Lamentations of a Rubia

I believe that there should be balance in all aspects of life. That's one reason I enjoy Yoga so much; the concept of opposition is always something I am striving to understand.
If you take some, you should give some. If you cry some, you should laugh some. If you eat some, you should exercise some (or just walk 30 min to class haha). If you complain some, you should give praise some... which is why I'm writing this post. This is a venting session... but with positive happenings from my day to counteract the negatives (opposition. balance. yeah.).

1. [-] I was 15 minutes late to my 1st class today. I was running late this morning, and by the time I made it to the main road to walk to class it was 10:10... and it takes me 25ish minutes to walk to class.. so i knew i'd be late. So instead i thought "Hey Katie, just take the bus! You bought a bus pass.. just do it!" So I walked to the bus stop, and the lil electric sign dealy said that Bus 6 was 8 min away. "Perfect," I said to myself, "I'll be on the bus before 10:20, plus a 7 min. ride there, then a 3 minute walk to my building. I'll only be like 2 min. late!" Wrong. I think that sign was broken. Unless 8 minutos actually means 15 minutos! Then the bus driver stopped randomly on Calle Librero, rolled down his lil window and talked to another bus in passing for about a minute or 2.... Is that even legal? Whatev. I made it to class and everything was fine, just frustrating.
[+] I made it to class and my profesor was suppppppper dooper understanding. Then class was really interesting; we talked about bull fighting, and we shared our different views on it. Of course I was pro let the bull liiiiiiiiive! hahaha, but it was very interesting to hear everyone else's opinions too. I love a good debate.

2. [-] Money's dumb. What i really mean is that the Euro-->U.S. Dollar conversion is dumb. Everything I buy in Euros is about half more in US$ (por ejemplo, if I buy a bus ticket for 30Euros it's actually $45... wahh!). Everything's expensive. i don't wanna be a tightwad, i just need to be smart in my spendings.
[+] I'm in Spain. I could spend zero euros/dollars/whatever and still be in Spain. Spain. Spain. Spain. There are people in the world who don't even have food and water, and I'm over here complaining about not having enough $ to travel to every single cool european place I've heard of. I'm so incredibly blessed to even be having this experience! I've seen 3 beautiful cities so far (Madrid, Salamanca, Sevilla), plus living in cute lil Alcala. That's pretty wonderful.

3. [-] I am still soaking wet because of the rain. My cheap 3euro paragua (umbrella) broke, and I just happened to be wearing my only coat without a hood, and it just happened to start pouring down right when I started walking home from Media Pinta (about 20ish min. from my apartamento). I also don't know that spell from Harry Potter that keeps rain water off of your glasses, I wish I did though, because my glasses served no purpose in the rain.
[+] I wore my converses today, which are good for dodging puddles, and don't absorb the water right away. Also, thanks to my recent knee surgery, I can walk or run as fast as I desire and there is no pain in my knee anymore (so. so. so. so. awesome.), so I briskly walked home with ease. Also, rain is wonderful to watch. It's so peaceful. And just think of how green the grass will be in the spring time after a few more of these lil showers!

4. [-] I don't think I'm going to be able to visit Michelle in Bordeaux,France next weekend for Valentine's day. It's going to be too expensive to travel that weekend... and if I'm going to go & pay a lot for transportation I want to be able to stay for a whole 3 days.. which means skip class.. which I can't next week..
[+] Michelle is my only friend in the same time zone as me, so if I really need to talk to her there's not that crazy 7 hour time difference! Also, there's 3 1/2 months left of wonderful weekends to travel to see her! I'm in Spain for 4 months. That's crazy awesome.

5. [-] When people run into you on the streets here, they do not say sorry.
[+] It's not custom to say pardon me here, and I understand that. It's just another part of understanding the culture. If you had to say sorry to everyone that you bumped into those streets would be really loud with all the mumbling apologies! However, I still say my lil "lo siento, perdon me" when I run smack into people, it's just habit (thank you America!)! "Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see." ~Mark Twain

6. [-] I still have little moments of homesickness sometimes. It's more like I just miss the comfort of knowing how everything works, of how everything is done, of knowing local customs, of being able to speak to the people around me without sounding like a cavewoman, of being able to call home without having to count my minutes.
[+] I really do love change. Everyday is a new adventure, a new challenge. It's just a completely different lifestyle, and I really am absolutely enjoying it. For instance, today after lunch during the 'siesta' time, I made hot chocolate and read my book (Chronicles of Narnia in spanish.. ahh yeah) for about an hour. It was so nice to be able to just sit and relax and read and not have a super dumb crazy agenda like I always have in Norman. I don't enjoy living stressed out, but I always am. I've rarely been able to just chill and read a book (not related to school) and not constantly be checking on the time. Another positive thing, yesterday I was strolling around before making my way home after class, and I stumbled upon a really cool yoga studio. I took a brochure and I think I'm going to take some classes... it'll be so neat to practice yoga in spanish!

7. [-] Spaniards. Talk. So. Fast.
[+] I'll. Just. Learn. Faster.

Lamentations is a great book in the bible, & I don't think it's all that well known. The whole book is just poems/songs written by the Israelites expressing their feelings (grief, frustration, etc), but they manage to work God into the picture. It's a good reminder to me that it's okaaaaaay to vent and get all the negative stuff out of your system, but to keep the positivity flowing close behind.
Lamentations 3:22-24; "The favors of the Lord are not exhausted, his mercies are not spent; They are renewed each morning, so great is his faithfulness. My portion is the Lord, says my soul; therefore I will hope in him."

Hasta luego,
Katie :)