Assuming all goes according to plan, I’m going to Spain sometime this September…While I’ve already elaborated on why I’m going, I need to mention the particular reasons as to why España me emociona!!…
1) Using my Spanish—Deutsch (German), I love you and all your beautiful linguistic idiosyncracies (umlauts, what, what!!), but I need to go back to my first language love, el español…But seriously, though–Spanish is my second language, with a special place in my heart, and now that I’ve left university, I don’t want to lose it by not excersing my Spanish brain constantly…Yes, there are a lot of Hispanics here, but I don’t get to engage in convo with them as often as I like–so why not move to somewhere where I could get to read, hear, write, and speak el castellano regularly???…Plus, I can understand Castilian Spanish (except el andalús) a lot better than, say, the Mexican or Puerto Rican dialects, so it’s pretty much a no-brainer!!…
2) Getting out of North Carolina—As I’ve mentioned before, I have nothing against the Old North State itself, and I will miss the people I love that reside there from time to time…However, for assorted personal reasons, I’m not too keen to stay here for that much longer: I’m thankful for all the love, affection and support I’ve gotten over the last 21+ years of my life, but it’s time for me to go and strike out on my own, fend for myself, and learn how to be a responsible, independent, self-reliant young woman in the modern world and do all that that entails–paying rent, balancing a budget, working regular hours at a job, etc….
Also, as one of my fave Ingrid Michaelson songs says: “…I want to go far away/To a new life on a new shore line./Where the water is blue and the people are new/To another island, in another life….O.K., yes, I know that Aragón is a land-locked region-but that’s not the point!!…I want some variety, something novel, to be around unfamiliar and interesting people…I mean, hopefully it won’t be long before I find some acquaintances…
3) Tapas/Pinchos–Oh, how I can’t WAIT until I can partake in these little portions of deliciousness again, on the regular–especially considering that I’m looking forward to exploring the Aragonese food culture!!…
4) Traveling–As I’ve said before, I’m in a region of the country I’ve never been to before, so I definitely want to make a few excursions to places like Huesca, Teruel, and Albarracín…Aside from that, there are many places in the country at large that I have not seen yet, but want to: Barcelona, Valencia, Pamplona, Cádiz…
But I’m not just talking local jaunts–indeed, there’s a plethora of potential international adventures available!!…As many of you know, traveling within Europe is loads cheaper than it would be if you were entering from outside the continent…Because my Spanish student visa will allow me to apply for some type of residency (which I would need to, you know, not get deported) I can travel within the Schengen Area without the restrictions of a tourist visa!!!!…YAY inter-continental vacay!!!!…
5) Lemon Fanta—Need I say more???…’Tis truly the Elixir of Life (although I am sad to say goodbye to Peach and Pineapple for 9 months)…
Is anyone else excited about an upcoming major international move???…
And don’t forget:
The Pumpkin's Head 
run on my baby BEE, but always remem,,,,SALT & LIGHT
…Yes, Mommy, :-)…
How exciting! Good luck on your new adventure! We are traveling to Spain for the first time in August and I can barely wait! I wish my Spanish were as good as yours, though. I’m hoping the rough version I speak will be enough to get me around. 🙂
…Thank you very much!!…Your family will love Spain–it’s such a WONDERFUL country!!…And, it’s never too late to learn el castellano, :-)!!…
You have so many great reasons to be excited! España es lo mejor, no? The tapas and tinto de verano in themselves are reason enough to come live here 😉
(PS I guess I never realized that lemon Fanta isn’t sold stateside. WHAT?!?)
…Yes–it’s madness that I can’t find lemon Fanta stateside!!…Talk about injustice!!…
And, yes–as you could have guessed, I can’t WAIT for Españá!!…
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