Hello fans, followers, friends, and family! This Sunday marked one month until my return date, and my feelings about it are beginning to grow more and more mixed. As I come to the end of my exchange, I find that I'm not so sure I want to leave, while at the same time I'm anxious to go home and see all those things I've been missing all year. So, there's that.
When I began this post I was going to give it a topic, a thesis or something. In short, it was going to have a point. But I haven't got a point to make so today I'm just going to talk. That happens sometimes, as a person and as a writer. Sometimes we just ramble on about nothing. So here's my ramble.
My host parents are amazing. Like, not just as host parents/people to live with, but as people in general. I tell them that sometimes, thank them for feeding me or washing my sheets or whatever, and they tell me it's human decency. There are two things I say to that: first of all, that their kindness extends far beyond human decency. Second of all, human decency isn't exactly a trait possessed by all nowadays. So it's appreciated when people aren't rude and stuff.
The lovely people over at Domestic Square Peg have recently published something I wrote about adjusting to living abroad. It's one of a 5 part series, so I'll be on there for a month or two. I've included a link on the sidebar. It's seriously an awesome opportunity, and I'm really grateful to be able to be provided with it.
I was in Marbella for most of last week while my host parents were in Madrid, and was able to see with Nina, Matthew, and Josie which was simply lovely. I love travelling, and even though I'm on one big adventure just living here it's nice to be able to travel while here.
One of the biggest things I miss from America is doing things during the day as opposed to the night. "Going out" (leaving the house with friends from like 8-12) is the biggest way to pass time with other people, and I unfortunately inherited the urge to be in bed by 10 from my parents (thanks for that, by the way). I'd much rather go adventuring until 6 or 7, go home, eat, read, and go to sleep, but that doesn't happen like ever here. Oh well, just something I'll be able to appreciate more upon returning.
I'm starting to prepare for the next school year and it's both exciting and nerve-racking. I'm so excited to actually DO things next year- be a yearbook editor, be in the school musical, take dance classes, go skiing, apply for college, do schoolwork, have a job, etc. At the same time, I'm realizing just how much I want to do and how much time/energy it's going to take up. Not being involved in school this year has made me significantly lazier, and I'm worried about how that's going to affect me in my senior year. But still, I'm mostly excited... Even though AP summer homework is already kind of kicking my butt.
I guess that's what's on my mind. That and beach... Living this close to the beach is amazing. Seriously.
OK bye.
Showing posts with label family. Show all posts
Showing posts with label family. Show all posts
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Home Tour Malaga: Second family
I'm sorry that part of it's sideways but I'm not the greatest filmer of all time.
Monday, December 5, 2011
My Name Is
I still have all those pictures that maybe one day I'll upload to make a blog post, but lately I've been feeling a bit uninspired to do anything but eat chuches and wear multiple pairs of socks. Winter has come earlier than I'd expected it to (not that 50 degrees and cloudy is winter but still, it's December) leaving me in need of a puffy black vest to keep me warm and strange Spanish study habits to not fail my finals.
But along with those situational needs has come an annual thing, something that affects me every year regardless of where I am. My mom calls it "the Winter Blues" and for a couple weeks it gets me down and makes it hard for me to do things like type for longer than thirty seconds and smile. Luckily I'm learning how to combat it by surrounding myself with people who give me hugs and/or chocolate, but being productive is still a bit difficult.
I've recently found that some of my favorite people to give me hugs and/or chocolate here are the members of my host family. Making friends has proven to be a bit of the challenge (big surprise, Hannah's having trouble getting along with teenagers even on the other side of the world) but especially lately I've been growing closer to my host family.
With my family thousands of hundreds of lots of miles away it's nice to have a brother to watch TV with, a mom to gossip with, a dad to discuss politics with, and a sister to laugh and color with. Even though she's only 9, Ana and I have this cute little bond that means we can keep secrets together, do homework together, watch Disney Channel together, read silly books together, and snuggle each other awake on those mornings when we're especially tired. I'm very lucky to live in a house with such a similar family dynamic to my own, and even luckier to get on with the family itself.
It's a different bond than that which I have with the my American family, for sure. I mean, I've only known them for two months, we barely speak the same language, and they already had established a family relationship long before I came along. So, while they may call me a daughter or a sister (which makes me tear up and want to give everyone hugs) and I may call them my Spanish family, they're a different kind of family than what I've grown up with, and not just because they look different.
This is not bad in any way. In fact, it's actually rather awesome. I get to have homes in two different parts of the world, two sets of trusted adults to help me, and two sets of kids my age that I can do everything from bickering to making cookies with. It may contribute to the tearing sensation inside me that comes with being rooted in two completely different places at the same time, but that's one of the reasons I went on exchange- to become a world citizen.
My name in Spanish makes me feel very much like a world citizen. Hannah, pronounced with a Spanish accent, is my Hebrew name, which represents my religious and cultural background filled with learning to give to the less fortunate and eating with family. Leah is from my mom's mom, and it gives me the grace and stubbornness from that side of the family. Goldstein is from my dad's family, the part of me that's loyal and just a little bit insane. And, finally, the name that my host parents have started calling me by- Castillejo. That is from my Spanish family, which has taught me the importance of stability and exploration. I also have an incessant need for order and a natural rhythm that I'm starting to suspect is the Spaniard in me, and it just took this exchange for me to figure that out.
I love my name and what it says about me. It shows my family over the continents, and even helps explain some of my attributes. Being so far from home, though, has made me realize how much I really do love America, so I think I need just one more name- one to show my pride and sense of adventure, an American name. I'm thinking something outrageous like "Murca" but no one has ever called me that except myself that one time about 3 seconds ago. I'm not in any sort of a rush, though. What do you guys think?
Even through these pesky winter blues I'm finding contentment in my family, both new and old. They make me who I am, and finding contentment with them helps me to find contentment with myself which I guess is one of the most important parts of growing up.
But along with those situational needs has come an annual thing, something that affects me every year regardless of where I am. My mom calls it "the Winter Blues" and for a couple weeks it gets me down and makes it hard for me to do things like type for longer than thirty seconds and smile. Luckily I'm learning how to combat it by surrounding myself with people who give me hugs and/or chocolate, but being productive is still a bit difficult.
I've recently found that some of my favorite people to give me hugs and/or chocolate here are the members of my host family. Making friends has proven to be a bit of the challenge (big surprise, Hannah's having trouble getting along with teenagers even on the other side of the world) but especially lately I've been growing closer to my host family.
With my family thousands of hundreds of lots of miles away it's nice to have a brother to watch TV with, a mom to gossip with, a dad to discuss politics with, and a sister to laugh and color with. Even though she's only 9, Ana and I have this cute little bond that means we can keep secrets together, do homework together, watch Disney Channel together, read silly books together, and snuggle each other awake on those mornings when we're especially tired. I'm very lucky to live in a house with such a similar family dynamic to my own, and even luckier to get on with the family itself.
It's a different bond than that which I have with the my American family, for sure. I mean, I've only known them for two months, we barely speak the same language, and they already had established a family relationship long before I came along. So, while they may call me a daughter or a sister (which makes me tear up and want to give everyone hugs) and I may call them my Spanish family, they're a different kind of family than what I've grown up with, and not just because they look different.
This is not bad in any way. In fact, it's actually rather awesome. I get to have homes in two different parts of the world, two sets of trusted adults to help me, and two sets of kids my age that I can do everything from bickering to making cookies with. It may contribute to the tearing sensation inside me that comes with being rooted in two completely different places at the same time, but that's one of the reasons I went on exchange- to become a world citizen.
My name in Spanish makes me feel very much like a world citizen. Hannah, pronounced with a Spanish accent, is my Hebrew name, which represents my religious and cultural background filled with learning to give to the less fortunate and eating with family. Leah is from my mom's mom, and it gives me the grace and stubbornness from that side of the family. Goldstein is from my dad's family, the part of me that's loyal and just a little bit insane. And, finally, the name that my host parents have started calling me by- Castillejo. That is from my Spanish family, which has taught me the importance of stability and exploration. I also have an incessant need for order and a natural rhythm that I'm starting to suspect is the Spaniard in me, and it just took this exchange for me to figure that out.
I love my name and what it says about me. It shows my family over the continents, and even helps explain some of my attributes. Being so far from home, though, has made me realize how much I really do love America, so I think I need just one more name- one to show my pride and sense of adventure, an American name. I'm thinking something outrageous like "Murca" but no one has ever called me that except myself that one time about 3 seconds ago. I'm not in any sort of a rush, though. What do you guys think?
Even through these pesky winter blues I'm finding contentment in my family, both new and old. They make me who I am, and finding contentment with them helps me to find contentment with myself which I guess is one of the most important parts of growing up.
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