Thursday, February 14, 2008

CH-ch-ch-ch-CHANGES...

What a crazy month this is turning into...

I'M MOVING.

In March I'm leaving my apartment with Javi and Elodie (and Manolo) in Madrid and moving out to Villanueva de la CaƱada, the town that I work in. I'm really relieved about not having to commute every day (it's an hour each way at least), and though I've been hesitant to give up on living in the city, I really feel like I've been longing for a slower pace for a long time, and I might as well take a chance, try something new, and see if it works out. I mean, I had a few explicit goals for my life after college:
-invest time in reading books i wanted to read (self-education)
-invest in my own health/happiness by being active/excercising, cooking and eating well
and if since I was planning on being here in Spain:
-improve and practice my language skills as much as possible - take full advantage of being here

As of now, although things aren't bad with me, I also don't feel like I'm meeting any of these goals. ANY. I've tried, but the first two get dropped because the commuting takes all my time and energy, and when I arrive at home I don't even feel like talking to anyone, nevermind in Spanish.

This new apartment I am going to belongs to Mariola, a gym teacher and friend of mine at my school. She's a sweet person and has a beautiful apartment which she lives in by herself, though it has two bedrooms and two bathrooms. I'm so psyched to live with just one person, to be able to come home right after school and take a nap in the sunshine (which comes in through the window of the room that will be mine), to plop down on Mariola's awesome couch and chat with her and watch TV, or go to the gym (she goes every day). I feel like this is a choice that will bring me closer to a better quality of life -- at least for 4 months. As of now I still plan on moving into an apartment with my friend Virginia in September.

Anyway, I'm a little nervous about leaving everything I've set up for myself in this neighborhood in Madrid, but more than that, I'm relieved by and looking forward to having a situation in which I may be able to breather easier. We shall see...

Monday, February 4, 2008

And then, sometimes, this happens...

This is an actual email I sent to a friend:

I really wish you were online right now. actually, you're probably watching the superbowl aren't you? hmmm, another american tradition lost (to me, i mean).

well, i'm fine, but tonight i'm just having one of those nights when i feel kind of pensive/morose, and i really wish i had someone good here to talk to, just for a little while, so i could a couple of very general, not-immediately important life issue thoughts out of my brain so that i could sleep a little easier. I wish you were here. i wish anyone were online. ANYONE. I wish i lived in the same timezone as you or any of my other good friends so i could just pick up my cell phone (which my parents would be paying for), and call. i wish my good friends in spain weren't all studyign for exams, because i feel like i just can't be selfish right now and ask someone to just let me think out loud at them for 40 minutes. Right now, i feel really distant, and kind of sad about that. It'd be nice to have somebody over for dinner and a couple of beers sometime this week. its funny that something so simple is, like, totally out of the question for me right now.

anyway. thank you for reading my email. I hope the Pats kicked ass and you had a great time watching the game. I'm sure i'll get to talk to you this week, and I probably won't be in the same state of mind, don't worry. I guess I just wanted somebody that would care to know.

Saturday, February 2, 2008

How to make no money and still spend 200E on "Rebajas"

So I survived the month of January, after spending ALMOST ALL OF MY MONEY on vacation in France and Barcelona, despite demonstrating incredible self-restraint and thriftiness on said vacation. I survived by picking up a couple of english lessons - as in I "teach" people English. and "a couple" as in 4, soon to be 5 (cross yer fingersssss).

And then I got paid yesterday. Since then I have spent at least (i haven't actually looked at my bank statement, I'm too scared) 200 euros. I am wearing a new pair of shoes. And when i go out to the movies tonight I will be wearing a new t-shirt and sweatshirt. And thats not couting the other pair of shoes and t-shirts and and and....

I am ill. I have shopping-itis. And yes, things are cheaper, relatively speaking this time of year (January and February -wow I just forgot that February had two r's- are post christmas sale months, aka "Rebajas"). And I like having nice things, that at other times would cost more money.

At the same time, I'm reflecting a lot lately on various global issues...like, exaggerated consumerism EVERYWHERE, the contribution of the meat industry to greenhouse gases (mmm-mmmmm, cow farts in the air)... And I wonder every time i try on something new, or buy myself hamburger because I don't know what else to cook; could I go without? Wouldn't it be better if I did?

I guess this is just part of this strange process I've been noticing lately in myself -being much more specific with and conscious of my choices, in who I spend my time with (or don't), what companies or people or places I choose to support with my money, and the times that I recognize that i'm putting my money somewhere that I really don't want to, but don't at the moment have much of a choice - economically speaking mostly.

In that vein, I'm trying to eat more vegetarian, and hoping to do a WOOF program this summer, learn some more about organic agriculture and hopefully yummy vegetarianism. I mean, I'll probably always eat some meat, but there are ways you can support humanitarian animal-raising and butchering practices, as well as local butchers and people who make little money actually dedicating their lives to what they do instead of just grabbing a quick and easy job at the supermarket.

I'm not really sure why all of this came out quite this way in this entry. I cold tell you about the mini-happenings and coincidences of my life right now, like how I'm probably living in Madrid next year with Virginia - my colleague aforementioned in this blog, how I'm so sick of my smelly roommate I considered moving, how one of my students IS Lucy from the Peanuts comics - she's only missing the blue dress. But Honestly, this is more important to me, on a grander scale, than all of that. And I'd rather share the important stuff.

I'm doing well. I'm musing on what I could do with my future, trying to hustle out a living, reading books... I think I'm enjoying myself. I hope that makes you glad.