This past week has been oh so happy. Sources of joy include seeing my friends in Iowa, having an AMAZING Italian meal at Jasper's with my parents, baking for an entire day yesterday, a game night, pulling weeds and painting with good friends, and getting a haircut.
I've realized that I have a lot of friends. That sounded like boasting, but what I mean is that I enjoy a good deal of relationships with a number of people. And I feel grateful. And maybe a little worried about the lack of such things in Spain. That said, in the many conversations that have occurred between these friends and myself, I have received a lot of good advice. I wanted to make a list so that when I am utterly exasperated with all that is Jerez, I can turn back and perhaps feel slightly encouraged.
1. Don't expect your first week or even month there to be awesome. You will be tired, frustrated, and a little disoriented.
2. Don't take the cultural Spanish aloof-ness personally.
3. You are young. You are young. You are young.
4. Go to a discotheque with Spaniards (this is a personal goal).
5. Enjoy it for what it is. Be present.
And, perhaps my personal favorite piece of advice:
6. Enjoy being charmed by the Spanish men, but be wary.
1 comment:
I like advice number three (oh my gosh! when I tried to shift 3 to get a number sign I totally got the British pound sign - stoked!). As I have now reached the ripe old age of 23 and find myself spending a fair amount of time with women who are younger than I and already have a husband and baby number one, I begin to feel a bit old. The freshers at uni are 5 years younger than I! What has become of my youth? And then I remind myself that I don't really want babies anyway, and if I wasn't overseas exploring I wouldn't know what to do in "the real world," and all seems right again.
I also like number 6. This is why we are going to your country, and not mine. Though it's sort of nice to hear the phrase "That American girl - fox!" at a house party, it's not exactly charming.
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