74.
It's been 74 days since I arrived in Santiago de Compostela, Spain. 74 sleeps in my new piso, 74 morning cafes con leche despite my lactose intolerance, 74 late night dinners featuring typical Spanish cuisine mixed with my homemade Californian comforts (aka Mexican food). 74 x 2 times that I've freaked out because I couldn't open a bank account, wifi wasn't installed, I realized I had no clue how to teach English, or I just missed my people back home...yet, 74 x 5 times that I've laughed uncontrollably with new friends or at the sheer absurdity of the opportunity I've been given (good absurdity here, of course).
Sometimes it feels like I've lived here a week. Other days it feels like a year...or five. There's something comforting about this small Galician city.
Maybe it's the way the rain patters against the cobblestone pavement, the long runs I take by the beautiful catedral on an early Sunday morning or foggy Wednesday night, or the way the sun streams in through my bedroom window. Maybe it's the way a refreshing caña tastes as it hits my lips and I sit listening to one conversation in Spanish while I overhear another in English or the warm smile I receive when I pick up my weekly tarta de santiago from the local bakery.
For every time there has been something difficult, frustrating, or challenging, there has been a thousand more things to be grateful for--a thousand more things to make me laugh, smile, or remind me that Santiago and these people are my ~home~ for the next year.
And while it's also been 74 days of me not updating my "postcards" for you, I am eager to share these experiences I am grateful for. But where to begin?! The amazing Spanish tortilla at Bar la Tita down the street? My crazy roommates and our international family dinners?? My ornery but lovable kids I attempt to teach English to on a daily basis???
Day 75. Let's get started!
Besos for now,
Haylie
