Remembering Why

As I inch closer to the three month mark, my life in Marbella is becoming just that: my life. I'm settling in. School in Spanish is now just schol: no longer a foreign place full of confusion and stress; rather, school is filled with challenges I am overcoming day by day. Make friends: check. Learn more Spanish: check. Do the homework: check. Pass a test -- well, let's just say I still have a ways to go before that happens (though I've got a Latin exam on Friday that I'm feeling prepared for). I stand out less: my spanish is better than most of the tourists' and retiree population's, I dress like a Spaniard (for the most part -- still not ready to trade in my TOMS for a pair of Converse), I've finally figured out how to work the bus system, and I love my siestas (and fiestas) like the rest of them.

Still, I have my doubtful moments. Just this past weekend, I was seriously questioning my decision to go on exchange. I felt lonely, stressed, and scared. Sunday morning was characterized by my loneliness and homesickness; I was so depressed that the very thought of moving from my bed seemed impossible. Luckily, I've got a good support system behind me; at the core of which are the other exchange students here in Marbella. Knowing I was in a "funk," Vanessa and her host mom dragged me out of my room (okay, out of my bed -- yes, I know three in the afternoon is a little late to still be in my PJs) and over to their house. We made crepes (chocolate&banana and sugar&mango - yum!). The sweet smell that filled their kitchen alone was enough to cheer me up, and our easy conversations, in Spanish of course, just added to my rejuvenated spirit. Mamen, Vanessa's host mom, is one of the warmest and most caring people I've ever met; the conversation between all three of us, despite a slight language barrier, is that of old friends. Our stomachs full and spirits high, Vanessa and I tramped down a few flights of stairs to their "den," watched the Big Bang Theory (at first in Spanish, but we eventually switched the settings so we could listen to Sheldon's voice -- it's just not the same dubbed!) and enjoyed ranting back and forth about our lives. By the end of the evening, I was feeling confident once again: Vanessa and Mamen had succeeded in reminding me why I came here.

In other news, my Spanish is still improving with every passing day. I can finally say things in past tense and am understanding most of what goes on in class! Marbella is raining buckets at the moment. I usually have an umbrella, but that only makes so much of a difference when the cars drive through puddles at racing speeds, causing waves of water to splash upon me. I can't really complain though, there's something incredibly soothing about changing out of wet clothes and into warm sweats, then joining my host parents for a hot meal. On days when I'm feeling especially chilled, I make myself hot soy milk with nutella -- sounds weird, I know, but yummmm. It's ten times better than your average hot chocolate :).

A quick congrats to all of my friends at home (and abroad) who just voted for the first time!

Love from Marbella,
Shona Bell

P.S. Does anyone know a good recipe for pumpkin pie that begins with a real pumpkin? They don't sell canned pumpkin (heck, they don't sell ANYTHING pumpkin) here in Spain, and I'm craving a slice or two (or ten) or pumpkin pie.