Woooooo, Spring Break!!!!

I had an incredible time in Spain!
Anyone reading this probably knows that I was studying there last semester. By the end of my time there in the fall, I have to admit that I was sick of Madrid. I was ready to leave yet nostalgic about my friends and my time spent there. Ready to leave though. Being at home and in the city over winter break, I didn't miss Madrid one bit because I was so overwhelmed with seeing old/new friends, spending enough time with the family, and just appreciating how good I've got it in the U.S.
Then I got to Prague. Immediately I longed for a culture in which I felt comfortable, let alone had the ability to communicate. I felt VERY lost. This was the reality check that made me realize how lucky I had been in Madrid. Generally Madrid is warmer culturally, and it of course makes a huge difference knowing the language. I have come to love Prague's atmosphere and can get around with my Czech, but going back to Spain for our spring break was exactly what I needed to keep my spirits up through the end of this hectic semester.
Starting in Barcelona, I was with my friends from the Prague program. We rented an apartment actually, which I was incredibly skeptical about and had nothing to do with planning. In the end, it was the best part about our stay there. No strangers sleeping next to you in a hostel (which I'm not knocking, of course), and it felt more like "home". Throughout the trip, I didn't feel pressured to do "touristy" things (having already done them before), so again I felt very much at home. We hit up the Gaudi spots and the beach (a very cold and windy, yet sunny beach), and otherwise just hung around, walked a lot. Oh and the paella! Very delicious paella was eaten our last night there.
We split for a few days while I went to Madrid and they went to Mallorca. In Madrid, I was glad to be alone; I knew that with friends not familiar with the city in tow I honestly wouldn't have had as amazing a time. My good friend Susan is studying in Madrid right now, so I spent most of my time with her. I went back to every old hang-out that I could and Susan showed me some new places in just 4 days, and even though I did a lot and slept very little, I couldn't have been happier doing it. I ate at my favorite two restaurants, walked my favorite path through the city, even being in certain metro stops made me nostalgic. And, no I am not ashamed to say, I drank an obscene amount of Starbucks (did I mention the lack of it here???). With the exception of missing my friends from Madrid in the NYU program, I felt right at home.

"Going back" seems generally to be a favorite activity of mine. Returning home after a month or four away is one of the greatest feelings of relief I've ever known. Returning to the place that I spent those months can be even better. People say that they want to go everywhere once; I want to go everywhere twice, at least. The other important point, which as you can see I can't stress enough, is that as I've traveled more and more, I've come to feel like there is a place for me anywhere. I feel like it would be liberating (not mention, beneficial politically, environmentally, etc.) for everyone to feel at home on earth, rather than in one room of one building in one city. Expanding my horizons has expanded the walls of my home. Why build walls at all? It's really thrilling to live knowing that, for now, the sky's the limit.