By asthaa
Based on Things I’ve Learned/Observed/Reaffirmed in Spain
On the subject of friends:
- You never know where you will make a friend and how quickly he or she might bring out the best in you.
- You may not see a friend often or for long, and she may not know it, but she will be the person that lifts your spirit on any given day.
- You will have moments of friendship with someone or just a few hours and that will be it. And that’s okay. The time spent together is still a something that’s yours to keep.
- You may not consider yourself a cat person, but just wait until you have two cute ones waiting for you at the door in the afternoon, wanting to play and just hang out near you.
- Sometimes a three-way friendship also involves switching between three languages.
- People’s smiles. They can become embedded in your mind, something about them you never forget.
- A hug. It can work wonders.
On Music:
- It transcends boundaries and language and every other factor that could possibly separate two individuals.
- Music in the metro or subway is a lovely thing. Remember to smile to the artist who brightens your morning.
- Music + cooking = great combination.
- Coldplay will be my saving grace no matter what continent I’m living in.
On Language:
- It can be a challenge and obstacle; it is the most useful thing you’ll ever learn.
- Sometimes it won’t matter whether you know another person’s language or not.
- Maintaining more than two can be a herculean task.
On Difficult Times
- Remember what you thought when you heard someone say there is no future in her own country.
- Desperation and making difficult decisions does not have a look.
- Sometimes you can garner hope from the chants of thousands demanding what they want; even if many think they will never obtain it.
- Sharing the stories of what difficult times really means matters.
“What is that feeling when you're driving away from people and they recede on the plain till you see their specks dispersing? It’s the too-huge world vaulting us, and it's good-bye. But we lean forward to the next crazy venture beneath the skies.”
― Jack Kerouac, On the Road
Here’s to the next time I get vaulted back to Madrid.