Goals

I consider this blog failed, in ways. I've done a bad job at updating and have provided a pretty broken portrait of my life here in Spain. And at the same time, I'm not sure I had a specific goal in mind when I started this blog, so it had nothing to fail at really, so much as passively exist.

That said, Spain was a blast. Not that I'm leaving yet, but with 2 weeks left I've begun pre-retrospective meditation. I'd like to think that my time here was spent productively, an immersion engendering some sort of cultural enlightenment, like that I should spend more time eating and less time worrying, but I think I already knew that. On a whole, I'd say Europe isn't all that different from the U.S., aside the rich FASCINATING western history. My 5 days spent in Morocco this past week affirmed my suspicions. I felt, for the first time in a while, absolutely foreign in a foreign land, where women are only seen in the streets shopping or moving from one indoor location to another. It was uncomfortable to see only men, everywhere- populating the cafes and bars and leisurely walking the streets. However, I've never been so catered to in my life. Moroccans are an incredibly hospitable people. I was invited to tea and dinner on countless occasions during the 5 days and to my amazement, they eat more than Spaniards (a great break from Spanish cuisine). Confirms my other suspicion, which is the less that people have, the more they are willing to give. I guess that's less of a suspicion and more of a kind of fact (generally), like the parable of the widow's offering.

So, like I said, didn't do all that much. I mean, I traveled a lot, saw a ton of Spain, met a lot of people, learned a lot of Spanish, etc. But I have little to show for it. And I tend to count my productivity in tangible quantities. wah wahhh.

I have two weeks left in Granada, during which I'll volunteer a lot a ROMI, finish my independent project, and play. This involves more flamenco watching in the caves of Sacromonte and exploring all of the tourist-friendly activities I have yet to accomplish here. Afterwards, I have tentative plans to spend a day in Bath, followed by 5 days between Northern France and Brussels with my dear friend Monica. Then, I head back to Madrid and travel again around Southern Spain with my mother. Por fin, I will arrive either in Paris or Geneva to spend my last 4 or 5 days, taking in all of the Europe I can get and avoiding swine flu. Then I arrive home, which I'm sure I'll be ready for. I miss a lot of things about home, including having a relatively independent life. I'm sure I'll be ready.

But back to my not failed yet not successful blog, I've decided to update every day for the next two weeks. These entries might not be updates, so much as fleeting thoughts or things I come across. Goal?