And part of my heart will always be in Normal, Illinois.
I was extremely fortunate to spend the last two weeks in Normal, and it was exactly what I needed. Comfort, familiarity, and having my favorite people in the whole world around me…it was a feeling of contentment I hadn’t quite felt in awhile. It was heaven.
I got to see my parents, my sister, and Yashas, who spent the entire 2 weeks at my house. I loved seeing all my extended family, too. All my neighbors got together and I got to talk to and catch up with them. Jess and Elaine came to visit and I got to show them around good ole’ BloNo. It was a joy seeing and spending time with many high school friends as well. I played a lot of games, watched a lot of movies, and ate a lot food. The past two days that I’ve been back in Spain, I’ve been thinking about how lucky I am to have such incredible people in my life and how much fun I had the last two weeks, and it makes me so incredibly homesick.
Despite having a routine in Spain and much more free time than I ever had in the US, I never feel quite as relaxed as when I’m home. I’ve met amazing people, but it doesn’t compare to the relationships I’ve made with people back home for years and years and years. I know the next 6 months is going to be incredibly difficult. I’m going to miss people and home like crazy. I’m probably going to cry a lot, because hey, that’s what I do. I’m going to question myself and my decision to come to Spain. I’m going to wish over and over that I could be at my house, snuggling with my cats on the couch.
But.
I’m excited too. I’m looking forward to the new people I’ll meet, cultivating the current relationships I have, exploring the new places I’ll go to, improving my Spanish, and seeing how I’ll grow. I’m going to do my best to make the most of the next 6 months here, because I’ll be back to Normal soon enough. 😉
A Normal Girl in Spain 