Thursday, July 2, 2009

Spain-->lessons learned


Prior to leaving Madrid a good friend of mine asked me what I had learned from my year in Spain. And I surprisingly had NO answer. I just blankly stared at him as a million and one thoughts ran through my head. At the moment I was caught off guard. But finally, here is the answer to your question.

After a year in Spain learning, growing, experiencing, and exploring there have been MANY lessons that I have learned. ... Some serious and others well, not so serious...some short and simple and some longer life lessons...all are part of the journey.

  • The mullet is alive and well. One fashion disaster is another persons' idea of JET SETTIN!
  • Opening yourself to other people can be dangerous, as you are allowing variables that you have absolutely NO control over to see the uncovered version of the ONLY variable you DO have control over.
  • Even in light of the previous lesson...it is necessary to open yourself to others to share your soul, to learn more about yourself (often times you learn a great deal about yourself through other people), and also to give others a more likely opportunity to share their soul.
  • Animals make different noises in different countries. Try to explain "Bark, bark" to a three year old who says, "Pero...el perro dice gau gau."
  • Sometimes it is necessary to NOT THINK!!! This is especially true when you need to feel.
  • No matter how healthy people say olive oil is...it can and WILL make you fat.
  • Life is easier when you just smile, loosen up and dedicate your life to just living.
  • "I'll meet you in an hour" actually translates VERY differently from English to Spanish. In Spanish it really means, "I am currently occupied with something else and have no intentions on making it on time, but I will just agree with you to make things easier at this moment, take my sweet ass time, and see you in 2.5 hours."
  • Better alone than in bad company.
  • You can survive on the Spanish diet of wine, cheese, and bread.
  • Traveling gives words to the pictures that run in your head.
  • Being humble is an important lesson, although it is sometimes hard to swallow...especially when taught by a nine year old.
  • People love meat and potatoes EVERYWHERE and for ANY meal.
  • A free drink is never free, it comes along with the price of awkward conversation, or costly regret for accepting.
  • How appropriate is it that I try to fit into a place where many are trying to be like "me."
  • There are ignorant and close minded people lurking in every corner of the world...BEWARE.
  • People from other countries blow the U.S. out of the water when it comes to learning languages. For real!!! Three or four languages?? Really now?!!! I am trying to get ONE language mastered.
  • A lesson on finding yourself--I left to Europe to "find myself." Ok, now we all try this. Try to discover who we are. Try to improve, to learn and to grow. But here's the catch...it's not like one day you are going to look and just suddenly find it all there! This is not a fucking easter egg hunt! You will not find yourself laying in the grass behind the tree or in a pastel basket. It's not that simple. You and I are deeper than that. It's more like trying to find the cure for cancer. There's daily work, evaluations, constant testing, and relapses. You need to work at it and take your time. It's a looong drawn out process that will take years and years...but it is all done for the hope of a cure...the hope of a better you.
  • The Spanish have it down right! Siestas, long mid day breaks, maximum social interaction, and tapas. Where could you go wrong with that? Of all the customs that were transposed into the "The American way of life" why didn't the U.S. pick up on these traditions?
  • Kindness is a magnet. It can be seen through your actions, your words, and even the way you smile. This is both a blessing and COULD be a curse. Sometimes magnets attract that which we do not intend to attract. Ultimately, if you are kind and aware of your magnetism you should have no problems.
  • People can pick an American woman out of a crowd by her thighs...yes...they are different.
  • No matter how pissed off you are while walking 2 miles to work IN THE POURING RAIN, you cannot help but laugh out loud when the song "Make it rain" comes on your shuffle list. I want to laugh like that more often!
  • Talent aside, the performers on metros should be awarded money JUST for being able to play an instrument and maintain their balance on a moving metro. Now THAT'S talent!
  • Madrid can party!!! A night out in Madrid can happen at any time, any day of the week and will with out fail last until 6:00am the following day.
  • People come in and out of our lives like the sea comes into the shore. Some we wish would be swept out to sea just as quickly as they came in and others we wish to hold on to and stay awhile on our shore.

1 comment:

  1. jajajajajaja lol, Well i should say...u're right. And i have to say that there are some little things i couldn't understand so much (my english level, it doesn´t matter...) but, i'm ¿glad? to see a lot of things we were talking about, and it is really funny how u see spanish traditions or people jejejej: me encató, de verdad, aunque bueno me gustaría pillar el sentido completo de un par de puntos! Enhorabuena de verdad! jjejeeje Muuuuuuuuuuaks!

    PD: un perro no hace gau gau, sino guau guau!!! jeje y la rana croac croac, y el pájaro pio pio jejejjee

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