I've been in Spain over a week now, and it's almost surreal being back in the city that gave me the travel bug. Visiting places I've been before and feeling that eerie sense that it's familiar, but it's still new. I love that.

For example, the other day one of my housemates and I went to the Laberinto d'Horta, a stunning area full of lush gardens, classical architecture, and a dizzying maze constructed of greenery. It's one of those places that young girls imagine having their wedding at (except me). Seriously. I was here last summer, but I still managed to find new things this time around, such as a wooded hiking trail (that was cut short due to my inadequate footwear; I destroyed a pair of flats, but they were on their last legs anyway.) I also discovered a sculpture that I didn't remember, very gorgeous. It was a great bonding time with my housemate, and it was nice to be surrounded by so much nature in a fairly industrialized city. That's one of my favorite things about Barcelona: I still get to be in an urban setting, but I don't need to go far to walk along the sea, explore the mountains, or simply take in the fresh air of a large garden.

My second teaching experience just took place this afternoon, and while I don't feel as thrilled about this one, it was still fairly decent. I think I may be tougher on myself than my own teachers! Things I'm very good at: letting my personality and sense of humor shine through in the classroom, and using it to establish a solid relationship with my students. While doing that, I still present myself in a professional manner, and my "teacher talk" (pace, monitoring, etc.) is on-point. I use the board efficiently, and I concept-check often. The students always seem comfortable talking with me (but then again, that could be my extremely youthful appearance. Who cares, I'm just gonna work it!) Things I need to improve: my approach to giving instructions needs a whole lot of polishing. No need for details here, but it's a major adjustment that needs to be made! Luckily, I have Thursday to redeem myself!

It seems a little crazy that I'm going to be doing this (teaching) for real in a few weeks...will I be ready? Will my students learn enough? Will I get fired? Will I just break down and want to go home? Will I go hungry from lack of money? (SERIOUSLY BROKE OVER HERE...) Yet, I just feel that everything will work out; the world has a funny way of working, and if we spend too much time worrying about the future, we'll totally miss out on the present moment. Which for me is being in Barcelona, a city I love, learning how to be kick-ass at my future job, meeting new friends, and having awesome experiences that I can look back on later and say "I'm so glad that I did that." And that's what's up.

My weekend was spectacular. I visited Parc Guell, and was reminded of why I busted my ass for a year writing a thesis on it. And then I gazed at Gaudi's lovely masterpiece and realized, hell, he busted his ass way more than I did. I sat in the park and sketched for a bit, which made me feel amazing, because sketching after a short break from it always makes me feel amazing. I'm cutting down on those breaks between sketches, which is also wonderful. Even though I'm not pursuing a job in the arts right now, it's still a huge part of my life; it's part of who I am, and that's never going to change. When I have some sketches I consider worthy enough for this blog, I'll post 'em.

I also met one of my pen-pals last weekend. Three cheers for not getting catfished! While he lives in Spain now, he is originally from Peru. I asked him about the whole Peruvians-having-a-beef-with-Ecuadorians thing, and he told me it's embedded in their history. He said nowadays, most people are okay with each other, but those who live near the border are a little more on edge. I think I'm going to do some research and figure this out a bit more. Anyway, we went to Camp Nou, the stadium where FC Barcelona plays. I can honestly say I have a much greater appreciation for soccer-I mean futbol- than I did before this visit. In the States, it's such a minor sport; it's not even secondary. Yet, almost everywhere else in the world, it's the national pasttime, and honestly, I can see why. I was actually pretty into it! The museum had interactive displays and big-screen TVs recapping some great moments in FCB's history. Just watching some of the players score goals was incredible. The game seems so fast-paced and exciting, with the crowd's energy, and the commentators' GOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!!, and the amazing feats these athletes pull off. I would be interested in seeing a game, live. That won't happen during this visit though, sorry (wallet probs.)

I also reunited with my hostess from last summer. I consider her more as an aunt, and she's absolutely wonderful; proof that once you make a friend in Spain, they're your friend for life. We planned to meet in the city's main plaza, which had me kind of skeptical, because we both dislike that area (too many tourists and super hectic), but then she led me down a narrow street, and told me she was taking me to a secret place, a place only the socios know.  We ended up at the Ateneu Barcelones, an institution for literary learning (she's taking a class on novels there right now.) It was breath-taking inside, with a huge library that had frescoed ceilings and ancient texts (mostly in catalan), a bar area for students to snack at, and a large courtyard with a garden and pond, where we sat and chatted for a while. She really calmed my nerves about a lot of things I've been stressing about (money, what the hell I want to do with my life, and where I want to go, both literally and figuratively.) Maybe it's a Spanish thing, but everyone I talk to here just seems to ease my mind and help me believe that I will be okay. And I firmly believe that they're right.

Maybe I don't know that teaching English is the career path I want to take. Maybe I'll be scraping by for a while, just trying to make ends meet. Maybe my future won't be super-easy, and mapped-out, and flashing at me in bright neon colors. But, that doesn't mean that I'm going to just sit at home, cower in fear, and whine about it. I'm young, capable, open, and willing to learn and experience. This is the time to just go for it, and that's what I am going to do.