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As I sit here on the plane (7 hours into a 9.5 hour flight – whew!), I still can’t believe I will be back in the USA for the first time in 360 days!! How quickly a year has gone by! I feel like I haven’t been there in ages, yet also feel like it was yesterday.

I’m very curious to see how I feel after being there for a little while. At this point, I feel like I’m going on a vacation and am just so excited! Seeing friends, family, and Indy, favorite restaurants, familiarity, a sense of home . . . it sounds wonderful!

Yet, at the same time, I already miss Spain! Just arriving in Madrid yesterday and speaking Spanish to cab drivers made me feel like I was “home.” Although I am SO excited to be in the US for a few weeks, I am already looking forward to returning to Barcelona and starting to settle in.

Since arriving at Heathrow, I’ve been surrounded by English speakers, naturally. I’ve heard/eavesdropped on numerous conversations about people’s travels. Many of them are Americans returning home. Hearing the questions “Where are you from?” and “Where do you live?” have started to take on an entirely different meaning for me. For example, when living in Colorado, I would always say I was from Indiana. But, when in Spain, I usually say I’m from Colorado, because it’s more well-known and I feel like it was really my “home” as an adult. But when asked the question by an American when abroad, I struggle to answer. Most often, it’s “I’m originally from Indiana, but I was living in Colorado,” or something equally confusing.

I was hit with the realization today that when asked by Americans where I live, the truth is “I live in Spain.” I still find that so hard to believe!! I am truly an ex-pat – wow! I’m still stuck with the “Well, last year I was living in Seville, but starting in August, I’ll be living in Barcelona,” response. There is definitely not a straight answer for me at the moment!

With all of these thoughts, I keep coming back to the idea of “home.” Until recently, I considered “home” to be my parent’s house in Indiana. Although it’s no longer the one I grew up in, being with them was always my association with home. Now that’s changed a bit for me. Going to Denver feels like going home, and I know that going to Indy will feel the same way. And I remember returning to Seville after a weekend away felt like home and I know that Barcelona will soon be my new home . . .

I’ve decided that “home” for me is a place with people I love, a place I feel comfortable, a place that invokes a feeling of familiarity, and a place I enjoy returning to after time away. So, although I am already missing my new home, I can’t wait to visit my old ones!

hasta luego, amiga!

Anna left this morning L I knew this day was coming, but wow, it arrived so fast! After a fantastic two weeks on the road, at first with just the two of us, then with Megan as well, it’s time for her to return home.

As I said goodbye to her, I was reminded yet again of how lucky I have been for the friendships in my life. I truly believe my girlfriends have played such pivotal parts in who I am and the amazing experiences I have had. And along with this comes the sad moments of having to say goodbye to such amazing friends. I remember saying goodbye to Lauren when she moved to Nashville and feeling like I had just broken up with a boyfriend – it was awful! I remember having to say goodbye to Liz and Linsey before moving to Spain last August and how much it made my heart hurt.

And again, today, hugging Anna goodbye was pretty miserable. I realized that since last September, there have only been about 12 days we’ve spent apart. (Kind of ridiculous, I know – but true!) So, I guess it’s to be expected that I’m feeling a bit sad about it all. However, I’m lucky enough to get to continue on this trip with Megan, see my parents tomorrow, and see so many great friends in just a few weeks!

Goodbyes are always bittersweet. Yet, I truly believe, and feel quite lucky to know, that with my best of friends, no matter where we might be living, it’s really not adios, but hasta luego . . .

On the road again . . .

25 days

13 cities

5 bus rides

5 flights

3 train rides

2 countries

2 car rentals

2 great friends

1 famous festival

1 set of amazing parents

= quite an adventure!

As we embark on our trip into the north of Spain, I’m struck yet again by just how much I love being “on the road.” I always request the window seat from Anna, hoping to catch as much scenery as possible. And like a little kid, I’m afraid to close my eyes, in fear that I might miss something! (Although I don’t know what that something will be in the Spanish countryside – a cow or pig, perhaps?)

There’s something about traveling from one place to another that screams of adventure to me. New sights, new people, different foods, and when traveling in Spain, new accents and languages. Each city, each mode of transportation, provides the opportunity to experience something that I never have before. Although the way I travel has changed over the years, due to age, money, and more, the chance to experience something new is a feeling I have yet to grow tired of and highly doubt that I ever will.

Robert Louis Stevenson said, "I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel's sake. The great affair is to move." I couldn't agree more!