Privind în cruciş

1. Cum n-aveam internet acasă, într-o marţi seara m-am uitat şi eu la "Gran Hermano" în Spania, să mai pierd ceva timp pe la 10.00 noaptea. Am rămas stupefiată când am auzit deodată pe fundal o melodie românească ce suna tare mult a manea. Şocul a fost amplificat de un anunţ apărut ulterior în josul paginii, care mă invita să formez nu ştiu ce număr pentru a descărca miunata melodie habar n-am care a lui Florin Salam. Se pare că şi televiziunea spaniolă s-a adaptat cerinţelor spectatorilor săi români şi-a zis că, dacă tot trebuie să-i suporte, măcar să scoată un profit de pe urma lor.

2. În Spania există imensa obsesie a repartizării salariului până la sfârşitul lunii. Cand m-am dus pe 23 septembrie cu o hârtie de 50 să cumpăr o pâine, vanzătoarea mi-a spus printre z-mbete că sunt tare norocoasă sşi că ar trebui să fiu dată drept exemplu. N-am mai stat să-i explic că pentru mine era un fel de început de lună, că nu aveam mai mult de 9 zile de stat acolo. După câteva zile, mergând să-mi deschid un cont la bancă, descopăr o broşură care îmi promitea să mă ajute să ajung la final de lună cu bani în buzunar. Încă n-am intrat în panică... poate pentru că n-a trecut o lună de stat acolo.

3. Tot din cauza lipsei de internet, până să încep cursurile mă duceam şi eu la internet cafe să îl mai informez pe soţul meu în legătură cu vieţişoara mea de pe-acolo. A se lua în seamă faptul că locuiesc în Cerdanyola del Vallés, un orăşel aflat la jumătate de oră de Barcelona, deci nu chiar în buricul târgului. M-am trezit înconjurată de o mare de români care comunică numai prin enumerarea diferitelor denumiri ale anumitor organe. Am ajuns să mă bucur atunci că pot fi cnfundată cu o rusoaică sau poloneză, pentru că nu insitam neapărat să ajung să fac parte forţat din grupul lor.

4. Din motive destul de serioase, a trebuit să mai pompez nişte adrenalină şi să mă întorc pentru 1-2 săptămâni în Montreal. Problema prezintă două aspecte pozitive, dintre care unul este faptul că-mi revăd soţul. Al doilea aspect pozitiv TREBUIE să se facă simţit mâine. Partea proastă este că pierd o grămadă de cursuri dintr-un an de Masterat, ceea ce sigur se va resimţi mai târziu. Asta ca să nu mai pomenesc banii daţi pe avion, dar ce contează, că doar soţul e izvor nesecat. Ştiam că la un moment dat va trebui să fac această deplasare, dar parcă nu mă aşteptam să sosească atât de repede scadenţa.

Montreal Rules Monopoly

While reading about the new Monopoly version, I was extremely curious to find out which cities would replace Boardwalk and Park Place, the two spots I would be able to kill for while playing the game. My husband knows the drill and even when he ends up with both of them, we still work out some sort of a deal and they become mine.
Big was my surprise (and disappointment) to find out that MONTREAL ( say what?) would be taking Boardwalk's place, while Riga would come in second, on the Park Place spot. Montreal, you say? How about Rome, Madrid, London, Barcelona? Why Montreal? And why are there three Canadian cities on the board? The answer is simple: Canadians are a very proud people, I have to give them that, and are French Canadians are even worse. They knew about the proposal, they voted, and they got it.
I know that from now on I'll be fighting for the light blue, red and orange properties, all for sentimental reasons.
The winning cities are:

Dark Blue: Montreal, Riga
Green: Cape Town, Belgrade, Paris
Yellow: Jerusalem, Hong Kong, Beijing
Red: London, New York, Sydney
Orange: Vancouver, Shanghai, Rome
Magenta: Toronto, Kyiv, Istanbul
Light Blue: Athens, Barcelona, Tokyo
Brown: Taipei, Gdynia

By the way, Toronto is so much more beautiful than Montreal. And Quebec is absolutely gorgeous. And I'm kind of sad that Bucharest (or Constanta :-D ) are not there, but what could I expect?

Source: CTV

Is the 3rd Time Really a Charm?

These last few weeks, my stomach has behaved like one of those super duper Whirlpool washing machines, 'cause what would my life be without these self provoked adrenaline rushes? So I got accepted at the UAB, and after reconsidering all my options, I pretty much decided to stick with it and give up on Granada, because by the time I would get an answer from them I should already be in Barcelona, and I'm not THAT big of a risk taker. Although you never know what I could cook up at the last minute.

Next step, buying a plane ticket, of course. After long hours of browsing the Internet and calling travel agencies, I've finally found a 520$ ticket to Barcelona for September 25 (Air Transat kind of rocks, btw! For now, at least...). It looked good to me, since I knew that I had to show up for registration on September 29 & 30, so after harassing my husband with messages and phone calls for about an hour (it's a miracle he didn't get fired!), I decided to buy it. After having sung "Kumbaya" and danced around the fire for joy, the next day I get a welcome message from the UAB and a handbook, which also mentioned that the first semester starts on September 15. Madonna, what do I do now?!!! Miss two weeks out of a one-year Master's programme? No way I could do that. First thing was to send my best wishes to those who offer all this "clear" information, after which I spent another day or so (until half an hour ago, to be more exact) looking for a similar plane ticket before September 15. After many calls, e-mails and an additional 150$, it looks like I'll be leaving September 13... well, almost September 14, since the departure time is 10.05 pm, so I shouldn't have too much bad luck. The plane will probably spend two extra hours on the runway anyway, so I'm safe.

While freaking out over the ticket issue, I was also looking for housing. Can't really afford to stay in Barcelona, and I don't se the point in living too far from the university, so I set my eyes on the university campus in Bellaterra. I would like to live alone at first, until I know whom I'm moving in with, so I decided to rent an individual room for about 270 euros. Same thing, write to them, wait for an answer... "We're sorry, these appartments are only for Bachellor's level students, but we'll be happy to offer you an individual room in our new appartments for students at the Graduate level for only 745 euros a month. Or you could share a room for half of this amount." Don't you say so! I'll get back to you once I speak with my manager. So now I'm still looking for a room and waiting for some answers. Plus other things, 'cause I just like it that way.

Truth is sometimes I get tired. I'm getting close to needing some kind of stability. It's true that I'm married, so I do have a family, but I would like to be able to call a place "home", to have a decent job, and make babies. On the other hand, my adventurous spirit and my eternal search for that Spanish experience won't let me rest until I've done my best to achieve my goals. People have always said to me "It's your age that gives you the guts to do it." I was told that when I left Romania, at 19. Two years later, my cousin gave me this line when I left for Canada, under a bit of an adverse omen. She was 30 at the time. Well, now I'm in between 27 and 28 years of age, and I still get that "It's your age..." phrase when talking about Spain. I don't think that's true. I wouldn't have the same guts if I were 70, obviously, but up to some point I think my main drive is my relentless ambition. It may also be stupid ambition, but it's mine and I have to pursue it. I get scared sometimes, I worry a lot, but I need to go on. I know my decisions affect other people, but I'm really doing my best to find a ballance here. I'm trying not to be too selfish, but I also have to follow one of my biggest dreams. I wouldn't want to resent anyone for the rest of my life for not having been able to take this chance. And I honestly do appreciate all the support I've been getting.
So here I am, shooting for the unknown for the third time. Hopefully, it will be the last time. But it might as well not be. We'll see.

Photo source: mind-mapping.co.uk

Not Such a "MERRY"-go-round!

As I was looking over some of the photos we took in Spain last year, I discovered one taken at the amusement park in Logroño. It's the picture of what could look at first like a regular merry-go-round, but after a second it turns out to be a "live" merry-go-round. Indeed, those ponies are real, and I can still remember the shock we had when discovering that people had thought of using ponies in such way. Where were the Human Rights activists, what were the police doing? The only ones "protesting" against this kind of abuse were the park's patrons themselves, who simply refused to ride or to let their kids use such a carousel.
They even had name tags! And this happened in Spain, a modern, Western European country, in the year 2007!

Am intrat la Masterat! ¡Me aceptaron en Barcelona!

Da... deci M-AU ACCEPTAT! Nu m-aşteptam să-mi răspundă imediat şi să-mi scrie că în curând voi primi un mesaj oficial înştiinţându-mă că am fost acceptată în programul de Master al Universităţii Autonome din Barcelona... dar aşa s-a-ntâmplat! Plânsete, eliberare de stres, telefoane, fericire... acum am mai multă forţă să continuu, să aplic la încă o universitate sau două ca să-mi fac eu damblaua. Ideea e că m-a acceptat a doua universitate de pe lista mea, şi prima la care am aplicat. Astăzi mă simt cam bine :-))). Oţi fi voi vai de capul vostru când vine vorba de procedura academică, dar tot sunt topită după voi şi vreau să vă cotropesc ţara!

¡¡¡¡Sííííííííí!!!! ¡Me aceptaron en España, a la Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona! ¡Feliz, emocionada, asombrada, llena de esperanza... y muy, muy feliz, claro :-)))!

Spain Doesn't Need Anyone's Sprain

One hour and a half left until the beginning of the Euro final. Three hours and 20 minutes left until Spain will take the cup.
Many were saying that Spain would have more chances if Ballack were to be left out of the game due to his muscle injury. The thought is nice (I'm so bad!), indeed, but I say Spain can beat Germany even with Ballack on the field. I've just read on Yahoo! that he'll be playing during the final, so all I can say is that victory will be that much sweeter ;-).
I love my German friends, I can hardly wait to visit them, but as far as the Euro Championship goes... it's time to step aside. It will be less painful this way :-))).

Photo Source: The New York Times

Insane and Insensible




A few days ago, Mariana was trying to let me in on the philosophy behind the movie "Un chien andalou", by Luis Buñuel and Salvador Dalí. I don't know how or why the readings I'm doing for my final essay made me think about our discussion, but I took advantage of this flashback and looked up the movie on youtube. I found it, I watched it, I didn't understand much of it, of course, then I went on wikipedia, I understood a bit more, and I finally accepted the fact that I have to dedicate more time to deciphering this movie... as soon as possible. Until then, I only have one question: am I weird for not being repulsed or shocked by the famous shot of the eye getting cut by a knife? Buñuel himself said he placed that scene at the beginning so that people would enter a psychedelic state that would allow them to better absorb the surreal atmosphere of the movie. Am I already that dysfunctional or is it just that I've seen this scene too many times and read even more about it?

Bebe - Malo

El ritmo de esta canción me da más fuerza cada vez que la escucho; nada que ver con las palabras, sólo el ímpetu y la determinación de la interprete. Ya me tiene obsesionada.

My June 16 Odyssey



Here I am, at the language lab again, on my first Saturday shift. This is the downtown lab, as I requested, since last year I got completely bored with the lack of activity from the other campus. Anyway, while I was waiting for people to show up (this surely is one busy place, and it's only the beginning), I checked all the graduation info I could find. Including the date... But first:

June 16, 2000 - I left for the United States

June 16, 2002 - I arrived to Canada (no, I hadn't planned it to match the date)

June 16, 2006 - this year I found out that June 16 is the birthday of someone who was bound to become a very good friend

- I was accepted by a Spanish University for the Student Exchange Program

June 16, 2007 - I went to London - I had only certain days available for this trip and June 16 was the only one when the Ryanair ticket cost 0.01 cents

Going back to my Graduation, it looks like it will take place on... of course, June 16, 2008!!!

I always use number 16 when I play the lottery; I haven't used 6 that much, it's true. Too bad this year June 16 is a Monday, so there's no game to try out. I guess I'll go to the Casino after the ceremony :-)).

You Never Know...

I've started this year in the best possible way: dancing the first night away (I wore red, I had money on me and I did kiss at midnight... let's see if all this really works), sleeping the next day, and feeling my friends close on my birthday. As Mi was saying, I think 2008 is pretty much a boring number, but the fact that I turned 27 makes me feel better about this year's numerology... I like the number 7 very much.
I'm afraid that I have very high expectations from this year, unlike from the last one. Some things are bound to happen, such as my graduation in April and the festivities in June, the parties I'll be having with some friends and my moving to Spain. There are other things I'm hoping for, but since I've learned the hard way not to have too high expectations, I'll just take each episode as it comes. I cannot help but be optimistic... and yet I'm trying to prepare for the worst.

Another One Bites the Dust



Time has come again for my retrospective of the past year; without blinking, twitching or shaking I can say that this was my best year yet. I entered its door without expecting much: all I was hoping for was to have some fun in Spain and to be able to improve my accent... in the end, I got so much more than I was looking for.
This year, I've found myself. I've dropped my shyness and let my real self come out. I've learned to let go of things that harmed me, but to appreciate even more the ones who stuck with me. I've learned to love. I've learned that I cannot have everything, but that I have to make the best of what I have... which is a lot. I've discovered that my place might be in Spain. Could it be true that after 8 years of wondering, I'll finally be arriving home? We'll see. I've found out that there's more to life than spending it in front of the computer. I've discovered that regrets hurt more than remorses... sometimes. I've learned how to laugh at a bad photo of myself. Thank God for that, cause there are so many of them! I've learned about self-control... about elegance. I've learned that I am still allowed to behave like a child whenever I want to... because I don't have to ask for permission. I've learned that the grass is not greener on the other side. I've learned that I'm one of the luckiest people alive. I've learned that happiness does exist. I've learned that no words could ever describe what I've learned this year.
Thank you.

Guernica


When in Madrid, I took the opportunity to go see Guernica, Pablo Picasso's famous painting, at the Reina Sofia Museum. I had learned something about it in high school, but couldn't really remember much of it. By an amusing coincidence I had the chance to encounter a group of French people, whose guide explained to them the significance behind the painting. Two days ago we also discussed Guernica's historical background in one of my courses, without concentrating too much on the painting itself. The reason for it was that Guernica could be interpreted in an infinite number of ways; even Picasso refused to explain it, saying that, when starting a new work, the painter himself does not know all the symbols he'll have reached by the end.

Guernica was inspired by the bombings led by the Nazis against the Basque town called Guernica, in April, 1937, during the Spanish civil war. Appalled by the suffering of the Spanish people, Picasso chose to depict the horrors of the civil war, whose main cause was Franco's desire to take over the Republic, in his consecrated cubist manner. The painting was then part of the 1937 Paris International Exposition, where it didn't receive much recognition, not even by the U.S.S.R., country that was on the Republicans' side.

As for the interpretation... the one version I heard and was impressed by would be that the enraged horse in the middle would represent Franco. Its iron-like tongue would indicate the suffering Franco has inflicted on Spain, which would be the bull that's looking away from the horse, with an expression of fear on its face. Although the bull's body is painted in a darker nuance, its head is very visible, implying the strength of the Spanish people, despite all their suffering. Beneath the bull there is a screaming woman holding a dead son; her breasts are hanging, without any milk left, which could symbolize Spain's lack of prosperity and despair for the many sons it loses in this absurd war. The whole painting contains scattered members and frightened, crying faces - the general state of the people's souls and lives. Another intriguing element would be the light bulb in the middle, above the horse, that could be interpreted as a light bulb that's on, one that's off, an eye that watches everything... and so much more. After all, IT IS Picasso! There is also a hand holding a candle, which might represent Spain's hope that peace will eventually settle over its tumultuous past and present. As I said, there are so many possible interpretations that we will never be able to completely understand all the Guernica's implications. But that's the point of a brilliant painting, isn't it?

Although Guernica traveled all over the world, Picasso always wanted to see it back to its people. Franco has tried to bring it back to Spain, in an useless effort to show the world that he is not the tyrant he's believed to be. Nevertheless, Guernica returned to Spain only in 1981. Even nowadays, it is still used as a means for political tensions between the central government and the Basque one; no later than last spring, the latter asked Madrid to let them expose the painting in the Guggenheim Museum, in Bilbao, for the 30th commemoration of the Guernica massacre. Approval was not granted on basis of the painting's fragility and impossibility of transportation.

The only thing I would like to add is that I'm extremely sad that a country with such rich history and so much suffering (some caused by the Spanish people itself, it's true) as Spain could be reduced by Romanians to a "strawberry picking country". There is so much more there that we will not be able to discover, not as long as we will insist on degrading this country's spiritual richness and cultural contribution to the world.

¡Feliz cumpleaños, Gianluca!

Eh, tenía que hacer un "video" para ti también, no quería que te enojaras :-). Otra vez, he cambiado la hora, porque en Italia ya es tu cumpleaños y no quise esperar demasiado. ¡Que coincidencia, son exactamente las 12:00 en Italia :-D! Lo divertido es que no yo escogí la foto que se ve cuando no estés mirando la "peliculita". ¿Que raro, no :-D?
No necesito decir nada más, ya lo sabes todo, como siempre :-).

¡Atención! Para visionar este "video" se necesita tener mucha indulgencia, leer muy rapidamente y usar un poco de imaginación, que ya sé que tienes :P.

Si no funciona muy bien aquí, lo puedes ver en este sitio:
http://video.google.ca/videoplay?docid=-198505465057803408&hl=en-CA

Back to School

After a pretty strange year, with one semester spent between tears and almost having professors beg me to hand in my papers and one amazing semester spent in Spain, I'm back to my beloved Concordia University... which seems determined to kick my behind in what I'm hoping to be my final year (keeping fingers crossed for Friday). After two days of seeing very few people I know (most of my friends have already graduated), today I finally got to see lots of familiar faces, including teachers. You know you've spent too much time in school when all teachers know you, although you haven't had any courses with some of them. Anyway... If I make it through the next ten Mondays, it means I'm much tougher than I think. On this day I have 4 out of the 5 courses I'm taking, I spend 10 hours at school and almost 2 riding the subway train, I have to run like crazy between buildings and I only have a two-hour break between 4.00 and 6.00 pm. I'll be having one or two exams each week, starting with September 24, essays to hand in just as often (starting this Wednesday) and all my professors seem determined to convince us that C is a good grade... pffff!
The upside of it is that I simply love 4 of my 5 courses (one of them is French, go figure... although it's still grammar, which is a plus), as they all concern Spain, from Literature to History. I'm also happy with the teachers I have and the material is unbelievably interesting. On top of all this, I'm more hyped than ever and ready to face this amazing year Concordia has in store for me.
One thing that I finally learned, making sure that I'll never forget it again: Guernica, Picasso's famous painting, returned to Spain in... 1981!!! No wonder I'm so interested in this painting and agreed to spend some good minutes looking like a fool in the middle of the Reina Sofia Museum! By the way: the horse is Franco and the bull is Spain. Hmmm! One of these days I should try and comment Guernica, see if I got it right.

Buon compleanno, Alessia!

Perché voglio che tu lega cuesto messaggio domani (o dicciamo oggi anche se non e ancora il tuo compleanno in Canada), ho cambiato l'ora del mio blog, perche non mi piacerebbe che i miei auguri sianno apparsi con la data del 23 agosto. Vedi la fatica che faccio per te? :-P
Mi dispiace essermi dimenticato scrivere alla fine del video "¡Feliz cumpleaños!", ma spero che abbia capito che quest'era l'essenza :-).
Ti voglio molto bene (possiamo dirlo con il "molto"?) e spero vederci molto pronto :-).

http://video.google.ca/videoplay?docid=-3367938352413757243&hl=en-CA

Buon compleanno, Cristina!

Anche se mi piacerebbe potere scriverti un messaggio in italiano (non detesto l'italiano, lo sai? :) ), non sono ancora capace di farlo, perciò ho fatto la cosa che so fare un po' meglio: ho guardato delle foto e t'ho fatto un piccolo video :). Spero que ti piaccia un po'.
Ti voglio benne, benne, benne! Oppure TVB :)!

P.S.Ho scritto tutto (c)questo da sola, con un po' d'aiuto del dizionario. Si vede che sonno molto orgogliosa, verro? Forse non dovrei... :P

P.S. 2 Si resulta difícil verlo aquí, usa este sitio, debería ser más fácil:

http://video.google.ca/videoplay?docid=-6945248121025338376&hl=en-CA

Welcome Back?

Back in Montreal after an absence of 6 months... The same streets, same sad-looking people, same humid heat that dries your throat and sends you hiding inside the house... nothing's changed, but me. And I'm not pretending that that's a good thing; it's just the way it is.
I already feel tired, but I'll just assume this is due to the time change... I refuse to let myself be absorbed by what I've been running away from all these months.
I went to Romania; as I've said, I didn't feel at home back there, no matter the way I was judged for stating this. On a positive note, nevertheless, I had the chance to finally meet some of the people I had been talking to for a fairly long time, some of whom I had already gotten to consider friends. It was a very nice surprise to discover that I hadn't been wrong and that the virtual impression I had was not too different from the real one.
And last, but surely not least, there were, again, Cristina, Alessia, Gianluca and Sacha. They're always there, in my heart, so how could they not do their best in charging my batteries before coming back to Canada? Now and then I still get a strong ache that fills the emptiness in my stomach, but I'm learning how to deal with it.
There's one thing I know for sure: I'm tired of this virtual life... I need to live the real one :).

5...5...5...5...5...5...5...5...5...5...5...5...5...

In my room... a room I could not stand for 5 months, always
trying to get out of it. I'm crying... I need to cry, as I'm realizing more and more that it's over. One week left... By this time next
Monday I'll have all my luggage prepared... package sent... goodbyes said... makeup running down my face from so many tears... a bigger heart, although it will feel broken for a long time... hopes... a shadow of enthusiasm for going home... sadness... richness... why does it have to end?
No, I already know the answer... this is not real... what we lived here it's not what real life means... and yet, life is all about this... about feeling, about being speechless, about living each moment as if it were the last... and the last moments have arrived.
I wasn't expecting this... I thought I knew how to live my life, how to accept things I didn't really want, but came with the package... I had come here to study, to improve my Spanish, to do what I've been doing for some time now... just to get by. I didn't know anything... do I know anything now? I have no clue, but there are so many things I feel...
I knew it would be very difficult at the end... I didn't know I'd get to love the three of you so much, to feel so lost at the end... the end... it just feels like it, I know it's not the end... and I'm not lost... I'm more aware of my path than I've ever been, although there's still so much to discover... I know that's the charm of life, but it feels kind of difficult to look at it that way right now...
I'm sad, and yet happy... sorry for not being able to live my happiness with you... I walk down the street, I see the trees, and I start crying. Someone comes to say "hello" and I almost break down... it was all like this...
That's all...

What Makes the Past Four Months So Special?
(Why Don't I Want to Leave?)
(Who Am I?)

Leaving my eternal love for Spain aside, I'll try to enumerate a few of the numerous experiences and changes I've lived during my Erasmus experience. No, it's not over yet, but tonight I feel happy (as in so many other days and nights) and, given the fact that I don't write that often here, I'd like the last post to be a joyful one; don't like the 39 days... thing that much.

1. I went skating for the first time ever... and loved it! The first day I fell down 4 times; the second one, 4 times as well! The third time, tonight, only once... and somewhat improved my posture (which wasn't too difficult, considering that the first two times I looked as if I were searching for pennies on the ice :P ). I don't even feel tired... and I'll surely be going back!
2. I rode a bike after 8 or 9 years, if not more... can't even remember. There's a premiere here as well: I had to dare and ride it on the street, and not only on the sidewalk, as before; felt kind of scared, but made it!
3. I visited some of the places I've been hoping to see for many years. I've been known to say "see Spain and then die". Hmmm... now I know I don't want to die quite so fast :), but even if this were the case, there's hardly anything I would change. Until now I've been to Logrono (hi, hi!), Pamplona, Alicante, Valencia, Zaragoza (although...), Santo Domingo (also known as Burgos - ha, ha!), Laguardia, Madrid, Bilbao, San Millan, Granada (with its astonishing Alhambra), Sevilla and Cadiz. What's missing? Barcelona, for sure, and maybe Salamanca... as for the rest, there's no telling when and if... Oh, of course... how could I not mention that I'll be going to London and... ta-na-nam... Italy?!!!
4. I've danced more than in my entire life... and I feel so free when I dance... or whatever it's called the way I move on the dance floor :P. I don't care that much about what my legs and hands are doing when hearing a song I like... no matter where I am. The joy I feel makes me move.
5. I haven't studied THAT much (ha, ha!), and yet I feel like I've learned so much! I skipped classes... tons of them! In two years and a half I've only missed two hours of class, and that for very strong reasons. In Spain I've given up on worrying about school and concentrated on living and defining myself... filling the needs that had been yelling at me for a long time, while I tried to put them aside.
6. I've done something else for the first (and possibly only) time, but I'm not going to say exactly what I'm referring to :P.
7. I've learned not to care about what some people think. I've learned to ignore; I'm still working on this aspect, but I feel like I've made some serious steps in this direction. Most of the time I've done exactly what I felt like doing.
8. I've discovered (with some serious help from my friends, it's true) that I'm pretty. I've also learned how to look at an "ugly" picture and laugh, although at first I might've felt the urge to erase it. Not to mention that I've ventured into posting photos of myself on the web!
9. I've uttered my first words in Italian; I'm sure I sound awful, but I've done it! I can understand most of daily conversations and I could scream for help if someone pointed a gun to my head. It feels great!
10. I've entered a few stores and asked the salespeople if they knew a store that carried the same merchandise as them, but of better quality. OK, this is not something I feel so proud of, but it's something I've done for the first time and something that proves I can be obnoxious at times. At the same time, I've been laughed at when telling various people and my friends that I'm a shy person... hey, I really thought I was :)! And still am, to be honest :P.
11. I've taken part in a recording for the Erasmus program and have also given an interview for the school digital newspaper.
12. I've gotten drunk "a few times"... most of which I had lots of fun :P. I have yet to get drunk and not remember most of it, but I don't see that happening anytime soon :P.
13. I've bought lots and lots of clothes, most of which are tops; I've also gotten used to wearing short tops, something I wouldn't have imagined a few months back.
14. Cristina and I went by ourselves to a disco, while a bit drunk, saying that we were looking for two cute guys; of course we were not serious, but we surely had some fun bashing on the guys and dancing our way through the place :P.
15. I've talked about things I never thought I'd mention. I'm not saying I feel completely comfortable doing it, but it's a start.
16. I had my hair dyed by my Italians... couldn't have imagined that 3 people would "waste" their time to look after my hair! I've also had my makeup done by Cristina, gone shopping with her, Alessia, Gianluca and other colleagues or tried to sing karaoke.
17. I returned "home" by myself at 4:00 a.m. ... a 40-minute walk :P.
18. I've made 3 friends to whom no epithets would do justice. They've offered me what only one other person was willing to give me... I've only realized that now that it happened; I wasn't even expecting anything from the 3 of them. At some points I tried to run away, but it was impossible and made no sense. Is it weird that I feel that this relationship made me become independent?

Do I need to repeat that these are just SOME episodes? SOME memories? Am I fortunate or what?!

P.S. Just in case... "bashing on" refers to saying bad things about someone and DOES NOT imply any sort of physical contact!

39 days...

39 days left... I just found out a few minutes ago that there are 39 days left; a month and a half, as I used to think of it, seemed a bit more than 39 days... but I was wrong; next Sunday will be June 3rd, which only leaves me ONE MONTH! One horrible month, full of exams and of people who will be leaving; people with whom I've shared the best period of the last 26 years... people... friends. Today there was the first farewell party. I can't say that I've suffered, I had never spoken to the ones that will be leaving, but I realized that this is only the beginning; more Erasmus students will soon be leaving, and most of them will be people with whom I've built precious memories.
Out of the four of us, I'll be the second one leaving; I know I'm being selfish when I say that I feel somewhat relieved for not being the last one to go... I don't know whether I'd be able to take each one of them to the bus station, and then return home by myself (metaphorically speaking). I've already done it once, for the Easter vacation, and it felt horrible, even if it was for only ten days. However, knowing that I'll be seeing them shortly after will give me enough strength to leave our little "Isla de nunca jamás"... and to go with Gianluca to the horrible bus station.
I can't be sad... I don't want to end this precious time with a month of tears and isolation; I'd be cheating on who I am and throwing everything out the window. I'm just a little sad right now, after learning that I only have 39 days left.