Spain 2012

-What did you do this summer?

-I went to Spain.

-What?

-Did you go for business reasons or something?

-No, I went for personal reasons, just to learn, for the experience…

-What?

It’s uncommon to hear that someone travelled abroad. I wanted to explore a little bit, especially overseas and specifically Spain because a great part of my culture comes from Spanish influence: language, religion, customs, etc. Going to Spain is what I call a vacation. My favorite place to go visit is Los Angeles, California, where I’ve been going on vacation for the past 13 summers. It’s beautiful because my family is there, there’s lots of entertainment, and it feels like home because at one time it was. Spain had some similarities and many differences. I rank Spain #2 in my favorite places to visit. I recommend it to anybody who has never gone to Europe or another country outside of North America. People don’t make these kinds of trips because they do not have the funds or maybe perhaps they are a little scared of being in an unfamiliar territory far away from home. At least those were my main reasons. It might be different for others, maybe because of health or lack of vacation time or whatever. I’m not sure, but all I knew was that I had to go. This was going to be an early graduation present, to go visit a place that I’ve learn so much about in the past two years during graduate school. I graduate this December, si Dios quiere (God willing), and I didn’t want to wait until next summer. Why wait when the time is now. Enjoy life now! Blame the “you only live once” mentality.

It was an early Saturday morning when I left Midland International Airport to Houston to Washington D.C. It was at that point, waiting on my next flight that was going to cross the Atlantic Ocean that I kind of wanted to turn back. The same jitters that you get when you are buckled down in a rollercoaster for the first time and it slowly begins its course. There was no turning back, all the reservations were made and my flight was already paid for. After a long 9 hours of reading books, watching movies and playing games on the consol in the seat in front of me, and of course sleeping, I finally landed in Spain. It didn’t feel like another country more like another planet. Everything was different. The first night was a blessing because the best thing that could ever happen to me happened when Spain won the Euro Cup and made history. The people in Madrid went crazy, just like when the L.A. Lakers win NBA championships. It was a celebration that went on until the following morning. My introduction to the country couldn’t have been more perfect.

Fast forward a little bit. I went to Cádiz, where I spent a week interacting with people, practicing the language, exploring the city, riding bikes, learning history, swimming, visiting the beach and eating great food. It was everything I expected and more, it was a luxury. I ended up visiting Jerez, Tariff, Morocco in Africa, Seville, and Granada.

Ultimately, I wanted to go watch a basketball game in a different country so I did. I decided to take a trip to Salamanca, purchased my ticket to a pre-Olympic game: Spain vs. Tunisia, bought my train ticket, and booked my hotel. Once again, it brought back those same feelings that I get prior to attending a live Lakers game.

I went back to Madrid to finish off my two weeks stay in the Old World where it all began. I finished off my last night at a theme park that I coincidently found. I was in my hotel room packing and getting everything ready to return to the states when I looked at the time and said. “What am I doing here?” I wanted to go out and visit the city one last time so I took a taxi at this Teleférico that takes you on one side of town to the other. That’s where I saw it. Rollercoaster! Ahh! After running as fast as I can across this small forest, I ended up at the entrance of the park and they were not closing until midnight so I checked it out for a few hours. The next morning I kissed Spain goodbye and went to the airport to go back home where another adventure was waiting.

It was a trip I will never forget. I thank God for the opportunity and the courage that it took to undergo all odds. As a result, I came back a renewed man.