CHEEZY, I know. But it's really been hitting home lately. I've been talking with a lot of people about the UoD company itself, and it's weird to me that there are people doing this in the states. It's just such a completely different experience. If I were to tell someone what I learned on my internship I couldn't start listing off different ways to format things, or presentations I completed, or databases I mastered, but I could tell you more about people now than I knew a month ago.

I could tell you I've MASTERED the art of picking up on when someone is saying something they think is funny - even if I have absolutely no idea what they just said. (Oh Catalan, how I one day hope to understand you.....)

I've learned when to ask a question, and when to use my intuition. There's a difference between being self-starting, and just pulling things out of your ass.

I wouldn't say I've learned, but it's been reiterated (so maybe this time I'll actually remember it) that the quality of a relationship is extremely important. Leave behind people who will be glad to see you've called, later on down the road. maybe I'm not great at finding a LOT of those yet, but I'm focusing on quality over quantity. Along with that goes sincerity. Realizing that all people are real people, and you can find the human inside of them if you stop long enough to look. It takes longer with some than others. Spaniards make it easy :)

I've truly realized that my dreams aren't going to accomplish themselves. Those things that you think about and say to yourself "GOD that would be so awesome"....they're reachable. I talked to a guy who ROWED for 4 months because he wanted to get across the atlantic on his own - ANYTHING, is reachable. You've got to sort out the difference between fantasies and true dreams, calculate the risks, and make it happen. My motto for the last few months has been "I have one life to live" - ps thanks mom for the inspiring card! :)

I've learned the importance of learning, and language, on interpersonal relationships. While I'm not championing the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis (look it uuuuuupp), I understand that the words you use, and the ease with which you use them can make or break a relationship. Sometimes relationships are formed because one person had the patience to struggle through with you. Others are broken because you weren't willing to try to struggle through your own language difficulties that day. If I could say one thing, it would be to always try. That's how you learn. With anything really. I'm not saying I do, in fact I'm quite lazy with my spanish....but if I were great at life, I would always try.

Lastly, I've realized what a force of nature curiosity is. How it needs to be fed in order to thrive, and how giving in to your curious side can produce great benefits and harsh consequences. Por ejemplo - I tend to ask some aaaawkward questions. That can be bad when trying to make friends :) BUT, being brave enough to ask the lady walking down the street where the metro stop is in Spanish, can produce a great result! :) Don't worry, some day I'll be brave enough for some deeper questions than that hahaha.

A bit more of what's up in spain....

Lately the people we work with have taken to teaching us a word, in Catalan, Castillian, and English. Usually they do it because they think I have no idea what's going on, but I let them, because it helps me to learn the subtle differences between Catalan and Castillian. The passion for language that the people here have is amazing. I wish we had that kind of intellectual environment in the states. Even the maids in the hotel will spend their entire lunch hour discussing the slight tonal differences in a specific catalan word between its castillian counterpart.

I've been translating menus alot lately, because I switched to event planning on monday. It's interesting to see the different kinds of dishes they serve. I learned about a cold kind of tomoato-ish soup they serve with oil and stale bread aka croutons (ps- these people are craaazy about oil and vinegar!! but you'd be hard pressed to find butter, or salad dressing). Then when I went in to eat lunch with the staff, they were serving it! haha, I thought that was hilarious.

We went out on the Ocean yesterday evening for a "sunset cruise". It was definately an awesome time - nice to get out there for awhile. I made a few comical observations - a girl was trying to take a picture, and one of the skippers got in her way. She said, quite loudly actually, that that &*^(% was in her way! We've gotten too comfortable thinking that people can't understand us- the skippers were australian....not Spanish.... we were also told that they'd never sold so much sangria in one trip before, and they sold out of the ten bottles of champagne they had on board within the first hour. It just made me think about priorities. I'm glad I'm not getting piss ass drunk every weekend. Though it's fun sometimes, I want to go home having gotten something else out of this place than "I can't beliiiiieve I did that i was so drunk!" Plus I'm turning 21 in November, there will be plenty of time for that in good ol' McMinnville :) hahaha.

Until next time, dear "dreamers" :)

S