Catalunya Christmas: Life's Reflections While Sittin' On The Beach

Barcelona and the beach of life

La Sagrada Familia

Right now, I'm sittin' in the lounge of my hostel (best one I've stayed in so far) while its raining in the city of Barcelona. It's been a real nice experience to finally leave work for a couple of weeks to relax and finally see other cities in Spain, breaking the routine of teaching. The long train rides were very relaxing in themselves, as I had time to read, listen to music and think about things. I already knew coming in that Barcelona is a real touristy city. However, the negative annotation went away once I got to my hostel, met a bunch of people and hit the town with some of them. I knew at that point I wasn't really alone in the city. Many others were stopping by to see the city either alone or in groups, taking advantage of the holiday season to see the world.

Playing cards with some Parisians

I really haven't made any friends in the town that I'm living in, and I still do feel like an outsider in one of the schools that I work for, but the feeling of solitude left when I met other travelers in the hostel in Barcelona. Many of them were from Asia (mostly Hong Kong and Japan), but other Europeans were staying here as well. It was real cool making connections, learning about other cultures, sharing laughs and cultivating new experiences in my life. We even all shared a Christmas Eve dinner, chatted and shared things about our lives. In general, I learned that we are the same even though we live in different parts of the world. Traveling makes you value people and your life in general.

Barcelona Beach

Even though I hung out with many people and checking out the sights and sounds of the city, I had to take time for myself. Going off to the beach and the park were the prime spots that I took advantage of. Hitting up the park and admiring the architecture and nature of the area was a real treat away from the city. However, I took a lot of time to think about things on the beach. After being asked for
massages repeatedly by old Asian women, I sat on the shore looking out into the sea, thinking about life, eternity, friends and family. I thought to myself "just live life, things can wait". I already came to the realization that I am a worrisome person, full of anxiety and denial. However, being on the beach made me realize that I should take time for myself and see the beauty in the little things of life and not worry about tomorrow or the future. At 26 years old and in Europe, why not? This is it. This is my eternity. Even though its the holidays and I miss my family and my friends, all this has been a real awakening for me. I wouldn't have learned about myself at all if I stayed in the states. I think its a great present to myself.

Merry Christmas

 Sound clip below inspired this post.