Bags packed, I lugged everything that I had accumulated throughout my trip into the hostel lobby. There was my overly stuffed duffle bag, a backpack of similar condition, my skateboard, and even a Spanish hat that I bought outside a bull fight. As I began my trek to the Heathrow airport early Tuesday morning, it was 6am (midnight in Iowa). The hostel office still hadn't opened, so I tossed my keys in the early returns slot and began to wrestle with my bags again.
When I finally managed to get both of the bags up on my shoulders and board in hand, I was approached by an unknown man who appeared to me to be eastern European. He asked a question about the whereabouts of something I wasn't familiar with, but I noticed that he was Spanish by his accent so I asked, "Hablas espanol?"
The man's eyes widen in excitement. "Si."
Since I had left Spain four days before, I had began to miss being able to use my Spanish in everyday conversation. He offered me a cigarette and instead of saying no, I accepted for the opportunity of a conversation (Sorry Ma). I don't normally smoke, but the Spanish smoke like chimneys and joining in on an occasional cigarette was the perfect place to practice my conversational Spanish. Also, I was a little stressed about the upcoming 15 hours of travel and thought that maybe a quick smoke might relieve some stress.
We shared a little bit about ourselves and what we were both doing in London as we stood upon the hostel rooftop smoking area. Javier Tome was his name and he was an Amway business owner trying to expand his business in the UK. He had clients in Spain, but knew the best way to make more money was to expand his clientele.
I told him about my month in Madrid and four days in London and a little bit about my life back in America.
After our smokes went out, he asked me if I wanted to grab a coffee at the cafe down below the hostel and I said, "Claro que si"(of course). Again, I don't drink much coffee, but I decided I'd extend this unlikely last opportunity to speak Spanish. Also, I figured I could use a little caffeine to get me going since my day was to be the longest day of my life (30 hours in total).
It was during the time in the cafe that Javier Tome inspired me in a way unlike anyone has before. He asked me what my dreams were, and I told him about my aspirations of becoming an author, creative writer, or travel writer. I told him a little bit about this blog, and he asked for the link. As I wrote the link down on a small sliver of paper, he told me that he believed one day he would read a book written by me.
Why does this guy believe in me more than I believe in myself sometimes? - I thought.
He continued on about how I needed to dream big, go for my goals, and enjoy my life as he looked at the link I had written down. He said that I was the luckiest person in the world. I was given the trip of a lifetime and all of the inspirations to write that I would ever need. And he was right.
He told me that he had always dreamed of living in America and that the opportunities that I had were endless. I thought it seemed a little cliche, but in a way, I knew he was right again.
We parted ways after exchanging email addresses and I was back to struggling with my luggage. I finally got onto the metro at around 7:30 (1:30am in Iowa). The metro ride was supposed to take an hour out to the airport, so I found a seat, put in my headphones, and began reflecting on my experiences abroad.
Throughout my time abroad, I have learned a lot about culture, life, and even a significant amount about myself. It was this man's belief in me that gave me confidence that I would be able to return home and apply the lessons I have learned abroad back into my normal daily life. It was this man's belief that has inspired me to continue working on some of my writing with the dreams of one day publishing it.
I left London at noon and after a nine hour flight, I landed in Chicago at 3pm (time travel isn't as cool as in the movies). These six hours of time difference are what made this day the longest day of my life, but the random encounter with Javier left me in a mindset that differed with any I had had before. Put simply, it was a long, tiring day, but one I will never forget.
Since getting back to America, I have played basketball in the park, celebrated a good friend's 21st birthday at Spoco, and even gotten back on my bicycle and gone out on a bike ride with friends (Claro). I'm back pretty much like I never left, and life is easy again. I won't have to ask people for directions or think twice about what language I am speaking in, but I will be living life at home differently than I did before.
I'd like to thank my study abroad program (Accent International) for their fantastic accommodations in Madrid, all of the friends and new friends that made my time abroad better than I could have ever imagined, and lastly, my parents, for this incredible experience that I will forever be grateful for.
As always, thanks for reading,
RCE
When I finally managed to get both of the bags up on my shoulders and board in hand, I was approached by an unknown man who appeared to me to be eastern European. He asked a question about the whereabouts of something I wasn't familiar with, but I noticed that he was Spanish by his accent so I asked, "Hablas espanol?"
The man's eyes widen in excitement. "Si."
Since I had left Spain four days before, I had began to miss being able to use my Spanish in everyday conversation. He offered me a cigarette and instead of saying no, I accepted for the opportunity of a conversation (Sorry Ma). I don't normally smoke, but the Spanish smoke like chimneys and joining in on an occasional cigarette was the perfect place to practice my conversational Spanish. Also, I was a little stressed about the upcoming 15 hours of travel and thought that maybe a quick smoke might relieve some stress.
We shared a little bit about ourselves and what we were both doing in London as we stood upon the hostel rooftop smoking area. Javier Tome was his name and he was an Amway business owner trying to expand his business in the UK. He had clients in Spain, but knew the best way to make more money was to expand his clientele.
I told him about my month in Madrid and four days in London and a little bit about my life back in America.
After our smokes went out, he asked me if I wanted to grab a coffee at the cafe down below the hostel and I said, "Claro que si"(of course). Again, I don't drink much coffee, but I decided I'd extend this unlikely last opportunity to speak Spanish. Also, I figured I could use a little caffeine to get me going since my day was to be the longest day of my life (30 hours in total).
It was during the time in the cafe that Javier Tome inspired me in a way unlike anyone has before. He asked me what my dreams were, and I told him about my aspirations of becoming an author, creative writer, or travel writer. I told him a little bit about this blog, and he asked for the link. As I wrote the link down on a small sliver of paper, he told me that he believed one day he would read a book written by me.
Why does this guy believe in me more than I believe in myself sometimes? - I thought.
He continued on about how I needed to dream big, go for my goals, and enjoy my life as he looked at the link I had written down. He said that I was the luckiest person in the world. I was given the trip of a lifetime and all of the inspirations to write that I would ever need. And he was right.
He told me that he had always dreamed of living in America and that the opportunities that I had were endless. I thought it seemed a little cliche, but in a way, I knew he was right again.
We parted ways after exchanging email addresses and I was back to struggling with my luggage. I finally got onto the metro at around 7:30 (1:30am in Iowa). The metro ride was supposed to take an hour out to the airport, so I found a seat, put in my headphones, and began reflecting on my experiences abroad.
Throughout my time abroad, I have learned a lot about culture, life, and even a significant amount about myself. It was this man's belief in me that gave me confidence that I would be able to return home and apply the lessons I have learned abroad back into my normal daily life. It was this man's belief that has inspired me to continue working on some of my writing with the dreams of one day publishing it.
I left London at noon and after a nine hour flight, I landed in Chicago at 3pm (time travel isn't as cool as in the movies). These six hours of time difference are what made this day the longest day of my life, but the random encounter with Javier left me in a mindset that differed with any I had had before. Put simply, it was a long, tiring day, but one I will never forget.
Since getting back to America, I have played basketball in the park, celebrated a good friend's 21st birthday at Spoco, and even gotten back on my bicycle and gone out on a bike ride with friends (Claro). I'm back pretty much like I never left, and life is easy again. I won't have to ask people for directions or think twice about what language I am speaking in, but I will be living life at home differently than I did before.
I'd like to thank my study abroad program (Accent International) for their fantastic accommodations in Madrid, all of the friends and new friends that made my time abroad better than I could have ever imagined, and lastly, my parents, for this incredible experience that I will forever be grateful for.
As always, thanks for reading,
RCE
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