The Final Countdown

We have passed the two-week mark. Two weeks and I will return to home and all the goodness that entails.

The most common question as of late is how I feel about the dwindling number of days. It is bittersweet for sure. I have not struggled with homesickness while I have been in Spain. I tend to be content whatever the circumstance, a good trait for traveling. Still, I think I have reached the point where I am more excited to be home than to stay in Spain. This by no means lessens my experience or stops me from taking advantage of every minute I have left. It just means that 4 months is a long time to be away from the familiar.

But returning has its consequences too. There is a lot of Spain I will miss. I can definitely see myself returning to Spain someday, hopefully sooner rather than later. Quite honestly, I am enchanted by this country. In my small travels to other European countries, I have found nothing else comparable to Spain. Sometimes I fancy myself spending retirement in a seaside pueblo.

So, as I go forward onto my last two weeks, I prepare for my final exams. How far I have come in learning the language I knew very little of coming into this experience. Sometimes it is hard to see this progression as I survive on a day-to-day basis. It takes something like studying for all-accumulating, only-grade-in-the-gradebook exams to help me see where I started.

While we were in Barcelona for the past days, Oviedo became decked in holiday cheer. The cathedral square in the center of the city has been turned into a life-sized nativity, complete with a three-story tall Christmas tree. I wasn’t expecting this to happen in a country that denounces religion, but really, who can pass up some good ole Christmas Cheer. For the most part, Spanish homes remain undecorated except for an occasional stuffed Santa crawling over a ladder hung off the apartment balcony. The Spanish celebrate Nochebuena (the Good Night) and then Día de Los Reyos Magos (Day of the 3 Magi) in early January. Traditionally, the latter has been the only one celebrated, but with growing globalization, Christmas Eve has made it into the holiday schedule.

The temperature has consistently been in the mid-50 degrees F so far this December, with the exception of December 1, where it was sunny and mid-60’s. Nothing to complain about. More frequently now rain gets added to the mix, but that isn’t even all too often. I am looking forward to my arrival at home, just in time for Christmas. I miss December weather with the promise of snow in the air, mittens, boots and sweaters. I miss the feeling in December when home is a haven, a retreat from everything cold and dark. Christmas becomes all the more meaningful when it means returning to home.

Not sure how much time I will have for updates the next few weeks, so right now I would like to thank all of you, my family and friends, for thinking of me and keeping up with me over this past semester. I greatly appreciate all the support I have received from home while far away. I hope to reunite with you soon!

Happy Holidays!