Sophie, 9 februari 2012
Spanje , Salamanca 6°

My Salamanca experience!

Hallo allemaal,

Bij dezen mijn laatste post over mijn reis naar Salamanca. Vandaag wil ik het net even iets anders doen. Aangezien ik van deze laatste update ook een link wil sturen naar alle lieve mensen die ik in Spanje heb leren kennen én het voor jullie begrijpelijk moet blijven, type ik de rest van dit verslag in het Engels, met op het einde een berichtje in het Spaans voor María, mijn leraressen en vrienden in Spanje.

Therefore, I don’t know any better sentence to start with than S/Zimon’s favourite!

‘¿Eeeehm, por favor, cambia en inglés?’

That’s right. This time I’ll be writing this blog post in English, so all you Salamanca people can read it as well!

It’s so hard to think of a good, logical order to start writing this time. It’s Thursday, still ten to two, and my head keeps telling me that I should actually be in school right now! In class with Consu, Mía and Annie to be exact. Talking about medicine, plastic surgery, dreams and more random subjects that we can chat about for hoooooouurs. : )
Then, afterwards I should rush to the Carrefour, because I’m starving and will eat with my fellow roommates, housemates (?), hoomie’s (?) and start doing the dishes with Lisanne!
This routine was so easy to get used to, just like it was so easy to get used to living in Salamanca. It feels like you can call it your home within only a couple of weeks, and not only on Facebook, if you get what I mean.
I’m so extremely grateful for all the things I had the opportunity of doing, experiences of a lifetime came out of it. I could scream on the top of my lungs that I wouldn’t want to have missed this for nothing. The things I learned, the language, the independence, the country and so much more than only that. I could never have known that I would meet such lovely and warmhearted people, like for instance María, my host mom.

Therefore, the idea that my last week in Salamanca was approaching, was quite hard to handle. Even though my time in Spain brought me so many great memories and I still have this exciting future in South America laying ahead of me, it’s never easy to close a beautiful chapter of your life as a completely free 18-years old high graduate with absolutely no limit except for the sky.
But when I look back on this last week, as well the few days after my last lengthy post, I see only the general picture now. My last week meant a lot of studying, maybe not so much fun, but I was really eager to obtain my C1 certificate, but with the dearest and helpful Roxy and understanding friends it worked out perfectly fine. Thanks guys, for supporting me in those days!
Afterwards it was time to enjoy life ¿no?
Thursday I went to the jazz bar with Siran (Armenia), Lisanne (nl), Roxy (de), Nicolas (Brazil), Maira (Brazil), Marysia (Poland), Piotr (Poland) and Anne (nl). My last chance to visit the famous bar and it was really nice I have to say! Afterwards a couple of us went out ‘Soph, come on it’s your last Thursday!’ (trust me, I had to hear these kinds of phrases á lot) and had little sleep before it was time to go back to school and collect my diploma. The feeling is so extraordinary to walk through the school corridors for one last time, say goodbye to your teachers who taught you ‘buenas noches’ and the differences between future tenses in ‘indicativo’ o ‘subjuntivo presente’. Incredible! I still can’t help smirking like a ‘tonta’ whenever I think about what I have learned in 20 weeks of Spanish! Or the memory I have of the first time I visited the chocolate café Valor in late September, where I started to chat with Roxy for the first time, my first real Spanish conversation outside the classroom walls! I’d give a lot to be able to hear all the mistakes I made that day.

I hope I can make it clear enough, how could I possibly say goodbye to all these awesome people?
Well, maybe during a big feast in my apartment on my last evening? It was not my idea to throw a huge dinner party, but I want to thank the person who came up with it!
The intention was that everyone would come, bring some food or drinks and just have fun!
The mess was enormous, haha, but the atmosphere perfect! The room was filled with people all the way from Japan to Brazil, from Russia to Australia with even a REAL Spanish guy!
I won’t forget how much love and dedication S/Zimon and Frank put in the steak, Lisanne did my make-up hihi and Anne brought along our secret Portuguese sangria recipe.
Right at that moment I couldn’t think of anything that would make that moment even more perfect but yeah, WRONG! Again!
When it was about time to leave, to go out and spend my last Spanish hours, right at that moment they gave me this beautiful present. A book in which they all had written something in for me. In the booklet there were the sweetest messages and nicest drawings (thanks for those Sirannetje!) to take with me and read in the plane. Everyone had written down something. Right at that moment I, of course.., didn’t even know how to thank them all and let them know how much it moved me. So guys, when you’re reading this now, please know that I’m beyond grateful for all the things that you did for me!

My last day was perfect, like all the 150 before that one. Saying goodbye to all the great people was not easy. Luckily I had so much to look forward to in Holland! At the airport my dad, sister and Erik were waiting for me. They took me home and being there with them, in my new home was lovely. They are happy to have me back, and I know that when Erik will read this he’d call it the understatement of the century haha! He’s without any doubt the best and most patient boyfriend that I could wish for. And the best part?
That I can enjoy this for another few weeks more! Guys, it’s official, Wednesday, the 28th of March Sophie and I are flying off to Argentina, Mendoza to be exact. Exciting? UHU!
We can’t wait.

So I can promise you that this won’t be the last blog that I’m writing. In a couple of weeks our new waarbenjij.nu website will be launched! And what would be a better title than ‘de wereld van Sophies’ (Sophie’s World)?

xx


Parte española:

Hola a todos,
Hola a María, mis profesoras, mis amigos,

Os escribo eso sobre mi blog, porque quiero deciros muchas cosas.

Primero quiero decirte algo María. María, viví en tu casa por cuatro meses. Cuatro meses muy felises. No hay palabras para explicar como tan feliz soy que Rosanne me dio tu nombre y dirección en mayo el año pasado. Venir a tu casa era una desición una de las mejores en mi vida. Desde el momento quando entré en tu puerta el 4 de septiembre sabía que solomente tiempos muy buenos vendrían. tu cariño, tu familía y buen corazón es algo para que sienta mucho agradecimiento.

María, ¡tengo muchas ganas de venir para visitarte otra vez!

También mis profesoras, Consuelo, Belen, Sandra y Ana vosotras estabáis mis profesoras por mucho tiempo. No puedo recordar un día cuando no estuvisteis contentas y energeticas en la clase. Yo admiro eso muchisimo de vosotras. ¡También quiero dar las gracias a Asun, María, Jorge, Eva y Raquel claro! : )
Tengo mucho respecto para vosotros que me habéis aprendido español en solomente cinco meses, increible.
Y al final la gente tan amable que he conocido a en la escuela. Ya en unos días echo de menos a estar con vosotros. He conocido a un aléman loco, una china dulce, una armena super, franceses, brasileños, tantos holandeses, ingleses, belgas, italianas, jáponesas, polacos, y ¡deeeeeeeeemasiado personas más! Todos vosotros, gracias para venir a Salamanca también, sin vosotros no sería tan perfecto, mi estancia aquí.
Nosotros tenemos la passión para la lengua, viajar y aventura en común, pero hay muchas cosas más.. Estar aquí me ha aprendido que en poco tiempo, puedes encontrar a alguien que nunca vas a perder otra vez.

¡Y felizmente la persona más aludida en este caso vive en Beuningen!

Anne, a ti especialmente voy a echar de menos, pero sé que tú estarás bien y que ¡vamos a vernos en el verano ya! : )
Y hasta este momento charlaramos como mucho como siempre durante las cenas, las clases y los cafés. Ans, eres una persona muy buena y amiga perfectisima. Cuidate bien. Un ‘abrazo op z’n Annes’ para tí.

Chicos y chicas, ¡gracias por todos momentos guayes!
La verdad es que salir de España era un momento muy dificil para mi. Y este pensamiento me hace muy feliz, porque así yo sé que era una desicion en mi vida sin ‘regrets’. Entonces, no voy a deciros adios,

pero como los españoles lo dicen, ¡HASTA LUEGO!

Beso de Sophie

Verras Sophie in Spanje met een belletje via HalloBuitenland.nl