Home away from home

As I sit in the car going to Salzburg, Austria (the last stop of my family trip here in Europe) I can’t help but think how fast time has gone by. I feel like it was yesterday when I was going to the airport in San Juan. I have not written for a while. Since I finished my co-op. I even feel a bit weird because it will be hard to try to summarize how I feel about my experience so far and what I have done. Thinking back to when I was leaving Hanover: it was difficult for me. I started a completely new life in Germany. I still remember when I first got there…I think we all do. It’s amazing to see how much can change in such a short period of time. And not to sound cliché or anything, but this was the biggest lesson I learned this semester: to really value the moments and the time we have.

Part of Hanover's Christmas Market 

The last two weeks in Hanover were truly amazing. Primarily because the Christmas markets in Hanover are just out of this world. It was fun to just be able to leave work and have a glass of “Glühwein" with all my friends from work at the Christmas markets. Plus, I also got to travel to Lisbon, Portugal; which turned out to be on my “top three favorites list” of places I have visited.

Part of Hanover's Christmas Market

 The last few days I realized how deep and genuine were the bonds and relationships I created in Hanover. With my roommates whom you all know already, with the other co-op students and with my co-workers who were all mostly German; even with my supervisor Thomas whom I admired greatly. It was amazing to see the impact they had in my life and even more beautiful to see the impact I had in theirs. I know the friendships and experiences that I lived with each and every one of the people I met during this journey will always be with me wherever I go.

Last time all the co-op students were together. 

Saying goodbye is never easy. I wrote about saying goodbye when I first had to leave Puerto Rico. For some reason, it was even harder this time. I think that in each place we go, we find a little bit of ourselves in every step we take and we also leave a little part of us behind. And although letting go of all those memories, places, people and moving forward is part of the experience, it definitely does not get any easier.

But for those of you who think my drama is over, of course the only way to leave Hanover was the same way as my chaotic arrival. 

My family was coming to Europe the 23^rd of December and I was going to meet them in Budapest. However, I still had a few days before meeting them in which I didn’t have any plans. I decided to visit my aunt, uncle and cousins in Naples, Italy. They just moved there and I thought it’d be nice to be with family as much as possible; I also missed them quite a lot as I am very close to them.

It was all planned out (or at least I thought it was). Nevertheless, I was a bit stressed because I had to move out of my apartment 4 days before I had to actually leave. Everything had to be moved out, all the clothes packed and of course, I also had to make sure I had all my VISA details for Bali and New Zealand in order (which turned out to be a bit stressful as well). Long story short: Ana missed her flight. Yes. I missed my flight to Italy. I put the alarm and everything was packed and ready to leave. I fell asleep and when I woke up to my roommate’s (Louis) voice I realized what had happened.

 If I have learned ANYTHING from this experience was to try to think, before freaking out. The first thing that came into mind was that I wasn’t supposed to be in my room…so I needed to get everything out (meaning my bags) before my landlord would come to check it out. I ended up staying there the night before my flight because moving my bags to another apartment was just way more complicated (given the fact that I had quite a lot of baggage; yes, I regret this). And since my flight was leaving at 6am, it technically didn’t count as an overnight stay…I was only there for a few hours and happened to fall asleep in a mattress without any bedding. So, Louis helped get everything out of my room and we put it in his. I basically hid there until my room was checked and I was sure no one else was in the apartment. I stayed there while I called my aunt explaining the situation. I must admit that after my room was cleaned out: I did freak out a bit. I really wanted to be with my family already and tickets were incredibly expensive.

A few hours into the day I kept checking and checking flights until I found a ticket to Rome that was affordable. I called my aunt to see if she could pick me up at the airport in Rome instead of Naples and she agreed so: Rome it was. The only downside: I had an 11-hour layover in Brussels, Belgium. So I basically had to sleep (or not sleep really) inside the airport. I really did not want to leave and risk losing another flight. So I just stayed at the airport trying to distract myself in any way possible. Here is when you really think everything happens for a reason because I ended up meeting a group of Spanish couples who had the same flight. We all bonded over the fact we had to stay at the airport for 11-hours and we even exchanged numbers in the end.

 I really thought my departure was quite ironic…one would’ve thought that with everything that happened when I was going to Hanover the first time, I wouldn’t have any other stressful events. And well, me being who I am, of course one dramatic entrance wasn’t enough. The exit had to be the same as well.

 “Oh Ana.” Literally the expression of everyone I met in Hanover when they found out what had happened. But, like I have previously mentioned: life goes on. I made it to Rome (safe and sound) and reunited with my aunt, my cousin Natalia and my uncle. I cannot describe how great it was to see family after being away for so long. Even if I wasn’t in Puerto Rico. I felt like a small part of me was. For the first time, I really felt like I was home because being able to speak Spanish and to just be so comfortable around my family was a feeling I had missed. Moving around so much makes it hard to completely attach to one place. But if there is one place I will always be attached to that is certainly my beautiful island: Puerto Rico. Anyhow, I will keep traveling and moving; finding different places that I can call "Home away from home." And Hanover was certainly one of them. 

Part of my family in Ravello, a small town in the Amalfi Coast. 

I plan on keep writing more about my Christmas vacation and about the places we visited during the month of December. In three days I will be moving to Asia. Especifically to Bali, Indonesia. I will be living in a village by the sea called Tianyar Village. And you’re probably asking yourself something in the lines of: What the @#$* will she be doing in Bali? 

 Well, first of all I really wanted to explore a part of Asia this year. Given the fact that I am already traveling; I might as well try to visit as many places as I can. I had a big gap between the end of my co-op and the start of my academic semester so I thought, “what can I do in between”? And that’s when I found a program that really caught my attention.

I haven’t shared it with you all, but about 10 months ago I had the opportunity to go to Otavalo, Ecuador and teach English to an indigenous community. I also taught English back in Boston to Northeastern employees (most spoke Spanish as a first language). I have learned that I truly enjoy sharing what I know with others through education and most of all, I have learned I have a big passion for languages. So the program I found and that I will form part of  offers you housing and food for a very decent price and in exchange you teach English to the kids of the Tianyar Village by the Sea. I will be in Bali almost one month and a half living in a household shared by other international volunteers from all parts of the world. I am truly looking forward to this experience and to learn as much as I can about this country and continent. Once again, I think this experience continues to challenge me in ways that can only help me grow. Let’s see what other adventures I can get myself into. Prost!