Life After January

January has always been my least favorite month and, despite spending this one in Sevilla, I still found myself counting down the days until those dreaded four weeks were over. I have to admit that for the first time since I moved to Spain in September I was experiencing the occasional pang of homesickness and wasn't as motivated as usual to take advantage of everything that living abroad has to offer.

Part of this slump can probably be attributed to the less than ideal weather that I returned to after Christmas. Those of you at home in Nashville, who have endured an abnormal amount of snow and below average temperatures, are probably laughing at the fact that I am complaining about highs in the mid-50's and the occasional rainy day. Take it from me, though--not having central heat, combined with the fact that it is humid here in the winter rather than in the summer, makes for a rather uncomfortable season. My friends and I constantly joke that we are turning Spanish because we have started to wear coats and scarves at virtually all times, regardless of the actual temperature. I'm still not sure whether that is a good thing or a bad thing. What I do know is that next winter in the States will be a struggle.

I also attribute the minor seasonal depression I fell into after the start of the new year to the fact that the novelty of living in Sevilla had officially worn off. While I love having a routine here, there wasn't anything in my week that I really looked forward to. Back in September and October, everything was new and therefore exciting. I knew that I could rediscover the spark that made Sevilla great in the first place--I just had to figure out how to do it.

It's amazing how much of a difference a few short weeks can make.

Yesterday (Sunday) I woke up much earlier than I wanted to--leaving an entire weekend day with nothing planned. Luckily, it looked to be a nice day, leaving me with endless possibilities as to what to do with my time. After my usual morning routine, including my now customary café con leche at a little place on the Alameda, I decided to head out for a long walk, something I used to do regularly on the weekends but haven't lately because of the weather, traveling, and general laziness. I soon found myself crossing the bridge to Isla de la Cartuja, just across the river from my side of the city. I started going over there back in the fall but had forgotten how much I love it. Jardín de las Américas, where you can find just about any plant from North and South America, is easily one of my favorite spots in Sevilla. Maybe it's because of their location, or the fact that the gardens were just reopened last year and thus aren't as crowded as other parts of the city, but there is something incredibly refreshing about them. Sevilla isn't that big, and I would say that I am more of a city person than a country girl, but I have to say that I've missed going out into nature and enjoying some alone time since I've been abroad. If I can't take Lucie (my German Shepherd, not my mom) on a hike in Percy Warner Park, this is the next best option.

After spending some time walking around the gardens and enjoying the 60+ degree temperature and sunshine, I changed course and wandered toward el centro, with no real idea of where I planned on going. Whereas in recent weeks the streets and cafés have been relatively empty, Sunday morning and early afternoon was a different story altogether. Young people, families, and older couples were out and about, enjoying the beautiful weather. That's something that I have missed during the winter months. It really is true that Sevilla is a different place when it is warm outside.

By the time I got back to my house around 2 for lunch, I felt great. The way I am writing this makes it sound like I have been entirely unhappy here of late, which couldn't be further from the truth. However, my walk, combined with various new endeavors I have undertaken in the past couple of weeks, reaffirmed my reasons for being here--among others, to enjoy life and all of the opportunities it presents me--and renewed my commitment to taking advantage of my remaining time in Spain.

As I alluded to above and in my last post, I have picked up some new projects and activities which go a long way in spicing up my weekly routine. The first of these is my new tutoring job, which I started two weeks ago. Every Wednesday afternoon I go to the home of Rafael, a teacher of my school, to give English lessons to his children. The first time I went, I worked mostly with María Jose, who is 16. This past week, it was 13-year-old Rosa's turn. Both girls continue to impress me with their high levels of English. Especially in a country like Spain, which reportedly has the lowest English proficiency in all of Europe, it is a nice change of pace to find young people who not only speak English but are excited to continue to learn. It looks like from now on I will be working with María Jose for one hour and then splitting the second between Rosa and her 8-year-old brother, who is very eager to get in on the action. Unlike my last tutoring job (which I ended up leaving), I can tell that I am going to enjoy working with this family. I have definitely discovered that I work better with older kids than with 5-year-olds.

In addition to my new clases particulares, last Thursday I began my introductory French course at the French Cultural Institute. Learning a new language is something I've wanted to do for a while and I couldn't turn down the opportunity to do so now, when my work week is all of 12 hours long. I can already tell that the class, which meets Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5:30-7:30, is going to be one of the high-points of my week. It is taught entirely in French by Catherine, who is a native speaker. Even though my knowledge of French is very basic and limited to what I remember from my days at Ensworth (which is a lot more than I realized), I made it through two hours of class with very minimal problems and learned a lot, from greetings and how to introduce yourself to the alphabet and numbers. I am hoping that the class will also be a good venue for meeting new people (one of my New Year's Resolutions). There is no doubt in my mind that I made the right decision in signing up for this course.

Travel remains an important part of my life abroad and undoubtedly gives me something to look forward to. This weekend I am going to Belgium (Brussels and Bruges) with Rachel and Briana as we have Monday off in celebration of Día de Andalucía. I am really looking forward to the trip, as Belgium will be a new addition to the list of countries I have visited. Then, in mid-March, we are going to Galway, Ireland to experience an authentic St. Patrick's Day. I have actually been to Galway before but am looking forward to going back and seeing more of the surrounding area. After that, who knows where my travels will take me. There are still lots of places I would like to see but I think I will probably slow down a little as we get into spring. While it's nice to be able to hop on a plane and be anywhere in Europe in a matter of hours, I do want to be sure to enjoy Spain and soak it all in.

Sometimes, it seems wrong to complain about the small annoyances you find in day-to-day life abroad. After all, life could be a lot worse than spending a year in southern Spain. However, nothing is ever perfect, my present situation included. That said, I am learning to take this experience for what it is, the good and the bad, and learn from it. Ultimately, every once and a while I just need to readjust my perspective and adapt to my circumstances.