Catch Ya in the Flip Side!

In 12 hours, I will be in the air headed toward the land of four leaf clovers, Guiness and rainbows! Confused? Dublin is just a stop over. After a couple hours there, I will then be headed to the land of Gaudi, bull fights, sangria and tapas! No more English speaking citizens, instead, full Spanish/Catalan immersion!

Every so often, I get a wave of nervousness, but for the most part, I have been pretty calm. It really has been nice having my dad with me in New York though because soon enough, it’s me, myself and I. I’m definitely one to appreciate experiences on my own, but I enjoy experiences a lot more when I have someone to share them with. 

When I arrive in Barcelona tomorrow at 10:30 a.m. local time, Ramon is going to pick me up. Ramon who? Well here is when the shout out comes. I would like to give a shout out to my friend Scott for connecting me with Ramon in Barcelona. It’s so nice to know that I will walk out of the gate and see a friendly face, as opposed to having to figure out how to take the bus or subway to some location in the city after a sleepless night. So thanks a hundred times over!

I’m lucky enough to also know Wawi, a former co worker, who is from Barcelona. She has offered her place to me for the first two nights before I move in with the host family and I am incredibly grateful.

Here I go!!

Get to New York, Check!

The travel part to the first leg of the trip has come and gone, but that’s not without a few little hiccups along the way! I’m telling ya, you couldn’t write a script for all the mishaps that happened yesterday. From delays in the sky, to turbulence, to two trips to the Oakland airport cause we had our flight time wrong, to waiting 1.5 hours just for the bags to come out in one carousel and then having to go to another to get them, to being then stuck on the bridge for an extra 15 minutes, at 1:00 a.m., we arrived, safe and sound.

I brought two suitcases and an over the shoulder carry on. By all girl standards, I think that is quite impressive! Mind you that one bag weighs 70 pounds, but that’s not important, cause I want to repeat, just two bags

The weather in New York is quite the shock to my poor California system, but I’m going to bundle up and enjoy one of my last days in the US of A. Tomorrow, Hoolia goes international!

Don’t Stop Thinking About Tomorrow

For those loyal readers (I know you’re out there!), the day has come when I predicted my dad would be singing the song, “Don’t Stop Thinking About Tomorrow.” He happens to be in Phoenix, so he has yet to grace me with his oh so beautiful singing voice, but indeed, tomorrow my journey begins.  

I’ve definitely made up for all the lack of tears leading up to this time. That’s right, the flood gates have been lifted! It’s been hard to say goodbye to everyone who has meant something to me in my life, though I know it’s more of a “see you later” than a goodbye goodbye. Mixed with the unknown of what it will really be like moving thousands of miles away and with so many things up in the air, I’ve been somewhat overwhelmed with emotion. I think it’s to be expected and pretty normal to be nervous.

I feel very fortunate to be given this chance to explore a great country and live independently in a place so different than what has historically been comfortable for me. I’m very much looking forward to the experience, though it’s hard to believe it’s finally happening. My life as I know it here is in two bags set to travel thousands of miles away….

Stay tuned!

Ripping Off the Band-Aid

I said one of my tougher farewells last night, this time to my grandma. I have made no secret how special and dear my grandma is to me, so similar to ripping off a band-aid, the actual goodbye was really fast. A quick hug, a few quick words and off I went. Still no tears, but I definitely felt pretty emotional about it.

I went over to her house in the afternoon and since she just got a computer set up in her extra room, I showed her pictures from the wedding. Our show and tell was fun, then we watched Barefoot Contessa and Paula Deen on the Food Network. Subsequently, we got pretty hungry! We ate a restaurant where the place was packed with seniors and I was the youngest by probably 25 years!

What topped the night was watching Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune together, something we do relatively often. What can I say, it’s just our thing. She plays solitaire and we guess questions and puzzles together. In fact, last night, someone on Wheel won a trip to Spain. Funny timing.

Before the goodbye hug, I bookmarked my blog on the computer and gave her a quick tutorial on how to access it. The mouse was hard for her to move and navigate, but hopefully she will get the hang of it. If not, I know she will appreciate my phone calls and the photos my mom will show her

The Packing Has Begun

I have started packing up my apartment and in doing so, I have gotten pretty nostalgic. I have looked through old photo albums, old momentos and found special things that were buried among a lot of crap I have collected over the past 3.5 years. I almost feel like I’m in a soap opera where I come across a photo, sit still and reminsce about old times, as everything around me stops

It’s been interesting to pack up the boxes and take these trips down memory lane on my own. I have called my mom every so often to share some memories, which I think she enjoys, so that has been nice. The one “finding” that really stopped me in my tracks was photos of my grandpa, who I called poppy. He passed away, but he was such a fun loving, energetic, hilarious guy who lightened up any room. I even found an old note from him that really defined his personality. I know he would be proud of me for this move, so I can only hope he is with me in spirit.

Back to packing!

Goodbye Round Uno

My brother’s wedding was fantastic. Oddly enough, he is now a husband, he has a wife and I have sister in law! Funny how these things work. It was so special to be with family and friends from near and far. A year of planning for a weekend has now come and gone, so now onto what the future will hold…

As I anticipated, I said farewell for a while to a lot of people, including my brother and sister in law (because they are going on a long honeymoon and won’t be back before I go). What I didn’t anticipate was my lack of tears. I’m generally a pretty emotional person and I have yet to shed any tears about anything! It’s a strange numbness, or complete denial, but regardless, it’s really weird. My dad assured me that this build up will come to a boil when we leave for New York, in which case, lucky him!

Every so often I get a pang of nervousness and every so often I have to take a deep breath to avoid a “freak out.” This move is so exciting, but it’s also so new and so different. A year’s planning for this move has almost come and gone and now and my new journey is going to begin, similar to my brother’s journey with his new wife.

Check out a photo of the three of us…

Wedding Weekend

My one and only big brother is tying the knot this weekend and the festivities are unofficially beginning tonight. It’s a really exciting time for our family and I hope everything goes off without a hitch.

I always knew that when his wedding arrived, my Spain adventure was truly right around the corner. And boy does it feel that way! 2 weeks from today is when my flight to Spain leaves.

Now, back to the wedding. People are coming to the wedding from all over-New York, Maryland, Oklahoma and even Amsterdam. Weddings are such happy occasions and when I know a lot of the attendees, I can enjoy it even more. I’m really looking forward to celebrating George and Callie, as well as seeing family and friends who I don’t get to see that often.

I anticipate being asked about Spain as a topic of conversation, so I better brush up on my story! Kidding of course, but the wedding will also be my time to say goodbye to friends and family for a while. Not goobye goodbye, just farewell for now, come visit, ladida.

Cheers to George and Callie and their special weekend ahead!

2 Weeks!

Today is the 2 week marker and as I sit in bed nursing a cold, I’m in complete denial this adventure is happening. If anything, I’m happy to be sick now and not in a couple weeks (nor at my brother’s wedding this weekend). I guess that’s a big thing off the check list, but funny, it never made it ON the list to begin with!

I just received my housing for the month of November from my program. Isabel and Enric, her friend, will be my new roomies for a month! I’m supposed to call Isabel to let her know my arrival time and talk to her about details, but I will, luckily, have my own room. And as luck would have it, a little dog to go along with it Apparently the dog hangs out in the terrace though, so it’s more of an outside pet than an indoor one.

I’m also excited about a potential housing situation starting in January from a friend of a friend who is going away for a year. Her place is in a great area of Barcelona, it’s really big, has furniture and Internet and basically, all the “fixings.” I’m crossing my fingers for that one to turn out!

It seems like everything is starting to fall into place except for the move actually hitting me. I have still yet to shed a tear or have any freak out moments. Stay tuned!

I’m going, really?

I went to a great wedding this weekend and also enjoyed a small party on my deck for fleet week. Throughout it all, I had to keep reminding myself that I’m leaving in less than 3 weeks! I almost feel like I’m in a fantasy world, though it’s my real world, having to keep the thought of moving at the top of my mind when it doesn’t feel like it is. I’m still very excited and I’m looking forward to the adventure, it just doesn’t feel like it is happening. It’s a pretty strange feeling. I wonder when it’s going to hit me again. I almost think it won’t hit me until I land in Spain or until I depart on the plane. I’ve been less enthused to mark items off my check list and more enthused about doing as much as I can these next few weeks to leave with a bang. I guess it’s not surprising to feel a whirlwind of emotions, with one week feeling one emotion and the next another. Right now I’m almost in denial that what I have talked about for almost a year is actually happening.

Marina Observations

Today I went for a long run (ok, well, it was more of a fast walk, but that’s just a technicality) and I’ve gotta say, I’m really going to miss my neighborhood in San Francisco. I live in Cow Hollow/Marina and it gets a pretty bad rep for attracting people who are snotty, self centered and too cool for school. But I really like it and I can identify with the scene in the area.

I went down to Chrissy Field, along the beach and down to the pier. I saw so many cool things. First, there was not a cloud in sight, but the Golden Gate Bridge had a huge area of fog underneath it. As I got closer to the bridge, the fog magically disappeared, so it was clear as day. There were people with cute puppies, women with their babies, people my age wearing their designer sunglasses and trendy workout outfits, art pieces all along the way, tourists, bikers, etc. When I got to the pier, I planted myself in the middle of a huge anchor and just sat, listening to my music (Tom Petty to be exact), watching the fisherman and soaking in the scene. To the left was Alcatraz, to the right was the fort, behind me was the bridge and in front of me was the SF skyline. Oh yeah, and swimming to the side of me was a cute little sea lion who was awfully flirty! What a way to spend the morning.

As I headed back, I took pics from my phone, but more so, just appreciated it. What I like about my neighborhood is the fact that it’s in the city, but has such as a suburbia feeling. I hope I can find an area in Barcelona that gives me the same feeling. I’m definitely not a typical city dweller, so we shall see where I end up there!