Life back home

After a few months of readjusting to my decision to come home to the United States i am in Graduate school for my masters. I am pursuing a masters degree in Education and Spanish. Somedays i welcome my decision and the other decisions i made to get to this point. Other days i wonder while i left. but everyday i am reminded of a quote on my wall that tells reinstates in me that decisions are made for a reason.

Vogue, Shape, and rabbit food

My appologies for not writing. since my arrival back to the USA i threw myself in about 1 million directions trying to keep myself occupied which ultimately gave me pneumonia. You know how women are, we like to multi task, keep ourselves in shape, and try to accompklish a list the size of China in one day. My time off   I spent resting and reading a series of magazines ranging from Bon Appetit, Shape, Vogue, and anything with a colorful cover. I flipped through the thin smooth pages gazing at everything from how to make homemade tiramisu, the newest swimwear for every shape, and a series of ads trying to sell me everything from bandaids to viagra. ( no thank you) But one theme remainded constant throughout them all which caused me to think: When did women get this way?
If they weren't teaching me how to make my favorite dishes 500000 calories less by taking fewer bites while chewing they were offering me pills to make my backside look just like Giselle from victoria Secret. It sincerely amazed me the number of products on the market for women right and how the perception of woman has changed from wholesome to flip me over orange glazed pixie stick. it was truly amazing. I flipped back through the magazine and looked for articles targeting men. The normal half dressed woman in a pose her mother would shriek if she saw it, were the only ads. I began to think to myself women have it tough. I mean nowadays if you arent a size 2, you mind as well join Shamu at seaworld and if you dont have the body of a gilette goddess then dont bother going to the beach.
99% of the articles focused on the upcoming season and the one thing on everyone's mind from college students to mothers alike. Summer. Most pages and articles presented skillfully planned agendas on how to lose 48 lbs by drinking grapefruit juice and and doing crunches in your chair at work. From my readings i compiled a list according to the media that women NEED to do in preparation to bare it all. First there is waxing, thats right the glue that gets ripped off by a complete stranger from everyplace from your eyebrows, your top lip, under arms and well... umm... you get the picture. Then comes the teeth whitening so when you are laying on your beach blanket this year your teeth can be a bright and serve as a lighthouse bellowing to all these over oiled men ( or women) on the beach. Third the return of the retainer. Thats right that you opt out to wear all year long finds its way back into your nighttime routine as you sleep there open mouth gaped mouth full of metal to have those straight teeth. Next the gym, your new home away from home and current address until 5 weeks from April 25 ( the official swimsuit season) You Zumba, run, lift, crawl, and crunch your way to swimsuit shape all the while trying not to pass out. And lastly rabbit food, any form of substance that a fluffy bouncy rabbit would find appealing except for those cadbury easter eggs.  These articles amazed, bewildered, and shocked me. "The things that women do all in the name of beauty and a season that lasts 3 months", i sighed. I wonder if men are flocking to salons to have their Queen Elizabeth waxed. I'll let you know. :)

xoxo
Worldly Woman

 Deluka
Mean Streak

Whispering

Here is a series of Music and groups i have picked up on my Travels that i have found to be hauntingly good. sometimes we can't find the words or the proper comfort for our current emotion and music is the only form of consolment :)

The Civil Wars
- Barton hollow*
-the violet Hour
-Girl with the Red Balloon*
-Falling*
-20 Years

Florence and the Machines
-Dog Days
-Kiss with a Fist
-Drumming*

El Canto del Loco
-Puede Ser
-Contigo
-Peter Pan
-Aprender de Te

Tinie Temprah
-Written in the Stars

Dj Tiesty
-Ecstacy
All

Rulo y la Contrabanda
-La cabecita Loca

La fuga-
-Ganas

Mumford &Sons
-I gave you all
-Blank Page
-Little Lion Man

Funday Monday

Adjustment has always been a part of life. If you look at science it is written everywhere we see it with adaptations and a perfect example resulting in evolution. We adapts our current selves to survive and propser in our new surroundings no matter how foreign they feel. No pun intended :)
My adjust ment back to the states has been strange and a wee bit draining inthe beginning but as i develop a schedle ad routine and with Graduate School just a few weeks away my mind is busy in a series of different modes. though somedays a voice or soemthing that remid sme of Spain presents itself but it is nothing a good Heineken can't resolve. Ahh yes among the many talents i have picke dup in Spain such as teacher certification, 101 new spanihs recipes, and the ability to do the Salsa i now can down a Heineken in less than 10 seconds. Kidding!! Needless to say just becuase i may not be in the country itself i will always carry a part of Spain with me, no seriously i took a large rock from the Sierra Nevada and it sits by my bedstand. It is amazing what you can hide in a good pair of Gucci edition boots! Additionally as i change my room over from the past a series of fond memories i will replace them with sme of the new 245 pictures i have conveniently printed at CVS and surround myself with my second home. Pictures a lost art in my opinion as everyone relies on the one thing that we could lose eventually, our memory ( i pray not) i find that a picture, a simple photograph will always capture a wonderful memory, an emotion, love, a favorite landscape which you can bring with you everywhere and cherish it.  Surrounding yourself with such indestructable paper memories will remind us of our many accomplishments we have in this life and remind us everyday to push forward for in the end anything is possible.

xoxo
Worldly Woman

Song: Barton Hollows
Band: The civil Wars

The big bang

Little Bit of Sunshine

Adjusting back to life in the USA has been a rollercoaster experience but nevertheless one that is filled with smiles and Sunshine. The number one question on everybody's mind is " How was Spain", " Are you going to go back". Spain has been the best decision that i have made and i never regret my experience for anything. During the 3+ months i had been living there enveloped in the culture i began to grow and find myself and now i come home with a clear idea and plan of what i want to do. I feel like a new person, with a smile on my face and alot of stories to share. All you have to do is ask .

Song of the day

xoxo
Worldly Woman

El vuelo

The airport, a symbol in itself. A series of planes arrive and depart everyday bringing people to their desired destination. Bringing together friends, seperating lovers, Reuniting child and mother. The airport is the one place where human emotion is in clear sight. There is no hate, there is only tears of joy, tears of sorrow, and jubilation. the planes arrive to the portals eager to stay on schedule taking its travelers to their desired or necessary point of interest in a fixed ammount of time. We sit there in our seats trying to maintain our composure while our emotions are buckled into our seats as we hol don for dear life as the plane takes off, which makes everything real.
Departing from Granada, the sun was shinning the birds were singing, the total opposite of what was hidden besides my forced smile. I awoke that morning, rolled over in the immense bed, not wanting to get up. My lack of sleep was clearly visible in the pockets of my eyes as i walked across the old Spanish tile floor to the window. In the distance was the Sierra Nevada, beautiful white and brilliant it shown, still covered in snow while the thermometer read a cool 26C. Showering and preparing myself i said my goodbyes and farewells as she loaded my bags into teh car. A series of hugs and kisses and tidings of good luck from the sincere individuals and a small old man who wished me a safe flight and to return soon, he could read my mind. I loaded the car looking over at the driver with sadness in my eyes as it pulled out of the driveway through the large iron gate as the dogs, Tula, chased the car. Driving through the hills comfort was given but words could not be found as i was hoping that the car would somehow become lost. Arriving at the airport, my flight delayed we waited the entire time. Lost without words, wanting to say soo much but nothing was able to escape our dry mouths aside from a series of humorous jokes and idioms in Spanish trying to break the unerving silence. FLIGHT TO JFK, i gathered my things.
We walked to the gate with sadness in our eyes as comfort was found in an embrace and traditional cheek kisses as I walked through the security lines, i was shaking the entire time. After passing i looked back to see tears streaming down the sunkissed cheeks of what i was leaving behind. A hand was raised inteh air wavng a signal of goodbye as I burst into tears and tyring to stand, be strong, and contuine to get onto the flight. I walked clutching my passport in hand outside to the plane which was siutated against the backdrop of the rocky landscape. I looked back at the series of faces in the large waiting area window crying and waving goodbye to all of us. That was when it hit me. Reality. I looked back over my shoulder, my cheeks stained with tears to see the familiar faces waving with tears in the window as i walked away from, a hand pressed against the glass. Boarding the plane, a window seat, i let me emotions loose and cried the entire first flight. the man next to me offered "panuelos" tissues for the entire flight offering words of consolment in simple Spanish.
Arriving to Madrid, my flight late, i ran through the airport at full speed with two bags through customs, to catch teh train.  Teh stress, the emotions, the travel was not wearing on me and relief was found when i made the second flight. The door closed sealing my fate, making my decision final and i began to cry again, an accumulation of all the emotions and withheld feelings from my Spain adventure poured out for the first 4 hours of my flight until i found solace and relaxation and sleep overcame me. When i awoke in the distance i saw the USA, New York, the city littered with skylines and skyscrapers and trees, i was ifnally home,. I am home, i said ot myself as a tear rolled down my face, as i was happy to finally be safe in my own country after the difficult week i had. I exited the plane composing myself with all the otehr passengers, going thorugh customs to which a pale faced polish man said ot me welcome home miss to which the emotion of jubilation finally overcame my face as i proceeded to collect my bags. Turning the corner i walked down the hallway in the distanc ei saw two figures. I knew who they were my parents, my mother and my father i wanted to run to them i wanted to cry, but i had nothing left. All i needed and wanted i found when the two of them embraced me. Estoy segura, estoy a casa relaja, relaja.

xoxox
Worldly Woman

The current

This life is full of difficult decisions. Aside from the everyday questions of what will i wear, what do i want for lunch and would you like fries with it we encounter a series of decisions whether it be in our professional life, our personal life or our private life that occupy our time. Like the sea we arent sent into a state of turmoil trying to make the correct decision. Swimming against the current, the obvious only fatigues us and weakens our state of mind. To float on our backs aimlessly hoping to turn up on land will only put us in a vulnerbale positions to all around us. To swim with the current, diagnally towards land provides us with our best option. Even though as we are swimming we may look over our shoulder, we may look back, we continue to swim forward, confident in our choice to the point that turning your head is painful, you cant look back, land is in clear view.

Mumford and Sons, Gave

xoxo

Worldly Woman

Girl Talk All Day

http://illegal-art.net/allday/

This website was inspired by my sister who turned me on to it. Sometimes we find in music, is the only way we can convey how we are truly feeling or how we truly feel. So when some lyrics come along such as " teach me how to date" for some of us it hits home.

xoxo
Worldly Woman

Labios Compartidos

Labios Compartidos- Mana

Amor mío
Si estoy debajo del vaivén de tus piernas
Si estoy hundido en un vaivén de caderas
Esto es el cielo, es mi cielo

Amor fugado
Me tomas, me dejas, me exprimes y me tiras a un lado
Te vas a otros cielos y regresas como los colibrís
Me tienes como un perro a tus pies

Otra vez mi boca insensata
Vuelve a caer en tu piel
Vuelve a mi tu boca y provoca
Vuelvo a caer de tus pechos en tu par de pies

Labios compartidos, labios dividos mi amor
Yo no puedo compartir tus labios
Que comparto el engaño
Y comparto mis días y el dolor
Ya no puedo compartir tus labios
Oh, amor, oh amor compartido

Memorias

Algunos veces en este vida, algunas canciones siempre habran un significado profundos en nuestras vidas. Algunos veces la musica invoca en nosotros un emocion en que no pueden dar las palabras para decir como sienten. El ritmo, las palabras, causan nosotros para reir, llorar, la aceleracion del corazon, todos las cosas que clasifican nuestros como humanos. Mientras mi teimpo aqui en Espana los canciones siguientes siempre tendran un sitio especial en mi corazon.

Hotel California- Gypsy Kings, por mis aventuras en moto contigo

Ladios Compartidos- Mana,

Quiero Aprender de Te- El canto del Loco- sin palabras

Contigo- El Canto del Loco- el titulo es sufficiente.

Con Amor
Worldly Woman

Las estrellas

Sitting in the salon with Martina, conversing in broken Spanish making jokes about the life her ein Spain and all the minor vicotires we have had living in a foreign country. Thus we have composed a list of our minor accomplishments but in our eyes will always be epic.

1. Not imposing any violence on the construction workers that harass us when we walk. ( For the two of us being blonde we are often called to in the street AY RUBIA!! SLAVIKA!!! After the first 3 times you learn to ignore it or buy a pair of sunglasses.)
2. Battling the cockroaches in the apartment.
3. Calling the gas company on the telephone and speaking Granadino.
4. Returning a pair of pants to the department store.
5. Eating mystery meat at the tapas bar next to the butcher shop.
6. Traveling alone.
7. Carrying 10lbs of groceries back up a hill the size of mt. olympus.
8. Carrying gorceries up mt. olympus in heels because you have to look good when carrying gorceries while excercising your ass muscles.
9. Trying top convert bra sizes and explain to the women that work there that having small boobs is an okay thing and no we arent infertile.
10. Living 3 weeks without internet and not picking up the following habits: heroine, cocaine, singing on street corners, over shopping, over eating, or hanging out with the crazy man that sing volare on the corner of our street.
11. Cooking fish in the oven. So it came out as tough as steak, it was still edible.
12. Taking Spanish courses at the school and swearing only 2 times in your slavic language.
13. Giving directions to tourists that think you live here and having them make sense,.
14. Totally bullshitting directions to tourists and creepy men that just want to talk toyou in order to save your honor and urself from being encarcelated for domestic violence.
15. Seeing your mildly attractive spanish neighbor every morning in his towel and giggling like a school girl for only 3 minutes as oposed to the 5 minutes before.
16. Dodging the advancements of drunk men, spanish men, South african footballistas, old men that pinch, and small children that bite.
17. Stepping in dog pooh only 1 the entire time being here.
18. Managing to finf clothes while shopping where the pants arent too short or too long.
19. Not slapping people that stare at you like you are Hester Pryne because you hold arms with a girl.
20. Finding ourselves.

Job well done

xoxo
Worldly Woman and Martina

Sunday Sunshine

I cut a piece of stale crusty Spanish bread on a white  cutting board. The knife barely made its way through the bread as it made crumbs everywhere. All is silent, all is calm. Barefoot on the kitchen floor i feel the coldness seep in as my ligaments and tendons stiffen with its presence. I inhale in, wrapped in my scarf in the kitchen as i look out at the series of iron shades that are drawn down blocking out the light of the other neighbors. A door creaks below as i hear the only other footsteps at this hour of an old woman. A familiar tune breaks the silence below and rises up three floors to my ears. I know this tune well and it is normal for Sunday mornings. The sweet old woman begins to sweep as always as i make my way tot eh ledge to salute her. Dressed in her same nightgown and apron she sweeps the floor, clearing away the dirt from the week. Her white hair glistens as the light finds its way to it and brightens her aged skin. She smiles at me as i call to her. She continues her tune and it is a calming presence as i return to the kitchen. Sleep does not come easy as it is sunday i am drawn to cook. I prepare homemade chocolate cake with gnache frosting, eggplants in a roasted garlic cream sauce and homemade bruschetta chips for the hungry guests that are coming to dinner tonight. I sigh feeling accomplished at what i had done and leave the kitchen creeping quietly with the feet of a ballerina to the salon. Opening the old oak windows, trying to hush the noise of the rusty latch, i peer out onto the street which is deserted aside from those spanish adorned in their black garments on their way to mass. I stand in the window breathing in the fresh clean air. I close my eyes, my equilibrium off, and breathe in deep, not a thought in my mind aside from how and in what way will i spend the day. I decide to relax having been under the weather the past few days and i rest my age in the old rustic orange spanish chair. I can hear the humming of the woman in the distance and her melodic sweeps of the broom as i begin to drift off, finally at peace, and finally sleep finds me.

La vida

La vida es corto.. porque no vives la vida quieres?

Life is short, why not live the life you want.

un beso a todos
xoxo
Worldly Woman

Aprender de ti

In this life, we come into contact with a series of individuals. These people come into our lives and change us for the better. With each individual we meet, we have a series of learning experiences, we grow, we learn, and we create fond memories with them. During my time here in Spain i have met a plethora of people to which some poets describe as "rekindling the fire in the inner soul." Sometimes in our life our inner fire, our passion, our very being is extinguished or our flame dwindles untilw e come into contact with thos eindividuals that rekindle the inner soul and for them we need to be thankful. In spain i have met enough people to have ta fire that will last a lifetime. Last evening my roomates and i spent the good part of the evening sitting in our salon, surrounded by delicious creation chatting for 4 hours, cell phones off, computers shut down, just back to basics general appreciation for human interaction. A trait ot which i feel often gets lost in the hustle and bustle of daily life, planners, timelines, and deadlines. sometimes i think that we need to stop nd reexamen our life and stop and take a moment to appreciate those individuals to which truly make us feel alive and have made our lives better solely by just being a part of it.
A todos de ustedes, gracias :)

El canto del loco
Aprender de ti

mucho amor de Espana
Wordly Woman

Contigo

Solo quiero vivir contigo, solo quiero bailar contigo,

Te regalo mi amor

Hola a todos!
There is somthing about being in a bus station that often evokes thought. Something about the series of arrivals and departures that makes us stop and reflect on our own lives, where we are going, what we are doing and where we will end up. with our tickets in our hand we make our decisions and hop and take a leap of faith hoping it is the right choice. Sitting in the bus station this past weekend in anticipation to my trip to paradise, Salobrena a local beach here, i began to reflect on my time here in Spain and became lost in a series of daydreams. The song by Malu Blanco y Negro played in the background.
I began to stop and think that i never thought when i was 5 years old, let alone in highschool as well that i would ever be living abroad in a foreign country, fending for msyelf and creating such wonderful relationships with people from all over the world. It made me start to question whether or not my original plans in my future would hold true or would become lost like so many travelers do in a good book.
Boarding the bus and taking my seat, we left the station and traveled through the city and to the highway to the country which is painted with a series of green rolling hills with peaks and valleys. The terrain always is beautiful and never ceases to amaze me though i have taken this journey before. in the distance windmills turned calmyly providing energy to the small town below them. I watched the mills turn so slowly without a care as my mind became lost in thought and i began to sign along to Big and Rich as well as that songs of the Avett Brothers.
Arriving at the beach to see that it was family day, my friend and i not having  abthing suits stripped down to our underware and let the world see our bare pale asses. Kidding, Children streamed around us playing int he sand, the waves crashed inteh distance as my friend and i baked like an apple pie in the sun. the onyl ones brave enough to eneter the water were the slavs and germans to which the spanish looked and peered at in utter amazement and shock. ( the spanish are such pansies when it comes to the frigid weather haahh)
After 4 hours we foun doutrselves parked on a small beach hut sipping a cafe con leche gazing at the water until the time of our return ticket beckoned inthe background. We stopped at a local bread shop and returned to the bus stop prompty with our wheels of bread the size of a steering wheel, a 1.50 euro well spent and boarded the bus to belost again in thoguht concluding that our expeirence could best be described as a visa commercial:

Roundtrip ticket to salobrena-  10 euro

suntan lotion so you dont look like the spanish flag- 8 euro
Coffee on the beach 1.50 euro
Bread the size of a steering wheel 1.50
Finding peace in your soul... priceless

xoxxo
Worldy Woman

song of the day

Musica

Musica populares aqui en Espana

Canto del Loco. Contigo
Bebe, me fui
Malu, Blanco y Negro
Gypsy King, Trista Pena
Canto Del Loco, Puede ser
Moby, Wait for me

A taste of Spain from me to you. Afterall in this life Music is the one thing with or without words that gives us sanity, comforts us, and can express emotions that becomes lost to the written word.
Become lost :)

Sayings

http://vi.sualize.us/view/f53072d99b092ecd9d8ddcb3c98b05cf/

Saw this quote today in Spain and thought it was amazing

xoxox
Worldy Woman

Song fo the day
Moby, wait for me
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKTwvqR6BiI&feature=related

Ocean

Sanity comes to us in many forms as does comfort. For some it can be a favorite song, others a food, and for most of us a place to which we can escape to. For me since my childhood this magical place has been the beach and to my fortune i have had the privelage of visiting one here in Spain. Salobrena is a coastal community here in Spain with picturesque beaches, historic islamic castle in the background, and a series of small scattered bars on the sandy beaches deserted given its time of year. I came to this place with my father, who visited me this past week. To have two forms of sanity in one place at one time was exactly what i needed. We perched ourselves on white stone rocks for nearly 30 minutes without conversation allowing ourselves to be lost in the sound of the ocean and wind in our hair. Thoughts and troubles seemed to fade and dance away as the cool breeze tossled about my blonde locks and i could feel all stress of the city life and its decision in general fade away. PErfection was ours and it was just what i needed. Strolling along later we found ourselves nestled on a small bar on the beach scattered with broken umbrellas and the sweet smell of paella in the background. We sat down accompanied by Spanish families whose children littered the beach playing enjoying its many treasures. There is nothing like the sound of children's laughter to reminds that you sometimes in life you need to stop and laugh and take it for all it is worth. The purity of a childs laugh brought smiles to the faces of both myself and my father as a ray of sun as if destined hit our table at the exact moment. Serenity was ours as we drew in a long sip of refreshment watching life pass us by. A reminder of one of the most beautiful things we possess: Life.

With love from Spain

Worldly Woman

Song of the day:

Avett Brothers, I and Love and You.