2011, so far

I have been back in Sevilla for two weeks now and I have to say that it feels good. Having lived here for four months, it really does feel like home, especially considering that I have no idea where I'll call home when I return to the States in June. I have come to love the idiosyncrasies of my living situation, from the huge Rottweiler who lives on my roof to the enormous blue aquarium in my front hall and the constantly revolving door of Spaniards who always seem to be coming and going. Side note: I still don't know who 85% of them are. My job, while less than stimulating, is something I look forward to every day, even though I don't always acknowledge it. As I've said several times before, I am fortunate to work with a great group of teachers--Ceferino, Javier, Ricardo, and Cristobal--that have always been incredibly welcoming and patient with me. More than anything, it has been nice getting back into my daily routine and enjoying the simple pleasures of life in Sevilla, like having a leisurely coffee at the Alameda on weekend mornings or meeting up with friends for drinks at Plaza del Salvador. After my busy Christmas break, it was nice to come back and find that not much had changed.

That said, I'm determined not to get too comfortable with the way things are and to continue to branch outside of my comfort zone during the second half of my time in Spain. For that reason, I've come up with a few New Year's Resolutions, most of which I think I can stick to over the next several months. So, without further ado, here is a rough outline of my goals for 2011:

1. Continue to meet new people: As I've said countless times, I'm lucky that I've made such great friends since I've been here. Being away from my family and friends in the States for 9 months is no easy feat and I'm glad that I've found people who I can count on while I'm in Spain. It would be very easy for me to stop putting myself out there.. after all, making new friends does take a good amount of effort and there's something very comforting about the familiar. Still, I know that there are many more friends to be had out there and I don't want to miss out on the opportunity to meet them. I am going to make a special effort to get to know more Spaniards, as that's something I can't really do at home. Thursday night I took a baby step towards following up on this resolution when I met up with Pam, her friend Ana, and our new friend, Brett, to go to an intercambio (language exchange) at a bar in the Alameda. There was a huge mix of Americans, Spaniards, and even a few Brits and I definitely plan on going back next week.

2. Take better advantage of my free time: While my incredibly strenuous 12 hours of work per week and the commute to and from Dos Hermanas accounts for a pretty good chunk of my waking hours, I still spend entirely too much time sitting at home catching up on TV shows online and playing around on Facebook. In order to feel like a worthwhile member of the human race, I want to find more constructive ways to fill my free time. I'm working on setting up at least one new private tutoring job, which will not only give me something to do during the week but will also provide a little extra spending money. The thing I'm most excited about, though, is that I am planning on enrolling in beginner-level French classes at the French Cultural Institute here in Sevilla. I've been dying to learn French for a long time and my recent visit to France only increased that desire. Plus, it should be a good way to meet some new people and get out of the house for a few hours each week.

3. Be more adventurous in the kitchen: While I thoroughly enjoy store-bought tortilla española, turkey sandwiches, and scrambled eggs, I have to admit that the lack of variety in my diet is getting old... fast. Thus, I have resolved to get over my fear of undercooked chicken and my laziness when it comes to cooking and try out some new dishes. In the past week I've already cooked chicken, couscous, and asparagus, all of which turned out surprisingly well.

4. Enjoy the time I have left in Spain: With only a handful of months left in Sevilla, I have inevitably started to wonder (and worry) about what I will do when I return to the States. While I'm taking steps to figure out some semblance of a plan, I am trying my best to not let the future completely overtake the precious little time I have left in Spain. After all, this is a once in a lifetime experience and there's no telling when the next time I'll be back in Spain or Europe will be. I will do what I can to figure out my plans for next year but more importantly I will enjoy my last four months abroad. I have a lot to look forward to, from Semana Santa and Feria in Sevilla this spring to more traveling with my friends.

To close out this post, I wanted to relate an experience I had this week, which might seem insignificant but that was very poignant for me. As you all know, Monday was Martin Luther King Day in the States, a holiday which I have always taken for granted. However, when Javier asked me to find an article to read with him that morning, I happened upon an article on CNN about celebrating King's birthday and the different ways that he is honored across the country. I figured that reading the article would be a good way to share some American history with Javier. It had never dawned on me how unique the Civil Rights movement is to the U.S. and how little is known about it in Spain. I really enjoyed sharing the knowledge I have of that era with Javier and seeing his response to what we were reading about. I even had him read and translate parts of the "I Have a Dream Speech."

In the article, it also talked about how MLK Day is a National Day of Service. It had never really occurred to me that nothing along those lines really exists in Spain. To Javier, the concept of people across the country dedicating their time to helping a cause, on their day off no less, was completely foreign. Growing up, community service was something that was a normal part of my life, in school, in church, and with my family. While I know that it exists to some extent here, it is nothing like it is at home. Obviously, there are a lot of things we don't get right in the U.S. However, our dedication to helping others is truly remarkable when you think about it.

And, on that note, I am off to grab coffee at the Alameda and take my weekly Sunday morning stroll. Hasta pronto...