acercarse (verb): move closer, bring closer, get closer; get close; go to
Dripping from the rain, chilled to the bone after an hour of wandering around the woods looking for mushrooms, María, Jo, and I all eagerly huddled next the wood-burning oven. Then, realizing my socks had gotten wet through my rain boots, I abandoned my post and ran upstairs to my room to find a pair of dry ones. Although I have been exercising less recently due to an overwhelming schedule, I managed to move at a respectable speed and just a few moments later, I had reclaimed my station on the oven. (Yes, on the oven... the metal bar doesn't get hot enough to burn but it does warm one's bum up quite nicely.)
Reminded of my fireplace in my home in Hershey, I basked in the moment of coziness and hominess I felt in María's rented farm house in Galicia. I began to explain to María how when I was in college (years ago ;)), in the winter, I would be on a constant search for fireplaces to curl up next to. Unfortunately, all I ever found in Holland was Panera. Fortunately, in Spain I found something much better.
"There's something about getting close to warmth that just makes you feel wonderful," I explained. "It's not the same as being in an apartment that has central heating. The best part is getting close to the warmth."
Since that discussion, I have been thinking about the overwhelming truth of that last thought in my life. I have so many blessings in my life, but I rarely fully - or even halfway - appreciate them in the way I should. The fact that I am regularly surrounded by wonderful co-workers at school, close friends at church, and friendly roommates is just one reason that I am so content here with my life here in Spain. But too often these wonderful people get lost in the everyday shuffle of the day. The daily grind doesn't have the anxious excitement that comes from waiting in the arrivals hall of the airport for someone you love. It can't, because when you see someone all day, every day, you don't have the chance to acercarte to them.
So, over the past few days, I've been thinking about all of the wonderful opportunities, big and small, that I have to acercarme to things and people that give my life a sense of warmth. Here are a few I thought of...
I am blessed to have the resources to make pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, simulating the Thanksgiving dessert experience for my roommates and myself. I am blessed to have teachers and students who greet me by name in the hallway, making me feel like a welcome member of their community. I am blessed to have such comfy wool-lined slippers to pound around the house in, giving me the illusion that I'm in my house without anywhere to be, even though more often than not I am leaving just shortly after arriving. I am blessed to be greeted with Juan Carlos's Spanish-accented "Hellooooooooo" every time I enter the photocopy room. I am blessed to have friends and family who plan Skype dates with me and listen as I recount the funny and frustrating experiences of the week. I am blessed to have money to spend on an overpriced chai latte at the Starbucks near metro Bilbao because it has a community table that reminds me of LJs. I am blessed to have a plane ticket to take me home for Christmas in just 21 days. I am blessed to spend an afternoon drinking Mint Fields tea (from LJs, obviously) to answer friends e-mails or leisurely lesson planning. I am blessed to have spent a recent Saturday night playing Bohnanaza and Settlers of Catan with other Fulbrights. I am blessed, I am blessed.
Yes, it seems like a strange list. But these are experiences that keep me from feeling like I am on some big trip; they allow me to acercarme to a familiar sense of home. On any given day I have a yearning for home in a different way, but I have so many different means to arrive at a sense of belonging that, recently, I have hardly even been phased by a desire for anything other than the life I am live on a day-to-day basis.
Not everyone is that blessed though. And I thank God, my family, and my friends for supporting me to the point where I could alejarme (move away from) my life that was comfortable and (somewhat) more predictable. It is only because I know that I can acercarme to you all that I am able to take the risks that my adventures require. And it is because of your ongoing support that I have withstood the long process that it took to turn so many of my foreign experiences into experiences with a new sort of hominess. Thank you.
Much love from Spain,
Amber
Reminded of my fireplace in my home in Hershey, I basked in the moment of coziness and hominess I felt in María's rented farm house in Galicia. I began to explain to María how when I was in college (years ago ;)), in the winter, I would be on a constant search for fireplaces to curl up next to. Unfortunately, all I ever found in Holland was Panera. Fortunately, in Spain I found something much better.
"There's something about getting close to warmth that just makes you feel wonderful," I explained. "It's not the same as being in an apartment that has central heating. The best part is getting close to the warmth."
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Since that discussion, I have been thinking about the overwhelming truth of that last thought in my life. I have so many blessings in my life, but I rarely fully - or even halfway - appreciate them in the way I should. The fact that I am regularly surrounded by wonderful co-workers at school, close friends at church, and friendly roommates is just one reason that I am so content here with my life here in Spain. But too often these wonderful people get lost in the everyday shuffle of the day. The daily grind doesn't have the anxious excitement that comes from waiting in the arrivals hall of the airport for someone you love. It can't, because when you see someone all day, every day, you don't have the chance to acercarte to them.
So, over the past few days, I've been thinking about all of the wonderful opportunities, big and small, that I have to acercarme to things and people that give my life a sense of warmth. Here are a few I thought of...
I am blessed to have the resources to make pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, simulating the Thanksgiving dessert experience for my roommates and myself. I am blessed to have teachers and students who greet me by name in the hallway, making me feel like a welcome member of their community. I am blessed to have such comfy wool-lined slippers to pound around the house in, giving me the illusion that I'm in my house without anywhere to be, even though more often than not I am leaving just shortly after arriving. I am blessed to be greeted with Juan Carlos's Spanish-accented "Hellooooooooo" every time I enter the photocopy room. I am blessed to have friends and family who plan Skype dates with me and listen as I recount the funny and frustrating experiences of the week. I am blessed to have money to spend on an overpriced chai latte at the Starbucks near metro Bilbao because it has a community table that reminds me of LJs. I am blessed to have a plane ticket to take me home for Christmas in just 21 days. I am blessed to spend an afternoon drinking Mint Fields tea (from LJs, obviously) to answer friends e-mails or leisurely lesson planning. I am blessed to have spent a recent Saturday night playing Bohnanaza and Settlers of Catan with other Fulbrights. I am blessed, I am blessed.
Yes, it seems like a strange list. But these are experiences that keep me from feeling like I am on some big trip; they allow me to acercarme to a familiar sense of home. On any given day I have a yearning for home in a different way, but I have so many different means to arrive at a sense of belonging that, recently, I have hardly even been phased by a desire for anything other than the life I am live on a day-to-day basis.
Not everyone is that blessed though. And I thank God, my family, and my friends for supporting me to the point where I could alejarme (move away from) my life that was comfortable and (somewhat) more predictable. It is only because I know that I can acercarme to you all that I am able to take the risks that my adventures require. And it is because of your ongoing support that I have withstood the long process that it took to turn so many of my foreign experiences into experiences with a new sort of hominess. Thank you.
Happy Thanksgiving to all!
Much love from Spain,
Amber
