Finding My Balance.

Balance is never letting anyone love you less than you love yourself.

There comes a point in life where you feel like everything is repetitive. Your job. Your school. Your conversations. You wake up at the same time, eat the same foods, listen to the same songs, and drive in the same direction. There is no balance. You have too much of the same routine and not enough time to let caution tip the scale. Sometimes the most important thing you can do for yourself is listen to what your heart is telling you. Mine told me to come to Spain. Leaving was the hardest thing I had ever done, but in doing so... I found my balance.

Traveling to Spain was not easy. My flight in Dallas, TX was delayed. According to the Scottish girl that sat next to me in the airport, there was something wrong with the plane's sensor. By the time we fixed that, traveled across the pond, and landed very poorly at Heathrow airport, I had less than an hour to run all the way to another terminal in order to catch my next flight. I can still hear the British security guard saying, "You betta huh-ree" as I ran across the airport all while knowing there was no possible way for me to make it to my flight. I made it to my terminal with 20 minutes to spare only to have a nice lady kindly let me know that the gate had already closed and the plane was taking off. Desperate and alone, I was able to send out a few emails and inform my family of my misfortune. Little did I know, everyone in my sweet, little hometown was worrying about my whereabouts thanks to a less than informing Facebook status. To clear up any confusion, I was placed on the next available flight free of charge.

Dear Natalie, thanks for joking about me being "the girl that watches her plane leave without being on it." You got me on that one.

Hala Madrid

The best part about seeing Madrid for the second time, is knowing that I got myself here on my own. I worked for this, I earned this, and I would like to think that I deserve this. When you earn something, it means more to you than something that was given. That's why I encourage you to set a goal and reach it on your own. The reward is worth the struggles you will face. I'm living proof. 

Madrid is one of those cities that once you fall in love with it, you're never really able to let it go. It's "the one that got away" every time you have to leave it. My love for Madrid is something that I'll never be able to fully describe no matter how hard I try. There is an unexplainable love for the food, the parks and busy streets, the nightlife, and the sound that it makes through your hotel window when you're trying to sleep. You become lost in the trilled R's, the smooth wine, and the freshly prepared paella. Everything about Madrid makes you never want to leave it. 

Our study abroad group visited two very popular art museums, the Reina Sofia and the Prado. Artists like Goya, El Greco, Picasso, Dalí, and Velazquez grace these world-renowned museums with beautiful paintings that most only see in college textbooks. We study about them, read about them, and learn everything there is to know about them, without ever seeing them face to face. It's incredible how a small-town girl from Summersville, Kentucky can say that she's been able to see something so profound at such a young age. I'm incredibly blessed and a little lucky. People who love art should never hesitate to visit an art museum. Each painting is food for the soul and it's remarkable to see how much detail was put into each canvas.

The best thing about Madrid is that it never sleeps, and the more I travel through Spain, the more I realize that the rest of the country doesn't either. The streets are never empty. There is always someone still moving into the early hours of the morning. I loved leaving my hotel window open just to listen to the street below while I tried to sleep. It was strangely soothing, a sound that I remembered from my first visit two years ago. 

Toledo 

After Madrid, my group of fellow students traveled by bus to a more traditional city in Spain called Toledo. 

Toledo is very different in comparison to Madrid's busy streets. It works at a different pace, the atmosphere much more relaxing and tranquil. The buildings are rustic and have a very fairytale-like quality to them. I feel like if I tried to imagine a world full of knights and princes and maidens... it would resemble Toledo. 

Home Sweet Home

Never in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine that I would be living with a little, old Spanish lady in the south of Spain. The idea never crossed my mind, but having someone that doesn't speak English cook for me three times a day is something I'll gladly get used to. Isabel (or Isa) is a mother of four and a grandmother to eleven. She has taken in college students from all over the world and keeps magnets on her refrigerator from the states and countries each student is from. I'm going to be sure to add the Commonwealth to the cluster. Isa stands at an astounding 5 feet tall and speaks as though her voice is on fast-forward. Our household is a never-ending game of charades, but I love every second of it. She tries to call me Jess, but it ends up sounding like "Jeh." My roommate and I tried to teach her how to say "toaster," but it's probably best that we get her to say our names before we get into the more advanced vocabulary. This is going to be a fun year. I truly do love my host mother. She's adorable and tries so hard to be accommodating. I met her husband who doesn't stay here often and he was just as kind. 

I've kissed more cheeks in the last two days than I ever have in my life. At first I wasn't fond of it, but now I think I'm going to start greeting people like this in the United States... Okay, maybe not... But the idea was nice? I don't think my friends would be to fond of me invading their personal space. The thought alone makes me laugh. Jeffrey would probably shove me down a flight of stairs and/or force me to wear his coveted "cheeseburger" shirt. Both are equally painful.

My journey is an interesting one. I do miss my family, but they know I am happier than I have ever been. I try to talk to them daily and keep up with what is happening in Greensburg. It is nice to hear about what's going on and what I am missing. I was able to see Cow Days via FaceTime. It clearly hasn't changed in the last 20 years. Keep it classy, Greensburg. I don't have time to scan through my newsfeed and see how everyone is, but I do read my message daily and I'm so thankful that you all care enough about me to ask how I'm doing. I'm eating new types of food, learning new words, and meeting people that are becoming a very important part of my life.

I feel like Julia Roberts in Eat, Pray, Love. 

When am I going to meet my Javier Bardem?