Saturday, August 25, 2012

To Live will be an Awfully Big Adventure

When I was a little girl, I used to dream about flying away to NeverNeverLand with Peter Pan. I would often be conflicted in my dreams, trying to decide between adventures and the safety of my parents and my home. Yesterday morning, I made the decision to leave my parents, my friends, and my home and left on my very own adventure.

The early decision-making process was relatively simple: did I want to go live in a foreign country? yes! did I want to learn another language? yes! did I want to meet new people? yes! But when it actually came down to saying goodbye, I was in total denial of my departure. As I walked towards security and my parents and siblings told me they loved me and would miss me, it was difficult to hold back the tears. 

My flight was the easy part; I could focus my energy on keeping myself safe and getting to where I needed to be. Landing in Malaga was at first intimidating but turned out to be uncomplicated. Granted, I was quite worried when my phone didn't get any service and Ana and Salvador were nowhere to be seen. The five minutes of waiting for them, not knowing what I would do if they didn't show up, were incredibly nerve-wracking. But when they finally arrived, all was well. We got in the car, and I was treated to the exquisite scenery of Malaga and Marbella on our 25 mile drive to their home.

I don't know if it is visible from Google Earth, but right across the highway from my house is a giant CocaCola Can. My neighborhood is beautiful, with many white or brightly colored homes. Blue tile, which reminds me of the Pacific Palisades, where my grandparent's live, is everywhere, especially in my house. There is a garden which wraps around the entire house, with many cherry tomatoes that remind me of home. Most of the plants here are very similar to those in California - fig trees, tomato plants, squash, melon, pumpkins, mint, lemon trees. I have a medium sized room, with a bed, desk, and large closet (yay!) plus my own bathroom (!!).

Sitting down for some breakfast (here consisting mostly of coffee and biscuits) I started to tear up. It finally hit me that I was going to be living here for a whole year, and would be away from my family for so long. As excited as I was, my exhaustion, stress, and homesickness overtook me for the first time.  I felt terrible for Ana and Salvador - they welcomed me into their home and were so nice, and all I could do was cry. 

After I had unpacked and showered, Ana and I went into central Marbella. WOW. So many colors decorate the walls, streets, and shops. It is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been to. Part of the town is centered around an old Islamic castle that was built in the 11th century. Many of the buildings which are now Catholic churches were originally mosques. To accompany the history and culture, however, there are the tourists. Germans, Italians, British, Russian; it's hard to tell where the natives are! 

For lunch, Ana and I had tapas at a restaurant downtown; meatballs, tuna salad, pork in a tomato sause, and a potato pie sort of thing. It was all delicious!

When we got back home, Ana wanted me to take a nap. I slept for a couple of hours, then we went to the animal shelter where she volunteers. I was incredibly homesick seeing all the dogs, and had a difficult time holding back tears the whole time we were there. Then we came back home, had a delicious pasta with olives, tomatoes, and anchovies (I didn't like the anchovies very much). Portion sizes here are really big - Ana was worried I didn't like the food but I was so full that I couldn't eat it all. Not sure what to do in that situation :/. 

At some point, I will start taking pictures and putting them on Facebook.

Hope everyone at home is doing good. I miss you all very much!

Love from Marbella,
Shona

4 comments:

  1. It's only human to feel. Get those tears out now and enjoy every minute of every new experience. Hopefully one day when I travel the world I can go see all the wonderful place you talk about. Stay strong Shona! -mr.rosales

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  2. So glad you made it there safe!!! Sounds like you're going to experience some incredible things. Can't wait for more entries and pictures!!!!

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  3. You are absolutely inspiring. I can't wait to see the rest of your adventure unfold!

    Love from California,
    Tamara

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  4. great Property in Marbella

    I would love to see spanish salad

    Hope to see more posting related to
    § Property in Marbellar

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