And the adventure continues...

One of the biggest things that was drilled into our heads in RYE training weekends last year was the idea of being flexible. In fact, tell any past or present Rotary exchange student to be flexible and they'll either cringe or chuckle a little bit. During the last 5 months I've taken this mantra to heart and tried my hardest to go along with whatever my surroundings offered up to me. It proved to be a bit challenging when I found that I wasn't exactly fitting in with said surroundings. I felt more like I was being shaped and molded specifically instead of guided through my exchange. But I accepted it as part of the challenge and worked my hardest to try and have a good time, or at least a good experience.
This week, though, something cracked. It wasn't me. It wasn't my host family. It wasn't school. It wasn't Rotary. It was just my entire exchange. To be honest, everything moved so quickly I couldn't even begin to explain what exactly what happened. Four days ago it was just another day. I had no idea that today I'd be packing up my entire life to relocate and restart my exchange on an 18 hour notice.
My tutor decided it would be a good idea for me to move, and I agree. This means going to a different city. This means a new beginning completely. I'll be at a new school. I'll be in a new house. I'm going to have to find new friends and a new ballet class. Some would take this as a shock, an obstacle, a reason to give up. And while I am freaking out a little bit, I'm staying calm by reminding myself to just be flexible. This is not a problem. This is a continuation of the adventure. I'm so excited to try my hand at an exchange in a different city in a different situation.

Life is Life

In addition to a handful of helpful tips on how to avoid getting molested on the public bus, Rotary weekends also gave me many warnings based on past experiences to prepare me for my year here. In order to prevent disappointment and/or unnecessary surprises, these were repeated many times at each meeting. So far they have all rung pretty true- the holidays are hard, immersion is the quickest way to learn a language, Spanish mothers are always right, etc. But there was one thing I was told several times that i kind of brushed off, even when I was told not to. I told myself that it wouldn't happen to me. I moved on to daydreaming about the ocean and the travel opportunities I was sure to be presented with while living abroad. I even forgot that I'd ever been warned of it in the first place, I was that sure it didn't apply to me. Like about 98% of the assumptions I'd made before actually coming to Spain, I was wrong on this one.
You see, us outbound exchange students were constantly being told that the culture shock would wow us even years after we'd returned home, and that there were innumerable differences between life in Oregon and life over seas. This was what I chose to believe. However, on occasion we were also told that after a certain amount of time you find that the excitement and strangeness of the place will wear off, and you'll find yourself bored with life just like you were in America. This was what I chose to ignore and forget. Now, that decision is coming back to haunt me, creeping up on me in moments of solitude and letting me know that I might just have been wrong. I know I'm wrong, because I'm finding that the second warning should not have been forgotten, as it's what I've been feeling for the last week or two.
As much as I hate this (both the dullness I'm experiencing and being wrong), I guess it's a good thing for me to learn early in life. The grass will always look greener on the other side, but if you inspect both sides closely enough you'll discover that it's all just grass. Life is still life, no matter where in the world you're living it. Sure, my life here may include much more ham products and much less snow, but it's still life. I still get headaches, wonder if my hair looks OK, pick at my nails, have a hard time waking up before 10 am, and want to have Disney movie marathons all the time. On the one hand it's kind of reassuring, that I'm still me even when my surroundings drastically change, and that I don't have to become someone I don't have the capability of shifting into to fit in. On the other hand, it kind of scares me that there isn't really an other option. I used to think that going far far away would solve my problems, but now I know it doesn't work like that. If you don't like drama, moving halfway around the world isn't going to fix that; self-centered people don't specifically target your hometown as a desired place to live. Problems are a part of life, as are good days and love and weird food. I guess really all we can do is make the best of where we are when we're there.

Visa Standoff

Now not only do I not know when I'm leaving, but there's a possibility it might not be for a very very long time. I just heard that there's a bit of an argument going on between the Spanish consulate and the Spanish government that's been preventing everyone but 2 people from getting their visas. Ahh, to be one of those two people... Unfortunately, I'm not.
I guess I'll know in the next month when I'll be leaving but for now, there's really nothing I can do about it.

Postponed Until Further Notice

So, my original departure date was supposed to be September 5th, which would be in two days. However, considering I'd be getting on the plane in 48 hours and still don't have my Visa, passport, or plane tickets I'm going to say it's safe to assume that I will not be leaving on Monday.
This means that I've told everyone goodbye, packed my bags, and turned my room into the guest room a bit early. What am I supposed to do now? It's not like I know when I'm leaving now so I can't plan out the rest of my Oregon time in accordance...
I guess what's left for me to do is wait. I'm not a particularly patient person, so this may be hard for me. All I really want to do right now is walk, jet lagged and dirty, off a plane onto foreign soil. But, again... I have to wait.