Sueños.

I almost didn't post this.
Believe it or not, it is not my favorite story.

But because I want you guys to truly know what this whole year is like (with the exception of a few personal memories....), and not just the sunshine and rainbows it might appear to be, I'll clue you in.

It was a nightmare.  The first one since arriving in Spain, but horrible all the same. One of those terrible terrors where you're trying so hard to run, but not moving an inch. I couldn't give way to my legs, I couldn't breathe, It was unbearably hot wherever I was, and I was absolutely stuck there. It was terrifying. My mom was there as well. We were trying to help each other become "unstuck" and it wasn't working very well as I could only shout to her in Spanish! That's right folks, my very first dream in Spanish turned out to be somewhat of a nightmare. Great memory, huh?

I was crying when I woke up. I couldn't figure out where I was for a few moments, and it didn't help that my contacts were practically glued to my eyes. I had been sleeping for an hour and a half after all....Whoops! Luckily for my exhausted exchange student brain, the Spanish culture contains this absolutely lovely little practice that I'll be sure to continue upon returning to Florida.......Siesta! Just after lunch everything shuts down for a few hours, and we just perfect the art of relaxation. It. Is. Phenomonal! Normally during siesta, I work on Spanish in someway. Sometimes it's me and my host brother practicing my speech outloud, sometimes it's me and my host dad working on grammar, and sometimes (my favorite times) it's me and my host mom. She says simple sentences outloud, while I listen for the words, write down what I hope is correct, and then translate it and give it to my host dad to make sure the translation is correct. Though tiring at times, I know the work has been paying off!

Anyways, during this particular siesta, I walked out to the dining room, told my host parents I would be sleeping for 30 minutes...more or less....and then be working on more Spanish. Yeah, not so much.

So that's the story of my first dream in Spanish. I know it probably wasn't the most fascinating story, and not the journal full of exciting adventures you all were hoping for, but dreaming in the target language is a really huge step in the year of the exchange student (that almost sounds like the Chinese horoscopes!), and I want to remember it, even if it didn't play out exactly the way I imagined it would.

 Bizzare, but 5 weeks in a different life helps you to expect the unexpected.

Buenas Noches.

Nicole.