February 17, 2011

Today I started out thinking that the only place that I wanted to be was at home on my couch (the most comfortable couch in the entire world), watching TV with my amazing Mom making me homemade soup and grilled cheese. Also, a never ending supply of freezies would be by my side.

I'm sick with a horrible cold. I haven't gone to school for the past two days and have canceled all of my private lessons. Calling in sick is not like me, but I have no voice, I can't process any information from my head that feels like the size of two basketballs, I have a kleenex attached to my hand at all times, and absolutely no energy. This is all even more crappy seeing as one of those days was my birthday.

Anyways, I have camped out on our couch in the living room doing extremely useful things. Yesterday I planned out our upcoming trip and desert adventure to Morocco. Today, well, I hate to admit it but I became a Glee fan and watched more episodes online than is healthy for a human in one day. I also ordered a pizza to be delivered to my Mom's house with "Happy Birthday" written in pepperonis for her birthday today. Like I said, very productive day.

Being sick abroad is horrible. The combination of figuring out foreign medicines and yearning to be at home can not be fun. Luckily, after being here for 5 months I feel extremely at home. However I would still trade in these sofas and my left arm for my couch at home.

For me, the worst part about being sick abroad is that you feel like you aren't taking advantage of the day. I can barely look at sunlight without getting a migraine right now but the fact that I'm not out, talking with Spaniards, taking in the sea, going for a run, teaching my kids and that I'm missing out on conversations and sights drives me insane. I hate the feeling of missing out. I want to make the most of each day I have here. Really live it. I have recently realized I will be home so soon and the thought of me not taking advantage of being here the last two days has killed me.

Anyways, this isn't me just whining. After my long, hard day of accomplishing nothing I made my way to the little convenient store down the street, Opencor, for Kleenexes, meds, juice and the ingredients for a grilled cheese. These people know us very well and at this point they must think I always wear the hat that I throw on in my attempt to put myself together when I need a late night box of popcorn or Coke. As I walked home from my one short journey outside of our piso today I had my February 17, 2011 moment.

The moon.

The moon here tonight is indescribable. I saw a bright light peeping from behind a building and as I tilted my head to the right juuuust enough, I saw it. It isn't yellow here. Tonight the moon is a bright, translucent and purest of pure white. Absolutely stunning. When I got home I instantly walked to our patio to check it out over the water and somehow it got more beautiful from the moment I almost fell down leaning over in the street with my Opencor bag of sick goodies in hand. The clouds are moving fast over the sea tonight as well and as they pass over it, the bright white light shining from the moon turns into an abalone cascade. It's so beautiful. I know that my words can't describe it...as previously stated in my paragraph topic sentence.

Everyday is a day to find something beautiful. I need to remember this whether I'm forcing myself to be camped out as a sick couch vegetable trying to relax for once to get better or if I'm working a full, long day. I need to find something so beautiful I can't describe it. It's an important thing to always do I think. I hope I never stop doing that.

That's all for me today. Maybe this will be interesting to read tomorrow when my Nyquil haze is gone. Time to go back to accomplishing nothing and wishing for the day I can breathe out of my nose and mouth again...

Kenz

The Accordion Man

We have an accordion man. He plays for the people sitting in the cafés on the boardwalk underneath our flat and the restaurants across our street. However, it's amazing because he pretty much plays whenever I lie down on our couch and open up our sliding glass door to take an afternoon siesta. Oh yes, I can't forget that he begins a tune when we try to sleep in on Saturday and Sunday mornings.

I used to really despise him because he seems to have some sort of telepathy to pick up his accordion from the rolling cart he pulls behind him whenever I finally sit down to relax and listen to the waves outside. But we've made peace. When else am I going to have a happy, Spanish accordion man playing me random songs next to the Mediterranean? Yup, never.

I could stand on our patio or sit in our open living room all day looking at the Mediterranean, taking in the sea air while I look at the boardwalk and water. I love the smell of fresh sea air, and when the pizzeria beneath us is open the smell is always mixed with a bit of woodfire, authentic Italian pizza that wofts up to us. I normally  don't like this because it makes me want to sprint down and order one. 

Little kids run back and forth to the beach as their parents drink coffee and wine at the little cafés, the accordion man bumbles from audience to audience, Spaniards walk at a pace so slow that it doesn't qualify as a stroll, and dogs run so freely and happily on the sand. Watching dogs sprint across the sand and dodge in and out of the incoming tide is one of my most favorite things to do. Their tails can't wag fast enough and their feeling of freedom is palpable and transmissable. The moment their owners let them off their leashes they are just so incredibly happy. Man, I need a dog.

So anyways, here's a video of a typical afternoon view of our backyard everyday. Courtney has a digital camera that can shoot video -- not the best but better than nothing! The quality is better than the still frame though, I promise.

Until later,

Kenzie