most pickiest eater. My madre in Spain always reminds me how much I detest vegetables at every meal. But I’ve learned here in Spain either you eat it, buy it, or go hungry…there’s no other options.
A lot of the foods I’ve eaten here have been really different from what I’d normally eat at home. It has made me realize just how much of a fast food junkie I really am. But I have learned to appreciate the meals my madre has cooked for me and the meals we eat here as a group.
My new challenge I need to conquer is venturing out to try new and different foods on my own. I have definitely found a safe haven in the McDonalds here. I say my reason is because it’s cheap, but really deep down on the inside my reason is because it’s a sort of comfort for me. It’s like I get a taste of home and it makes me feel good. But I’m realizing that I need to slowly branch away from these and perhaps venture into the world of “tapas” =)
So far I’ve had pretty good experiences with the new foods I’ve tried. Like I’ve discovered a soup my madre makes that I like (and I detest soup), I have a love for cabbage and squash now! and rice has become one of my favorite meals!
So with that being said…I guess my lesson is don’t be afraid to try something new. It’s easy to judge something you’ve never tried before or have no experience with but it’s true what they said, you don’t know and you won’t know until you “try something new…” Read the rest of this entry »
