THiS adventure is coming to an end.

So I have 4 days left in Salamanca - SURREAL! I’m really looking forward to England and traveling with Kate + Mom, but I’m going to miss Salamanca, hearing Spanish everyday and thinking about adopting the Spanish lisp. Like I promised, I had final exams, I partied it up (2 bad hangovers) and I’ve started thinking about packing my stuff.

My final exams weren’t bad for IES. I think I did pretty well. There was some drama in IES because originally I was going to take my university final later than some of the other girls because they were leaving early and when IES found out, they freaked out and told me that I couldn’t, that I had to have told them months earlier even though the professor told me I could take it later. So, the DAY before the exam they tell me this, so I cry, get my shit together, finish the paper, and study till the wee hours, neglecting to study for another final I had at the SAME time. I went and took the first final as quickly as I could and rushed over to the History department to take my feminist/women in history ORAL exam. Yikes, I was kind of nervous, especially when 2 IES girls came out crying because they had failed. I talked to the talleres teacher first, turning in my paper and discussing what I liked about the conferences, what I think the main issue that Spanish women are facing today (I said smoking because I couldn’t back up my real idea which is domestic violence - I don’t know if there are more cases in Spain, but I’m guessing yes) and other opinions. Then I approached the desk of the professor after a French student just failed and cried in front of me. She asks me about women in the time of the Primo de Rivera dictatorship, when and how the Catholic “feminist”/feminine movements started, all I knew about Emilia Pardo Bazan and all I knew about Josefa de Amar y Borbon. I nailed everything, although I think that I was one of her favourites for laughing at her jokes in class, having read Pardo Bazan, her favourite author, and even knowing who the last lady was. I got a sobresaliente, which is the highest grade, an A. Out of the 8 IES students, 3 failed, 3 aprobados (pass with a C) and 2 with As. I think most of the class failed in general because the other teacher told us how terrible everyone did and how she was shocked. I was excited because Mac counts these grades towards my GPA. Phew. Jenny = 3 (Am I at 3 now? I’ve lost count).

In the middle of my exams, Amanda, the girl from Indy we met in Valencia, came for a visit and we took her out at night, which was sad because exams had started and most of the places were pretty empty. We also celebrated Emily’s 21st birthday with Turkish food and no alcohol. This is because the weekend before she had friends from Madrid come, and we all went out, got smashed and seriously suffered later. They had some serious partying stamina. I also went out last weekend and got too drunk, started talking nationalist politics with a Basque who was going to get married, out partying it up in Salamanca for his bachelor party. So weird, and he was dressed up as a torero. So my partying I think has come to a close in Salamanca; I think 2 bad hangovers in 2 consecutive weekends is enough.

We had our IES goodbye party, which was pretty sad, but not really because I was thinking, “I’m here for another week” and “I don’t really care about most of these people”. Heartless, I know. But Andrea was leaving so we all hugged and said goodbye to everyone. I think there are 5 of us still left in Salamanca. It hasn’t hit me yet that I’m leaving and most likely won’t until I’m actually at home in Indy because I’ll trick myself into thinking I’m on vacation for a while until returning to Salamanca. I’ve heard some people have taken it pretty hard getting home, so I’m glad I have time to travel, see family and realize that I’m closing this chapter. I’m trying to stay positive about this summer and am super excited for this year at Mac. I am not going to be one of those dramatic students who acts like they’ve become that nationality and like they actually fit in. I am not Spanish, will never be Spanish (especially with my colouring) and will always have an accent where Spaniards say, “She speaks well (for a foreigner)”. I don’t mean to be all pessimistic - I love Spain and I especially love the language, but I will not pretend that Spain has given me permission to become one of its own. Until I become morena (dark) and stop getting picked on, I will always remain a giri (foreigner) in this country. As for some optimism, I think this experience has opened my eyes to what I love about the States (and Spain of course), how I think like my nationality, how I can adapt and fit into a new place without too much drama/maybe and how people can be so close-minded and choose to act like jerks. I am so looking forward to not being called rubia (blond)/foxy/guapa (beautiful)/my hair tugged/my head hit in public/spitballs/dirty looks in the street (I had a sweet break in Eastern Europe)/etc. I do think I have changed in the sense that I’m more independent, I kind of act like a bitch sometimes (you have to when people look at you like you’re weird/they want to rape you) and I am confident in myself enough to know that I will always have myself to depend on. I am also looking forward to going to a university that is not atrasado (stuck in the past) and will teach me to think internationally. I have learned to value Mac’s education here greatly and hope Spain adopts Bolonia as soon as it can. The students need to stop being so lazy, ahaha.

Observations: things I’ll miss/happy to leave behind:
1) A ton of Spanish girls here curl their long hair and then straighten their bangs. It is the ugliest style ever.
2) The Spanish Party Mentality!! I don’t think I will ever achieve this. I may be able to stay out late one night, but multiple nights? When Emily’s friends came for the weekend, one of their friends from Madrid called to ask them what they were doing that night. They told him that they were in Salamanca, so the guy DROVE from Madrid to Salamanca and got in around midnight to party for one night. Or another example would be when we went out with Amanda. One of my intercambios came to go out, left his notes in the library from studying, and returned to them later around 4 AM. Enough said.
3) The food is one of the things I will miss the most. Hands down. I have felt the healthiest here in my life with all the walking, all the olive oil and the lack of unnatural added things in food. I’m going to try to maintain the schedule of eating because eating a big meal at lunch and then just kind of snacking/a smaller meal for dinner makes sense to me when you’re winding down the day.
4) One boy saw us and yelled, “Giris! I love you guys!”. I don’t appreciate this. Sorry, I know he meant it nicely, but I’m sick of sticking out like a sore thumb (way to incorporate those English idiomatic expressions!).
5) I’ll miss seeing all of the old Spaniards sitting on benches, people watching. And all of the ladies shopping with little carts on wheels to carry their food home. They go shopping everyday, none of this buying food for a week/2 weeks. Everyday, they buy pan (bread).
6) I hate a trend in t-shirts here. Girls wear the I heart NY shirts, buy the N has been turned into an M, and it says I heart MY BOY. Ew, and they’re usually walking with their boy too.
7) I am so happy to leave the tourist groups that have flooded into Salamanca lately! Bwahahaha! All of them stare up at the university building, looking for the frog that gives them luck. They don’t’ realize it’s tiny and that you don’t really get luck. One Spanish student told us that she had found the frog on her own and had not gotten any sobresalientes or a boyfriend, and she’s in her 7th or last year here, ahaha.
8) I hope I can leave behind most of the smoke. I hated going out and then having my clothes ruined the next day and I had to air them out for like 3 days till they didn’t smell bad.
9) Spanish. I love the language. And not just Spanish in general, but the Spain Spanish. I can hear the rhythm and tone in my head, what the old ladies sound like, or the young guys. I’m really going to miss just how it is spoken here. I know the forma de ser of a Spaniard. I can safely say, “That is so Spanish” and not be able to explain exactly why. And I know I won’t have very much contact with Spaniards in the States. I’m going to have to watch Spanish TV or something (or marry a Spaniard, which my host-mom tells me happens more than you think).

Well, I’ll be heading to England soon. I’ll keep updating until I travel with Kate + Mom. I hope all of you are taking in your experiences. I’m sad to end this time here, but I have some friends to show for it and maybe an improvement in my Spanish (let’s hope so!).