This semester abroad has been much different than I ever expected it to be. I expected to be constantly wrapped up in the adventure of it all, entrapped by exoticism and intrigue. At times, I certainly felt that - most of those times have been documented in this blog. But, more often than intrigue, there was a range of other emotions: independence, loneliness,excitement, frustration, curiosity, isolation. Stripped of the comforts of home and community, I learned so much about myself- what I value, what I need, what I love. Cervantes, that great Spanish poet, wrote that travel graces you with discretion. And based on this experience, I can only say, he is right.
Amongst my discovering how to make a home in Bilbao, I would be amiss not to recollect the inspiring Spanish passion for life and unabashed pursuit of pleasure. It was evident right from my very first moments in Bilbao, as I dragged my suitcases through the merry fiesta-ers reveling in the streets. Soon after the fiesta, I discovered it in the many ice cream shacks that turned into churrerias as the weather turned cold. I found it in the bakeries that grace practically every corner. It was there during siesta, and with my lunch time wine, and in holiday after holiday after holiday.
When I first arrived in Bilbao, I thought the party outside my window was solely because it was the annual fiesta. It turns out, the party in the streets was a weekly occurrence. One random Wednesday night, an accordion band began a performance almost directly below my apartment balcony. For two hours starting at 10:00pm, the band played. When I finally got out of bed to see what was going on, there was a group of 20 people doing traditional dances. The music was loudly audible in my room and I could only imagine that it was also audible in the many other apartments lining the street. Yet, no one complained and no one yelled, they just tolerantly allowed the joy to continue. I took a video (see below) because to me it was slightly absurd that no one else was annoyed because they were kept awake. But Spaniards, I've found, have this love of living that allows them to casually enjoy life and tolerantly allow others to do the same. It's a contrast that's subtle and obvious all at once. Americans, they say, do entertainment well - we can keep ourselves occupied for hours with our movies, music and video games. But after the stimulation is over, we're left wanting more to distract us, often from ourselves. Spaniards know how to enjoy pleasure. They can slow down and notice the good things in life: enjoying the holiday, taking a siesta, having a glass of wine at lunch. Throughout my time here, I've been impressed with it and I've definitely taken it to heart. So, moving forward, I hope I'll keep a little bit of Spain in my life: remembering to slow down, listen to myself, and do what feels good.
