There's more to life than...

Going to class and going to bars.

Day 49 (By a couple minutes....)

Mom, you've been known to say that I march by the beat of my own drum. Okay, I know that when I was younger that just meant I was a brat, but now it has to mean because I'm quirky. And yes, Bridget, that is just a fancy way of saying weird. My point is: I'm not your average study abroad student who decides to come to Barcelona. I'm not a party animal. I love meeting new people, I love dancing, but I don't want to go out every night, nor would I survive the aftermath of doing so.

Before coming here, I knew that I wanted to do something besides the typical study abroad activities. It only took me a month to get connected with the local YMCA and now I volunteer every Tuesday night for a couple hours. It's one of my favorite parts of the week, well, besides seeing Austin's smiling face.

The first 10 minutes of my first night were extremely awkward. It was like the first day of school when you're trying to profile which kids you want to be friends with. I saw a table with a girl about 10 years old doing math homework. I jumped at that opportunity, because Math is the universal language right?? Uh...not when the kids have to translate from Catalan to Spanish, and then I'm trying to translate from Spanish to English. Yikes! I sat down and asked her if she needed any help. To which she responded, "Como te llamas?" "Colleen." "Queeeeeeeee?" Colleen never goes over well with the Spanish. I asked her what her name was and she said Ashley. Hmmm....ironic. She was doing 6 times tables. Only a week later, she comes into the classroom and gives me a big hug, my little "chica bonita".

When people ask me what I want to do when I "grow up", I say non-profit PR. And I do, I really do. I loved it this summer during my internship, but secretly I know eventually I need to be a teacher. (Aunt Kathy shout out! <3) I could listen to you tell stories about your students forever - how amazing it is to watch a little kid understand something, to see that smile stretch across their face, and to realize that you helped teach them that. Wowza. It doesn't get much better than that.

Besos y Abrazos <3