Day 60

Longest. Day. Ever. Literally, it was 33 hours. I woke up in Spain for the last time and said goodbye to the girls, Hugo was still asleep for which I am grateful. I survived the whole airport mess that got a bit hairy as well as 14+hours in the air. I also met some very nice people. On the first flight I sat next to a 13-year-old Spanish girl flying for the first time (she was with her family). So I got to converse some more in Castellano which I will miss as well as get excited to teach kids close to her age as my teaching career officially starts on Monday. I’m happy to be home, and very grateful for my experiences abroad, here’s a sample of stuff I’ve learned.

Epiphanies I’ve had in Europe:

·      Happiness is a choice anywhere, with anyone, and under any circumstances.

·      The world is beautiful. Man has made some incredible things, but can never top work from the Master Architect.

·      I can feel confirmation from the spirit every time truth is being spoken, even if I don’t understand the language it’s being spoken in.

·      Smiling is powerful.

·      People love me way more than I deserve.

·      I won’t die without a hair straightener, eyeliner, mascara, insert decent beauty product here.

·      Pain and rejection are part of God’s plan. We couldn’t learn to be like Christ without experiencing them.

·      I won’t die without air conditioning.

·      Spanish food is good. Really good.

·      I won’t die if people see me naked. Even if I still have to say hola to them everyday while they iron my underwear.

·      People are amazing.

·      My family is awesome. 

Day 59

Today was my last full day in Madrid! I went to the temple this morning for baptisms, and joined another group from Portugal. Also joining them, came three USU girls who just got here for a study abroad. One of the girls told me she didn’t know that Castellano had such different sounds…no darling, the ordinances are being done in Portuguese. Another girl came to me in the locker room saying she couldn’t figure out how to use the European-style shower. Lol, they brought me back to my first few days here with little things being humbling and confusing.

The temple was the perfect last visit here in Spain. My experiences in that building top any of the world monuments I have toured by far.

The rest of my free time I spent saying goodbye to some of my favorite places, eating paella, and doing last-minute souvenir shopping. I returned a little early for work to pack.

Played with the kids, Hugo was being a pill. He doesn’t want me to leave, so he is extra mean to me. I do feel for the kid, and we did have some good moments. I hope that he turns out alright, he can be very sweet at his times. 

Day 58

Today I took an hour-long bus ride to the Royal Monastery of El Escorial. So worth it. It’s set up in the mountains, so the drive is beautiful, and the views from the Monastery are breath-taking. I especially enjoyed the Royal Pantheon, super striking. I wandered the little town for a bit, explored a beautiful park and gardens, and went back to work.

I swam with the kids for about an hour, then we got out of the pool, Elena came down, took Hugo’s floaties off, and changed him into a dry swimsuit. I monitored Hugo as he wandered around as usual, mooching food and toys from other neighborhood kids and talking to some boys in the pool. Then he jumps into five feet of water just a little ways away from Elena without his floaties. I was on the other side of the pool with the girls, I run over, jump in, and pull the coughing little boy out. The lifeguard got there a little later while Elena was still very engaged in a conversation with other mothers from the neighborhood and didn’t know what happened until a good two minutes later. Before she left to get ready to go out, she told me to ‘please be very careful with Hugo’…anyway, good times with Chema’s dad showing up decked out again getting everyone psyched for the Spain v. Portugal game.

Elena went out tonight and gave us permission to eat pizza while watching the game in honor of me leaving on Friday. That was way fun, the game went late since there were no goals, so the kids went to bed before Spain finally won. The neighborhood erupted with insurmountable energy. I stuck my head out the window, and everyone in the complex was out on their balconies singing, and using blow-horns, and talking to each other. This is something I’m going to miss. Oh, Spain. 

Day 57

Today I took a tour in Spanish of the Basilica de San Francisco El Grande. I had passed by this building a few times, which is pretty conservative from the outside, but inside it is absolutely gorgeous. I met a lady visiting Spain with her four young adult sons from Georgia. I got to translate the history a little bit and give them some advise for their trip. It was nice to finally know what I was talking about.

Later I went to Museo de Traje. I was thinking about skipping this museum, but I’m very glad I went. I was let in for free because the air conditioner wasn’t working, which has kind of been the story of my being in Spain. This family doesn’t use AC, and there are no fans in the flat, and it is over 100 degrees now. I can handle the heat outside, but inside, and trying to sleep while I’m sweating is difficult--and gross. But I digress, the costume museum was very enjoyable, and had some fun history to learn. There was a didactic area where I got to try on corsets and bustles. They do amazing things in shaping the body, but I’m definitely glad they’re not the norm anymore.

In the afternoon, I played racecars and soccer with Hugo. Hugo told me that I can’t leave on Friday. When I explained that I have to because that’s when my plane is leaving, he told me that he would buy me a plane so I could stay longer. Too cute. 

Day 56

Well, I checked out of the hostel a bit earlier than I had planned in a fit of laughter. If you want the story, you’ll have to ask me, as I can’t get myself to post it publicly. :p I didn’t really have time to do much before I had to get to the airport so I just took a walk through some of the pracas down to the port enjoying the famous pastelerias and frutarias. It was beautiful, and a bit foggy today. I didn’t make it to any of the beaches in the neighboring cities, but I still enjoyed the coast immensely.

I met Rui, a very nice Lisboa local, upon boarding the plane.  There was an operational problem with the plane, and the air conditioner didn’t work so it was getting super hot. Finally, we were all told to disembark and go back inside the airport as the problem wasn’t easy to fix, and the level of heat was getting dangerous. Rui bought me some food and saved me a spot in the queue while I used a pay phone to call Elena and tell her I would be late. We boarded another plane not much longer and had a good conversation about the church. Portuguese culture with their gestures is pretty fun, they’re also a touchy-feely people like the Spanish—he wanted to hold my hand during take-off and landing to relax me. Ha. Yeah. He gave me his contact for more info on the church and if I ever want a place to stay in Lisboa. Contact in Portugal? Check.

Seeing the familiar towering buildings while the plane landed was nice. It didn’t quite feel the same as seeing the electrical towers on South Mountain, but still, mmm, Madrid. Getting onto the metro and just hearing people speak was also nice. Mmm, Castellano. After two months, I have come to love the place, and it definitely feels more like home. I can’t wait for the feeling that will come with actually going home home.

I got to work a bit late, but Hugo was asleep so it worked out. No huge catastrophes in the urba, and some of the parents gave me their emails and offered me a place to stay if I ever come back to Madrid. The world is so full of sweet people. 

Day 55

Not knowing the city at all, I had to rely on google maps again to get me to church. It suggested I take the tram. Okay! :) The tram is super cute and super bumpy winding through these hills, and it makes noises like it’s falling apart. At the second stop it filled with Oriental tourists who made “OHHHH” and “OOOOOO” sounds throughout the ride snapping pics of EVERYTHING. That was fun. Once I got off, I got a little lost, but at last found where the tiny ward meets. I was a little late, but fortunately Relief Society is the first meeting so I didn’t miss the sacrament. I got to play piano, one language I can speak anywhere.

I discovered that I actually can understand some Portuguese. It made it easier in Sunday School, following along in my Spanish scriptures, it really is very similar, and it gave me a better idea at how to pronounce things. Basic ideas and testimonies were easy to understand, and the spirit still feels the same. Most of the members speak English, and the ones who didn’t, I could use Spanish to communicate with. I met a super nice boy from Idaho here for an internship, he helped translate a bit with things I couldn’t understand, so that was nice. After church he showed me around some pretty areas of the city, and escorted me back to the center before he ran off to catch a train for his four-day adventure exploring Northern Portugal. I saw the rest of the sights through the city tour bus. Wide range of beautiful architecture similar to what I’ve seen in Madrid to other. . . not so beautiful architecture but definitely very interesting and unique. I hung out in one of the pracas, I’ll admit to watching a little bit of the England v. Italy game, and ate an octopus salad, oh yeah! 

The Portuguese impress me as a very beautiful, sweet people. When I smile at people in Spain, they typically just give me a weird look and scrutinize my outfit, here they smile back with huge, shiny, brown eyes and say hello. This makes wandering one of my favorite experiences.

So unreal that I fly back to Madrid tomorrow, then just a few more days until I’m home. 

Day 54

Well, my lovelies, I have to admit I unknowingly lied when I titled this blog “60 Days in Spain” as I happen to be in Portugal at the moment. Claudia and Hugo were the only ones awake when I left, all cute with their morning hair. Hugo panicked thinking I was going home. I was bordering sad saying goodbye to them for the weekend. It’ll be hard to leave them for good. I finally left after I promised them I would be back on Monday, exchanged the maternity swimsuit, and got myself to the airport.

After landing, I got a bit of a stomachache thinking: I’m in Lisbon, I’m alone, I have no phone, no contacts, I don’t know the city, I don’t know the language…then, as I reached for my backpack in the overhead stowage area, a guy nearby grabbed it for me, smiled, and asked in broken English, “is for you?” Bad feeling gone. That simple act of kindness assured me that everything would be fine. People are so amazing, God works through His children all over the world.

I found my hostel without too much confusion, dropped off my stuff and wandered through the city center. I love Lisbon, definitely a different feel than the Spanish cities, and enchanting in its own way. Everyone speaks English to me, different than what I have gotten used to in Madrid, but I realized that I look much more foreign here than I do in Spain. It helps a ton since although I hoped I would understand some Portuguese given its similarity to Spanish, I don’t. It’s a pretty cool sounding language though. I thought about my big bro Kevin, he would have fun being here.

I hiked up to the Castelo de St. Jorge. That was way fun, and tiring. I’ve climbed approximately 37,692 stairs today. Once you get inside the castle, it’s more endless, scary 11th century stairs that lead to some AMAZING views of the city. I love coastal cities. From the castle, I could see (and hear) a parade going on in honor of soccer. Of course, this is still Europe, and like in Spain, soccer is a huge deal. Almost all of the restaurants had the game showing, and everyone was completely transfixed, I love it. I ate authentic Portuguese food at a brand new restaurant . . . I think they’re still working some kinks out, but there was great food after I disposed of some really nasty toppings.

I got back to the hostel before it was completely dark, and I’m still the only one in my room. 11 euros a night for a private room? I’ll take it! The staff is really friendly and helpful, and the facilities are good, so this was a pretty nifty find. I’m so glad I came here and got to experience something different for my last weekend in Europe. I LOVE THIS!!