This past week, I saw my friend Katie for the first time in two and a half years. Emily and I met Katie in Mendoza, Argentina in the summer of 2008 when we spent two weeks in Chile and Argentina. It was that trip that was the catalyst for us deciding to move abroad. Needless to say, seeing Katie again brought back some great memories!
I vividly remember that trip - the Spanish classes, staying with a family for a week, the bicycle tour to wineries, meeting Felipe, Katie, and Euan, who became great friends, and so, so many laughs. Although I had always, always loved our travels (all of which had been to Spanish-speaking countries), there was something about this time in Mendoza that caused me to know I had to live the Spanish/Latin lifestyle. Enjoying it while traveling just wasn't enough!
And so, after returning home and quickly realizing that we just couldn't live a Spanish lifestyle in the USA (no matter how many empanadas we made or siestas we took!), Emily and I both started looking into international teaching. Although I arrived at international teaching in a roundabout way, I am happy to say that I've been living the Spanish life for over a year and a half now. And I have to admit that the reality of it is even better than expected!
The past few days have been a great reminder of just how amazing that trip was - the people, the city, the experiences, the laughs - muchas gracias, Mendoza!
No comments:
Post a Comment