Let the Countdown Begin!

I can’t believe that I am actually saying this but I only have one month left in Spain. ONE MONTH! These last 9 months have passed so quickly. I remember everything about my first day in Spain, my first week and even my first month. Thinking about the fact that I will be back in the States in one month seems so unreal to me. There is so much running through my head at this point; on one hand I am ready to go because I really miss my family, my friends and my city. On another hand I have become so accustomed to the Spanish way of living. I also know that when I leave I’m really going to miss my roommates, the students that I teach and the friends that I have made here. But I am fairly certain that this will not be my last time in Spain!

Now that I know my time in Spain is coming to an end I am more pumped than ever to make the most of these last 30 days. I’ve promised myself that I will enjoy this country as much as I can before leaving. This means that I will visit more places, spend more time with the friends that I have made here, enjoy typical Spanish things (like drinking wine in the middle of the morning?) and attempt to check off more things on my Spanish Bucket List.

After thinking about the things that I have done these last couple of months, I realize that I can now check off 12 activities!

I can check off the following things:

3. Take a solo trip

3. Take a solo weekend trip: My wonderful trip to Italy counts as my solo trip, although it was more like a prolonged weekend trip.

7: Go to a Fútbol (soccer) Game (Or watch an entire Fútbol game from start to finish): I didn’t go to a fútbolgame. I actually forgot that this was even on my list. I did, however, watch an entire game with my roommate. Considering the type of person that I am, I would say I’m definitely making progress. I actually like fútbol now.

6. Hike the 5-hour trail in Javea

6: Hike the 5-hour trail in Jávea: I did this activity a couple of weeks ago when my friend came to visit. The total trip took about 6 hours to do, but it was awesome. I would definitely do it again! Read about it here.

15: Prepare some homemade churros and chocolate: This was one of the first activities I completed after writing my bucket list. Making the churros and chocolate was definitely a fun process. I can’t wait to share it with my family and friends when I return to the states! Read about it here.

15. Prepare some homemade churros
and chocolate

16: Try out a new sport: I originally thought that I would learn how to surf or play fútbol but, believe it or not, I have really fallen in love with hiking. I really love hiking because I am always seeking to challenge my body; and climbing mountains and hiking long trails definitely does that. In addition, there are so many cool and beautiful things to see and discover when hiking making it very fun. Because Jávea has some really good hiking trails, my new goal is to do every hiking route in Jávea before I leave.

21. Get a library card, and utilize it often: I pushed myself to go to the library and fill out an application and I finally have a library card. Now I have to actually use it!

21. Get a Library Card

25. Start running by the sea in the mornings: This is an activity that I had to change a little bit because I’ve realized that I prefer to run at night. Therefore, on the nights that I don’t have aerobics class I usually go out for a run by the sea. I leave at around 9:15pm. I know that sounds late but I think that the timing is perfect because the town is so peaceful and the weather is perfect at this hour. In addition, I don’t see my students, which is the best part of it all. Running by the sea in the evening has been very relaxing and, when I return back home, I shower, eat dinner and sleep like a baby.

26. Take part in a local village fiesta: So far I have participated in two festivals in Jávea, the fiesta of San Sebastian and the fiestas of Jesus of Nazareth. During both of these occasions, the center had bull runs as well as other cultural activities. In addition to these festivals I also got to see some of the Semana Santa (Holy Week) processions in Jávea and Alicante.

30. Attend a Wine Tasting

30. Attend a wine-tasting: I attended a wine tasting with the Fulbright group when I was in Valladolid in February. We took a tour through the Bodega and enjoyed different types of wine. It was great! Read about it here.

31. Walk around town interviewing Spaniards: Although I haven’t formally interviewed people like a news reporter would, I am always asking my roommates, my classmates, the people I work with and other locals of Jávea for their opinions on different subject matters. That is how I am able to get so much information for my blog.

32. Party Like a Spaniard

32. Party like a Spaniard (as in, until 6/7 in the morning): I partied like a Spaniard on my birthday when I went to Alicante. Because it was my birthday it wasn’t difficult at all for me to stay out so late. It was the most fun that I’ve had in a long time. Read about it here.

36. Travel outside of Spain: So far I have visited 2 countries on my bucket list since I’ve been in Spain: France and Italy. I still plan to go to Morocco and (possibly) England.