most recent travels

my most recent travels took me back to a familiar place...Spain. however, while the location was familiar, the experience was completely unique, and I actually feel completely differently towards the country now than I do when I left. the first time I was in Spain, I was extremely inwardly focused - people generally study abroad for reasons that at their very best are still self-serving. it was all about what I could gain from the experience...how cultured I would become...the opportunities that I would have, and as a result I missed so much of the richness that had nothing to do with me. I went not with an attitude of how I could leave Spain a better place but with how Spain could leave me a better place. But you see, I am not a place, and while Spain did drastically influence my life, there is no direct discourse between a space and a person without interaction with other humans (at least in my opinion). A place can move you...a place can be burned into your mind in a way that you will never forget...but the way the place makes you feel is often connected to the memories tied to it, and most memories are created with people. During my first four months in Spain, I became close with very few Spaniards. On my return, there was a very short list of people I wanted to see. This saddened me. When I went to Uruguay last year, there were so many people that I wanted to see that I didn't even have time to see them all.

This trip to Spain was entirely different. I went with a heart to serve and to connect with people. WOWE. I am so in love with Spain. A country that I was honestly relatively indifferent towards before this trip. I feel like my life was changed more in a week than it was in four months of living there because of one factor: PEOPLE. The way that I will travel in the future is now totally different. I would rather go to a foreign country and stay in one coffee shop the entire time than to see every nook and cranny of the place if it meant relationships would be the result. It's not about me. It's about others.

The difference between these photos and previous Spain photos is faces. Enjoy.