Options, decisions and appreciation

Trip Start Sep 17, 2008
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Trip End Jun 04, 2009


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Flag of Spain and Canary Islands  , Andalusia,
Thursday, March 26, 2009

We can no longer say that the days are flying by.. now, we have come to realize that another week is behind us before we know it.  The spring is upon us here in southern Spain and with the spring comes the intense Andalucian sun, the unmistakeable smell of orange tree blossoms, and an array of magnificent tropical flowers lining every street.  There is a hustle and bustle around Còrdoba that lets us know that our time here is running short.  The students are getting anxious for the school year to come to an end as the warm weather teases them on a daily basis.  Ice cream shops are poping up on every corner, and believe it or not, snail tents have become the restraunt of choice this time of year.  Caracoles (boiled snails) are severed from temporary tent stands until about 11:00 pm every night.  They are very cheap, costing only one to three euros for a decent sized bowl full.  Tyler slurped his way through a bowl of "chicos" (small snails) last night.  They were seasoned with a bit of cayenne pepper, but a side from that, the snot-like texture did not leave me with the desire to come back for more.  Tyler on the other hand thoroghly enjoyed eatting the squishy little fellows...
 
We are anxious to come home but at the same time are not looking forward to wrapping up our time here.  We have not only learned heaps of information about other parts of the world, their politics, history, language, and culture, but ALSO, and more importantly, we have learned more about ourselves and each other than we could have ever imagined.  (just a quick side note.. to give you an idea of how I've changed I caught myself asking Tyler the other day while talking about Morocco, "Now what is their political situation?"  I couldn't believe that question came out of my mouth...) Our interests and goals have changed, along with the way we view people and the world.  I promise not to go off on a tagent, but in short I will leave you with this - When I was a little girl my mom and dad used to tell me (my dad more than my mom ; ) ) "Denise, the world doesn't revolve around you!"  Never have I found that fact more true than at this point in my life.  We have traveled, experienced, and seen that there is more to this world than us and the little sheltered home of America that we come from.  I relish the idea of living my life from here on out putting others ahead of me and my "problems."  Tyler and I have decided to move back home because of all of the discussions that we have had concerning this topic.  There is no one in the world more important to us than family and friends and we dont want to miss out on anymore time away from those who love and support us the most. 
 
Tyler, as he is sitting here talking with his best British accent, has decided to go back to school to get his teaching cerficate.  I have always headed down that same path as well but I don't feel like I am quite ready for that at 23 years old.  I will teach high school spainsh in the near future, but I need a few more years under my belt... to be honest I am just waiting to stretch the age gap between my students and I.  There is without a doubt a lack of respect when the students know that you are only a few years older than them.  Additionally, I am a softy and my disciplinary tactics are not what they need to be..  Can't we all just get along?!?!  Or as they would say in England, "Can't we all just get on with each other?!"  Ahh... poking fun at the British language will never get old; )
 
In the mean time I am going to try my hand at Massage Therapy (haha, get it.??. ok, so it was cheesy, but I know you're smiling)  There are several schools between Portland and Eugene where I   can enroll full-time.  I will also continue to tutor ESL students or those who need help with Spanish.
 
This was my attempt to catch you up with our latest feelings and decisions as they unfold on the other side of the world.  Thank you to all who have kept up with our blog and kept in contact since we have been gone!
 
 
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