Books :)

Hello Everyone,

I am here at my apt and just chillin. I am taking it easy because I think that I might be getting sick again. I have to teach tommorow for a couple of hours so I wanna make sure I am good to go.

The kiosk at my job just got good novels in English. I am so happy. I still can´t read novels in Spanish without stumbling over the first few pages. So I still like to escape in a good book in English.

Over the summer I bought and read The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown. (That man is a genius and I wanna read all his books.) That book was off the hook. I couldn´t put it down.  Today at work I bought " The Shadow of the Wind" by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. This book is an international best seller. When I am on the metro, I always see people either reading The DaVinci Code or The Shadow of the Wind.

The author was born in Barcelona and now lives in LA. The novel takes place in Barcelona after the Spanish Civil War. It is so neat to read because I don´t really have to imagine what the center of Barcelona looks like(where the story takes place.) I already know, and I can follow the plot better. With the Da Vinci Code, I had to imagine the settings and museums because I have never been to Paris. But I do have to say that book inspires me to visit La Louvre.

What is happening to me??? I never used to read books. I was into my trashy girly magazines like Cosmo and Teen. Now I am hungry for books. I am also itching to go to the 2nd hand English book shop here in town. Since when did I feel this way? Does this mean that I am getting smarter ? Haha.

Traveling really does open your mind awaken your desire to learn about the world. Although I may miss home from time to time, my desire to learn new languages, cultures and how to interact with others is only getting stronger. I am also realizing the things that I took for granted back in the states.

There is so much to see in other countries, and of course I can´t see and experience it all. But at least by coming here and spending time away from home I know that there is so much to see and learn. The US is very multicultural, but I do believe that we are sheltered as a whole. The media controls the images we get to see, and I feel that we as Americans in GENERAL don´t really know what´s going on outside US borders. I also think that we are spoiled and have many things at our disposal. As a result, we are comfortable with our surroundings and don´t feel the need to go outside of our comfort zone. At least, that was the case with me before I came here to Spain.

I don´t feel like I am learning anything in depth just yet. I feel like I am still getting to know what´s out here. That doesn´t mean that I have been sitting on my duff and doing nothing. Quite the contrary. It just means that there is so much to see outside the US that I am still getting used to it all.

Anyways, better go now.