Give thanks.
So lately, I have been feeling kind of down and still feel pretty drained from the Italy trip. I was away for 6 days, roaming through airports, train stations, metros (subways), hostels, and cities. Pisa, Florence, Venice, Rome, and back to Pisa. That in itself was exhausting… but when you’re traveling with a group… a group of girls, it gets a little more complex. Especially when these people, whom I call friends, have only one person in mind, which is sadly, THEMSELVES. [And, I’m just going to end my Italy trip here.]
Anyway, so after Italy, I feel like I’m physically, emotionally, spiritually, mentally, and whateverelse-lly drained. I just want to stay in Córdoba this weekend and relaxxxx…
So anyway, my Spanish mother just randomly came in my room and said she really appreciates me and loves my character. Sigh. :) Makes me feel a lot better.
So, some of you may know, I haven’t spoken to my mom, my real mom, for quite some time. To count, this is actually the second time we got into an argument and haven’t spoken since. And coincidentally, they both happened right before I left for somewhere. For instance, the first time was right before I left for college, and in fact, I ended up leaving for college without my mom’s recognition and without saying bye. And this time, it was this past summer when I came home for about a week or so before I left for Europe. And once again, I left without my mom’s recognition and without saying bye.
So, sadly to say, having another “mother” in an unfamiliar city, COUNTRY, to feed you and take care of you, and to talk to, is pretty comforting.
On another note: I have a “sister”, another student from my program whom I share a family with. She is a 3rd year at UC Irvine, so essentially, I have a younger sister. I’ve never had a younger sibling and have always been the youngest in my family. Although times have changed, and I’ve become pretty independent and have lived away from home and my family during my undergraduate career (and still going), I just wanted to acknowledge my two older sisters. Now, I sort of have an idea how annoying it was to have a younger sister… granted, they have dealt with me (as I have dealt with them in some cases) for 21 years….and I have only dealt with my “sister” for a little more than a month…
It’s hard. It’s hard to stay patient. Sometimes it’s hard to deal with her “witty” remarks. I’m not saying that I’m perfect in everything that I do… but it’s definitely a challenge living with someone who has lived at home their WHOLE life (still counting, minus the time abroad), having their parents pick up after them.
So THANK YOU SISTERS! And thank you Jesus for my great family in Spain and in America! (And I can’t forget about my amazing friends! )
-e
