On the Subject of Turning 21

Hola mis amores!!
Things are still going well in beautiful Madrid…the last few days have been absolutely gorgeous, with 70ish degree weather and sun. You don’t need a coat to go out (of course, this happens immediately after my parents are here). This weekend was pretty low key, I went to see The Devil Wears Prada (El Diablo Viste de Prada) which I had already seen in English, so I enjoyed it in Spanish as well. And then on Sunday, I met Laurie’s boyfriend, Diego, to do a language exchange. He was very, very nice, and we went to VIPS (the infamous VIPS, where Americans apparently go to get a taste of home…you can buy Pepperidge Farm cookies there…and poptarts…mmm…ok, enough) where we mostly spoke Spanish. It was really nice to meet a Spanish person who is closer to my age, and he said that he had a lot of friends who want to meet me and my friends to practice their English. Sunday night, I woke up at least four times, so I was pretty tired when I went to class on Monday. We ended up watching a movie, Viva Cuba, in my language class. It was pretty good, I’d like to watch it again, because the sound in the video room was pretty lousy. It as kind of like a new-age version of Romeo and Juliet…mostly it made me want to visit Cuba. If I were in Spain longer, I think I would go, cause you can go from here (or I’ll just go to Jamaica, from where you can take day trips, haha).
Yesterday was Halloween, which is not a big holiday in Spain. I’m kind of happy about that, because I’ve never been a big Halloween person (haunted houses still make me cry/pee in my pants). So it’s pretty low-key…my mom brought Halloween candy when she came to visit, and I ended up opening it this weekend, so I brought it in the classes on Monday so that I wouldn’t eat both bags of delicious goodness. Some people went to an “American” bar in costumes, where they played beer pong, and then went out afterwards. Seeing as I’m not a big beer pong person (ok, admittedly, I think it’s the most boring game ever, aside from hearts), I went out to a different bar with Molly and her friend Bernadette, and Vanessa, because we don’t have classes, because it’s All Saints Day. We went back to the mojito bar where they give you mojitos in beer mugs for 6€, which really isn’t a bad deal. It was a lot of fun, we ended up meeting and talking to some Spanish people, and Babis was so impressed that I was going out at night. It was really funny, she was really cute, and said that she was so happy that I was going out; we’ve decided that I’m turning into a Spaniard. All Saints Day is a much bigger day here than Halloween, people go to cemeteries to pray for the dead and to clean the graves. I’m always amazed by how much prettier European cemeteries are then American. I suppose that Halloween has given cemeteries such a bad reputation…here it is not a scary place, but a place to pray and to be with loved ones. It’s a much more beautiful concept. They also have special candy that they only have this time of year, huesos de santo and something else that I can’t remember the name. Babis bought me some the other day so that I could try them (the ones that I can’t remember the name of are soooo good…actually they’re all good).
Today, aside from being All Saints Day, is precisely one week from my birthday, and I suppose that that’s what I really wanted to talk about. November 8, 2006, I am turning 21 (tonight, we are going out to a restaurant called “La Vaca Argentina” to celebrate my birthday). I have been considering the consequences of this birthday for a few weeks now…in reality, now that it is a week away, and now that I have had so many other birthdays only to realize that it does not change you as a person, it doesn’t seem like such a big deal. When I got to GW, it was something that we all looked forward to, so that we could really “go out” on weekends. Now that I’m in Europe, and I’ve been “going out” since I got here, it’s not really such a big deal. I’ve found that I’m not really impressed with alcohol (apparently some of you think that I’ve become the stereotypical study-abroader/alcoholic…the truth is that I haven’t been drunk once). I enjoy having a beer with dinner or when I go out to a bar, and I like having the option of trying different drinks, like the one I had with my parents at the hotel, and I suppose I do have to admit that it does make me feel older to be able to drink. But I know that in a week, I will be 21, and I will still be the same Sarah, with the same worries and fears and uncertainties. I feel like I’ve grown up a lot since I’ve been in Spain, well I suppose throughout my whole life, I’ve been growing up…but that has nothing to do with a date or with the fact I have a birthday. It has to do with experiencing life, with working with people, with learning day to day, but more with learning moment to moment. I don’t know if I would call myself mature…I still like being really goofy, and I still like stupid, little kid stuff. I still like little kid shows and movies, and my favorite Christmas CD is still the Muppets. I still stay up all night before Christmas, and I still leave cookies out for “Santa” (no joke). I still make up silly songs and I still like to dance around my house. My pajamas have happy sheep on them, and I miss sleeping with my stuffed bunny while I’m in Spain. The first word that people use to describe me is “cute,” and probably always will be; even if I were to go out in a leather bikini top and go-go boots, people would probably still look at me and say, aww, how cute. I still can’t read a map and I still use my fingers to help me count (but don’t tell my mom that). I prefer bubble baths to showers and I still think that Mr. Bubbles is one of the best bubble baths out there. Obviously, I still get really excited about my birthday.
And yet I’m not a child anymore. I’m interested in the world around me, I know exactly what I want to do after college. I collect shoes instead of dolls, and I when I go back to DC, I’ll work two jobs, just like I did this summer. I study politics and geography and language, and I can discuss them almost like I know what I’m talking about. I am not the picky eater that I was even five years ago – I’ll try almost anything (why just the other day, I licked an octopus…ok, that sounds weird, my dad ordered it while he was here and I tried a very, very small part…ok, I tried a potato that had octopus juice on it). I’ve been to six continents by the time I was 18. I’m realistic about my future…I am not the child that I was before. Until I was 16, I still thought that I would be married by the time that I turned 21. Now I realize that unless my parents arrange a quickie marriage for me, that that will not happen, that I will not be married for a while. I’ve been in love and I’ve had my heart broken…and I’ve gotten over it. I’ve watched my friends make mistakes and helped them through it, and I’ve made mistakes myself. I know that life is more than money and fame; I have learned to enjoy nice things, like going to the Palace Hotel with my parents, without taking them for granted. I know that life will not be easy, but I know how to handle both the bad and the good, and I put my life in God’s hands.
And as I look back on all these things that I’ve learned…I also look back on all the influential people in my life. People who have helped me, people who have changed my point of view, people who have taken care of me and loved me throughout the past 21 years. My parents, obviously, are some of the most influential people in my life. That seems like such a stereotypical thing to say, but as I get older, I realize that I have an outstanding relationship with my parents. I look at some people around me, and I realize how blessed I am to be able to trust my parents and to know that they trust me as well. They have taught me so much, and they are the most important people in my life. My sister, who I miss so much, and who has taught me more than she probably realizes. My grandparents, with whom I have memories that will remain with me forever. I think of my friend Ashley, who’s been one of my best friends for 15 years (she turns 21 exactly one week after me), and Sarah. People in high school referred to us as “the Sarahs,” we are so close. Susie, who has always been there for me, we have helped each other survive mini and real tragedies, helped each other when there was no one else there. Their parents, who are like aunts and uncles to me. I think of Ruth Malone, my 10th grade English teacher who is now a cherished friend, who first taught me grammar and then taught me about life. Mrs. Hagy, who taught me French, and then taught me to love all cultures and languages, and later Mrs. Fineman, without whom I would not be in Spain. And now, in only the last two and a half years, all the people at GW and in DC who have changed my life…Megan, Emily, Diane, Sarah Andy, and all the people at the Newman Center, especially Father Gurnee, who have become some of the people that I can count on for anything. Carrie and Chris, my roommates who taught me things that I probably shouldn’t know (haha), and who I miss living with. Zack, my first friend at GW, and Ethan, who even though I don’t get to see him anymore, still left his mark on how I see life. Kelly, who has forced me to try to understand politics and to stay awake in class. Alex, who stood by me when I needed someone and who has helped me to believe in myself, who has become one of my closest friends in such a short period of time. And all the people that I’ve been fortunate enough to work with during my internships and my jobs…people who taught me to work with a smile on my face and to give everything I have. I have to mention Jackie, if only because I know that she reads my blog (haha), who always makes me laugh, even when work feels like it will never end. And now all the people here in Spain, above all Babis and Emilio, who have adopted me as their American daughter.
I’m sure that this was kind of boring for all of you…but really…I just feel like I owe all of you a thank you. I know that I have not mentioned everyone, but please don’t be offended. If you are reading this, it is probably because you are interested in what I am doing…and I feel like there is a probability that you care about me as well. For this, I thank you for the influence that you have had on my life, for the lessons that you have taught me and learned with me, for the days when I needed you and you were there, and for the times when I could be there for you. I am the person that I am because of you, because of our experiences together, because of your strength that you have lent to me. I will always be grateful for what you have given me, and I hope that you realize how much you mean to me.