Going Gone

BToday is Tuesday and at this very moment I am sitting in the back seat of a coasting ALSA bus as it paces towards the city of Alicante. This marks the first offical day of a two week winter vacation for the vast majority of schools in Spain. Until sometime last week my plans for the holidays were loosely patched together and filled with blank spots that stood out like holes along an old road. Most english teachers have elected to leave Murcia for at least a portion of the holiday and starting with this short bus ride I will be following a similar trend.

After getting in touch with some close friends I finalized a series of accomdation situations and booked a one way plane that is due to leave from Alicante in less than four hours. It's destination will be Manchester, United Kingdom and the purpose of this trip will be to reconnect with two really great guys who I last saw two years ago in South America. Nick and John both go to school in Manchester and it will be truly great to see those guys.

From Manchester Nick and I will celebrate Christmas (if I'm still invited) with his family in Liverpool then a few days later drive with his mom to Blegium. From Belgium I plan on taking either a BlaBla car or any form of public transit to make my way to Cologne, Germany to see two other good friends who were also last seen two years ago in Ecuador. Thilak and Alex have offered to show me around their city and since its been so long it felt like a good idea to take advantage of the vacation to see them too. 

Lastly from Cologne I will find some form of transport to take me to Paris to celebrate New Years with geat person named Gabriela and her friends. She and I haven't seen one another since meeting for the first time last year with the help of Couchsurfing. A few other people, Fanny and Alice, live in the city as well and we haven't seen each other in almost six years.

From Paris the final plan is still unclear but either way I will need to make way towards Murcia because the vacation will be drawing to a close.

Writing the final words to this post I feel nothing but excitement to see these people and feel even more blessed to have them as friends. Over the years it could have been very simple to lose contact but by equal efforts from each person's part these reunions are about to take place. The maintaining of friendships like these are some of the greatest gifts anyone can ask for and it's becoming difficult to maintain composure simply thinking about seeing these people again. 

As this bus nears its destination I can physically see that an airport is coming into sight. The wide and tall glass terminal of the large Alicante airport can be literally seen from outside the back window of where I'm seated. Witnessing all of these concrete events unfolding doesn't change how the internal semi disbelief and excitement are starting to drive my consciousness. Mentally, despite what is really happening, I have no idea where this bus is going. 

All know is I'm gone. 

I hope that whoever reads this has a very wonderful holiday season and a great start to 2015. Wherever or whoever you are I truly wish the best for you and hope that you can celebrate this time of year with those who are most important.  Have a great day and enjoy each moment, you are beautiful :)

Cheers.

Under the Ficus Trees

Today is Wednesday and despite being mid December the weather in Murcia is surprisingly warm. Based on my limited experience of understanding climate patterns for this part of the world it has been worthwhile to always pack an extra layer because temperatures have been known to go through daily identity crises'. At 9am the sun will leave you shedding layers however by 3pm you will want to run towards any enclosed building to escape the chills of incoming wind. This being said I have packed a light jacket in preparation for the potential bombardment of invading shivers.

It's been a few weeks since posting in this blog and for that I apologize. Between preparing Christmas presentations for class and hopping into BlaBla cars on weekends, time between my last posting and the current one has entered a tunnel of evaporating velocity. Last weekend my friend Lieven and I spent a few days in a rain soaked Madrid to stay with an Argentinian Couchsurfing friend. During our short yet condensed trip we hopped a morning bus to wander around the medieval gem also known as Toledo. This small yet beautiful city is a blending of Jewish, Christian & Arabic cultures and picturesque rolling green hills can be seen from all corners of its sturdy castle walls. We connected with Jesús, a really nice guy from Bolivia, and he showed us the highlights of Toledo which for me was the Alcázar, a looming symbol of the Spanish Civil War. Jesús and his family knew Lieven through Couchsurfing and we shared a delicious Vegan inspired dinner as they reconnected for the first time in years. While back in Madrid we took a day long personal walking tour through Parque del Retiro, Puerto del Sol, then ended with free entries into the museums El Prado and La Reina Victoria. The Spanish capital city is a massive yet magical place to visit and thanks to the fantastic metro system it's fairly easy to navigate. Thanks to Couchsurfing we were able to see this part of Spain on a shoestring budget and for that I am very thankful.

At this exact moment I am taking a seat on a faded brown park bench watching scores of casually paced walkers crossing in various directions in El Jardín de Floridablanca. Taking a seat only minutes ago there has already been a steady progression of pedestrians continuing the rhythm of their daily pattern and watching them go by is quite peaceful. Some are dressed in fancy business attire, others have their backpacks hanging loose on their shoulders, others are prepping for a jog and striding with seemingly un-natural leg motions.

With my cell phone on airplane mode the past few minutes of complete disconnection from the realm of electronic social clouds ignites calming internal streams that are rooting around me like those of the massive ficus trees that line the park's central stone passageway. Built in the 19th century and occupying a large rectangle shaped territory within Murcia's El Carmen neighborhood, El Jardín de Floridablanca is easily my favorite place to relax in the city. Separated by El Rio Segura (the river that dissects the city) from the hustle of downtown Murcia this meeting point for locals is still close enough to feel a heartbeat away from its pulsing energy.

Besides the great people watching this sanctuary is nice because under the spreading fingers of ficus branches I am completely shielded from the sun. The benches that form a synchronized stitching pattern along the lining of the park's main walkway are also surprisingly comfortable. Along the oposite entryway of the park scores of children can be seen playing in confusingly shaped structures with their parents looking onward in casual fashion.

A slight breeze sends scores of ficus leaves skidding towards an Eastern sprawl along the pavement. Somewhere motors from cars can be heard buzzing in accordance to stop lights.

Besides the rays of tall standing sunshine another important thing is being shielded by the ballooning green vegetation of the ficus trees: My identity. Sitting on this park bench there exists a temporary and necessary internal oasis. No one in this park knows who I am, why I'm in Spain, and what path in life I have chosen. However it's also impossible to guess who the unknown park explorers are either. Maybe the person that just crossed my path is studying to become a lawyer. The woman on her cell phone might be a local television personality or maybe a criminal seeking refuge from pursuing authorites. No matter our life stories and the countless decisions we have made to reach this precise moment in life, everything has been left on the outside sidewalk as we now share at least one visible mutual interest: this park and its soft falling ficus leaves.

Once we leave the protection of it's steal fences & non-attention grabbing monuments to people I've never heard of we will return to everything that we used to know.

As two legged human beings start to look more like waving dots along pathway its my cue to leave and continue to whatever it was I was doing.

Maybe the unknown park walkers will see me sitting on that same bench again one day in the future. Maybe they won't.

At least we will always have the ficus trees.

It's time to put on my jacket.