Dear Family

I wrote this letter to give to my Spanish family when they leave in a couple hours. I've told them much of this in person but I wanted them to have it written down too. While I'm traversing the USA starting next week I'm going to pick up gifts for the family. Then I'll mail them to Spain with more personalized letters after my trip which is conveniently also around the birthday time of the triplets.


Dear Family,
You are my family. I love you all very much and I am extremely grateful to have you in my life. I have been fortunate, blessed, lucky, or however you want to say it. Believe me when I say that these past six months have been some of the best of my life. Believe me!
I have learned so much from you all. It is incredible. I knew coming to Spain and living with you was going to be an interesting adventure. I just had no idea it could work out so well. I’ve learned about teaching, patience, communication, hormones, relationships, cultural difference and similarities, and listening.
Before I came here I was never without my iPod, phone, TV, computer, or radio. I ALWAYS had lots of distractions in my way. Since I’ve been here I’ve learned to unplug. I don’t need all the distractions. I actually enjoy quiet time now, before I hated it.
Also, I really cannot emphasize enough how good it has been for me to see a strong, healthy, marriage such as yours, Consuelo and Carlos. I believe I have learned a lot from you both and hope to be as happy in love as you both are.
Thank you for your generosity, accommodation, and support. You have made me feel so welcome in this house since the very first day. Thank you for including me in all your family adventures, dinners, and activities. I honestly feel that you are my family.
Because you are my family, I hope that you will all keep in touch with my. I think the kids all have my email/messenger address and I expect them to use it! Anytime you come to the USA let me know and I will do anything I can to visit you. Likewise, I will let you know when I cross the Atlantic again. I WILL come back to Spain again… someday. Please keep in touch.
I could write for days about how wonderful this experience has been for me and how fantastic you all are, but I won’t. I will simply say I love you all and will miss you dearly. Thank you for everything.
Keep laughing, growing, learning, and loving.
Hannah

Less Crazy

I went shopping in Madrid today. The 45min bus ride and 20min metro ride to the shopping area gave me plenty of time to relax, read, and take a short nap. I walked around a bit and found a few things to buy. I brought the coins I had been collecting over the past six months and used them to buy 18 euros worth of souvenirs. The cashier lady was surprising nice and accepting of this sort of transaction. Then I took the 20min metro ride and 45min bus ride back home. I am much more relaxed than I was this morning.
I'm going to go for a good long run in about an hour. I think I'm going to put a few more things in my suitcase until then. I know everything will be OK and will work out and I'll thrive like I always have. Patience and calm. I can do that, right? Sure, I can.

Crazy

That's right. Crazy. I'm going crazy. Hi, I'm Crazy. It's nice to meet you.

What? Why am I crazy? Oh right! I didn't mention. I'm driving myself crazy because I am all over the place job-wise. I don't know what I want to do when I get back! I don't like not having anything lined up yet. I keep looking at craigslist for all sorts of random jobs (seriously... really random ones.) and thinking that I could just do it for a little while. Is it OK for me to not have a job when I get back? What will I do if I'm not working full time? I have to find a job. And in my mind the sooner the better. But it's driving me crazy.

I feel like I'm grasping at straws. Any time an idea pops into my head I jump at it. Last night a friend from the Hash suggested I get into personal training. This idea was pretty prevalent in college, particularly while I was at Pima. But I've just spent the last several hours researching certifications and exams and exam materials. I could study for a few months take the exam and get certified by early next year. Then I could sub and be a personal trainer and eventually teach and be a personal trainer, even if only a PT in the summers.

Then I think about grad school. Then I think about nannying for a few months. Then I think about not being able to find a nanny job that will finish in time so that I can coach at that middle school in the afternoons. Then I think I could work at another job, but then that takes me away from degree and future career plans (whatever they may be).

I know I'm just nervous/anxious about my next step. I'm super excited to go on my trip with Flynn in less than a week. I can't wait to see my parents and friends again in Sept. It's just not knowing FOR SURE what I'll be doing in September (income/career-wise) that has my mind racing all over the place.

I just need to relax. And I do... for a little while. But then I get all worked up again. What do I want to do?!?!

I love life because of its infinite possibilities, but sometimes I let those possibilities overwhelm me. I've got to stop doing that.

So yeah. I'm sort of Crazy right now. I think (I hope) that once my trip is underway I won't focus on this stuff so much. I'll just be able to enjoy my adventure and I can focus on the work stuff when I get back to Seattle. I say that... but it just seems so irresponsible. To not have a job when I have financial responsibilities just seems silly! Ack! See!? Here I go again! I think I need to go for a run. Or go shopping. Maybe both. But sitting here dwelling in vicious circles isn't going to help.

Asturias = Awesomeness

I had an amazing trip to Asturias with the Hash this weekend. I think it was the best trip I've taken in Spain. Asturias is definitely my favorite region. It's mountain-y and green and the air was cool and fresh. I loved it!

I met Tara and Sophie in Madrid at 11am Friday morning. After stopping by Dunkin Coffee (the Spanish version of Dunkin Donuts) we went to pick up Rebecca. We had a pleasant four hour drive up to Asturias. There wasn't much if any traffic and I had a great time chatting in the backseat with Rebecca while Tara nursed a hangover and Sophie drove.

We knew we weren't in Madrid anymore after driving through several tunnels (aka under sevearl mountains) and arrived at picturesque places like this lake.

My camera really doesn't give the lake the justice it deserves (or maybe it's my lack of photography skills) but you get the idea: big blue lake, green plants, hills...

When we arrived in Nava we quickly found our hotel. The cars belonging to other Hashers were already in the parking lot so we knew we had found the right place. After checking in and dropping our things off in our room we headed into town to see what it had going for it. We wandered a bit before settling in at a little cervesaria near the main square. From our table on the side walk we could do plenty of people watching and spot any Hashers that might be wandering along.

This large mural is in the main square and the photo was taken from my seat outside the cervesaria.

After getting a feel for the town we headed back to our hotel to meet up with the others. We found a couple people drinking cider. We were fortunate enough to be in Nava for their big annual apple cider festival. If the festival hadn't been going on I'm pretty sure the town would have been really really empty except for a bunch of raucous hashers. Part of the deal with the cider is that it must be poured from on high to get properly aerated and drunken quickly. You usually only pour it a couple fingers high and it's only 6% alcohol so it really doesn't do a lot of damage. I'm not a big fan of it. I tasted the bitter kind, and it's just that bitter. Apparently, there is a sweet kind but maybe it has it's own festival because I didn't find any of it over the weekend.

Here is Sophie trying her hand at pouring like a Nava pro. She did OK, for a rookie.

And here is the pro showing us how it's done. There is a bucket at his feet in case of any spillage, but surprisingly they are very good at keeping the cider in the glass.

Hanging out at the hotel bar with Sophie, Carolina, Tim, and Tara. Tim and Carolina are married and I think it's funny that they both really enjoy using their hands when they talk.

After hanging out at the hotel bar for a bit we decided to walk into town and find the rest of our group. Some people were staying at another hotel closer to the center of town.

Theo, Tim, Carolina, Tara, Rebecca, and Sue. We're hashers, we don't use sidewalks. We walk in the road and take up the whole thing.
Eventually well all gather outside a restaurant near the other hotel and had dinner. I had already eaten so I mostly just nibbled a little here and there off other peoples plates. Paul had the good fortune to sit across from me. Notice the beer and the bread those always come long before the food. As for the peanuts, Sir Sir James got restless waiting for the food and brought out a bag to be passed around. I'm pretty sure the wait staff hated us.

After dinner we made our way towards the center square to enjoy some cider and the local entertainment. Rebecca isn't usually as creepy as she appears in the picture.
And now the square, minus creepy Rebecca, but full of other random Hashers.The cider festival meant there was also a small carnival of sorts in town. Being the mature, respectable adults that we pride ourselves on being they decide to ride a ride.
Each participant on this ride gets a complimentary cow printed cowboy hat. This is an exciting moment for Brits like Paul.
Sue and I opted to take photos of the momentous occasion.
But that doesn't mean that I can't try on one the hats. Not too shabby!
The troops are ready!
But have to wait a little longer. A dozen excited foreigners in cow printed cowboy hats make quite a scene. They weren't quiet about being there.
Rebecca, from New York, and Tara, from Idaho (among other places) showed off their Americanness with style.
Theo and Paul were having a blast and they weren't even on the ride yet!
Rebecca and I. Whee!
At long last it's their turn to mount their steads. Everyone find a buffalo or horse to ride, two or three people per animal.
Sophie is holding on for dear life already and it the ride hasn't even started yet! When the ride does start the animals will shake wobble and tilt and try to knock the riders to the padded ground below.
Rebecca and Tim are rarin' to go!
Once the ride starts everyone holds on the best they can. Even if it means getting friendly with others!

Many fall to the ground. Particularly when I shout to them to put their hands in the air! Once on the ground it's tough to stand up and get in the saddle again because the whole ground is shaking and vibrating. Tara, the lady that she is, must ride side saddle because of her jean skirt. She isn't bothered though. She's had a great time.

After the ride we made our way to a bar in the main square. It began to rain and everyone was ducking under awnings to get out of the rain. A few die hard fans stayed in front of the stage to listen to the band performing. Our group wasn't particularly impressed by the bad so we stayed in the bar drinking and pouring (or should I say spilling) cider. Around midnight I decided I was ready for bed. I might be the youngest one on this Hash trip, but I was the first to bed. I just can't/don't want to keep up.

Back at my room it was nice and quiet. I read a little and quickly crashed.

Saturday morning (aka at noon), as part of the cider festival, free food was being offered in the main square. They also had loads of cider to hand out. The food was being prepared by only 6 women at two tables. We opted not to wait for the tiny rations so we went to the grociery store and bought our own food.

Saturday morning was overcast and cool. We could tell it was going to be a wet run later on.

I don't care how wet it is though. I love that green!

We were enjoying a nice pleasant drive up to the run site when the lead car in our caravan got a flat tire. Everyone else caried on, but my car stayed behind so that Theo could fix the flat.

I made myself useful by staying out of the way and taking pictures of the amazing landscape.

There's everyone huddled around the flat. I think tire changing is one of those times when many hands do not make light the work. So I just kept taking pictures.

The run took off much later than scheduled. First we were late getting to the run site after the flat tire. Then we had to wait for the hare to get back from setting it. You know you are in for a heck of a run when the hare comes back covered in mud, goes straight for a beer, and looks exhausted. He starts off by warning us that it's a long, challenging run. He tells us a few hints and short cuts and cuts it down to 12k. He says it'll take about two hours. About half the hash takes off up the trail while the other half hangs back. They'll go for a short leisurely walk later on.

Saying this is a run isn't exactly accurate. We were able to jog the first 3 or 4k. For that part we were on a windy, hilly road used by the local shepherds to get to their cabins. We got pummeled with rain. So now we are all soaked and the paths are muddy. We head off track up hills and passed random cows grazing on the mountains. At one point I step in a bog so deep, I'm up to my knee in mud. Luckily I was already so wet by that point that it was actually a relief to not have to worry about tip toeing through mud puddles anymore. Now I could go straight through the mud no worries.

Then the fog rolled it. I guess I can't say it rolled in. I mean, we were climbing the freaking mountain so really we just climbed up into the clouds. It was very disorienting, but sort of fun. I couldn't see the other Hashers, but I could hear them. I just wish we could have seen the views from where we were. I don't know how high the mountain was but we got clear to the top. The views would have been incredible if it hadn't been from the fog. I wasn't bothered though. I was having a wonderful time. I was hungry, tired, thirsty, and cold, but I was climbing a mountain in the north of Spain. What a remarkable experience.

It took us nearly three hours to finish the run. When we got back it was raining off and on so we huddled under umbrellas until the rain would let up then get back to eating the chips and bread that had been offered up. I ate more than I should have but I was too tired to notice.

Once everyone made it down from the mountain safely we had a quick circle. Beers were drunken, songs were sung, laughs were had. On to the restaurant.

A Hash walking into a restaurant is always a site to be seen. But this one was particularly notable because we were all so tired and Muddy! I'm sure the cleaning folks love us.

After dinner, which was tasty but otherwise uneventful, we went back to our hotels to get cleaned up. We were all so tired that a group of us made plans to hang out in the hotel bar that night, rather than walk into town again.

Xavi didn't have any spare clothes after the run so he borrowed some. Everything he is wearing owned by a girl. He wore it well though. We were impressed.

After closing down the bar we went back to the room Sophie, Tara, and I were sharing.
Sophie had been sleeping and she wasn't pleased about being woken up. But we stayed for a while anyway.

Sunday morning, after not enough sleep, we rushed to pack up our things, check out of our hotel, and meet the rest of the hashers for the convoy to the next run site. Sophie (my roommate and driver) was pretty pissed that we had woken her up the night before. She was unable to get back to sleep and was quite exhausted. So the hour long drive from the hotel to the next run site was long and quiet.

We arrived at the beach and found it warm, but not hot, and sunny! What a change from the day before! We were informed that the run would be longer and steeper and muddier than the day before's. Since that is just possible, we weren't too worried. And off we went.

The run started out on a boardwalk along a river leading to the Atlantic Ocean.

The hares found the biggest hill near the beach and thought it would be fun to have us run up it. After the mountain the day before, some of us preferred to walk.

The view from the top of that hill was incredible and well worth the hike.

Seriously. I have to be one of the most blessed people on God's green earth. This place is brilliant.Now back down the hill.

It may not look like much, but I was tired! I'm glad we had to climb that hill though, otherwise I would have missed out on all those photo opps.

The last bit of the run was fairly short and mostly flat. This picture was taken from one of the few small hills along the way that took us away from the beach.

Ah... the freedom of the open road!

The home stretch. One last bit of boardwalk and we are back where we started.

After the run we continued the festivities with the traditional circle and drinks. Then we carried on to lunch on a terrace overlooking the river and boardwalk in the last photo. It was an OK meal of paella and meat.

When everyone had finished eating we went our separate ways. Some were fortunate enough to be staying in the region for another night or two others (like us) headed back to Madrid. It took a little over five hours to drive back down to Madrid followed by my 45min bus ride home. I rolled in to bed just before midnight.

I was a long, fun filled, beauty filled weekend. I'm so grateful that I had the opportunity to see Asturias before I left Spain. When (not if) I come back I would like to spend much more time in the area, perhaps on the Camino de Santiago. We'll see.

Now I have two and a half weeks to go before I head back to the States and start my next adventure! I've finished up my ESL classes for adults and now only have lessons with the children daily. This weekend I have a couple parties to go to with the hashers (birthday and going away parties), I am setting the run again on Saturday (this time on my home turf in Tres Cantos), and on Sunday I'm going to go see a Flamenco show and possibly the Thyssen Museum. I have lots to do before I go!

OH! Last night I was presented with presents from the family. I love presents! I was given two framed pictures of me with the family and a heart rate monitor (watch and chest strap)! I was so excited! They must have seen me drooling when Consuelo got one for her birthday several months ago. I'm going to take it on the run with me tomorrow and test it out. I'll be able to see my heart rate in real time and adjust the intensity of my workouts accordingly, that way I'm burning fat and working my heart most effectively. I'm so excited.

I've been trying to think of something to do for the family before I go. I know for sure I want to get them some things while I'm travelling the US and send them back to Spain but I need to think of something good to get them before I go! Ping-the light bulb just turned on! I'm going to an American bookstore later tonight and they have a couple shelves of products that Americans in Spain often long for (such as peanut butter and pancake mix). I'll take a look at what they have and maybe get a few candybars for the kids that they don't normally have and some chocolate chip cookie mix since that is pretty unusual here too. I'll find something fun for them I'm sure.

Well I think this entry is quite long enough, don't you?!