Howdy,

So these past two weeks have been full of changes. The biggest of which is that I changed host families! It was a long process, but eventually my family and I decided that the best thing for me to do was change completely. I am now staying in the house with my best Spanish friend, Carlota, and am absolutely loving it. She is so full of energy and spirit and invites me everywhere with her. Honestly, I feel a little guilty because I always have to study instead of going out every afternoon, but soon I will be able to once all my exams finish. Her mom (our mom!) is a professional chef, and every day I come home to fresh homemade food, and a salad just for me! She is very busy because she runs a restaurant and a dress store, but that means that she also embodies the energy that both those places have. There is never ever a dull moment here. I have my own room, which is a lot smaller than my old one, but is full of all my things and little English sayings that my host family finds in little shops. One day, I came home to them giving me a sign that said “happy birthday,” not because it was my birthday, but because they knew it was English and didn’t know what it meant. Isn’t that so cute!! I’m so busy and feel like I literally never have time for anything, but that’s a good thing as it means that I don’t miss home as much. Recently though, I’ve been feeling pretty sad. All my American friends are leaving on Saturday, which is in 2 days. That is honestly heart breaking. As amazing as making Spanish friends is, it is equally as hard, and so I often find myself relying on Americans as my rock. When they leave, I probably won’t get another opportunity to see them for a very long time… Which brings me back to my positivity: imagine how much better my Spanish is going to be!! Without them, I’ll literally be completely alone here, and it will force me to interact with Spaniards more. This semester, I am going to try to focus on the little things and being positive and happy and free. Compartmentalizing my life will allow me to see each day as a new day and not worry about anything else. So yes, right now I am very sad. But I’m trying to see the sun come up on the other side and I am positive that this semester will be a million times better than the first.

Peace,

~Parker Grove