The highs and lows you experience while living abroad are magnified in ways you may not experience as often in your hometown. The intensity of life becomes greater, and you begin to have days where you can’t imagine life 5 days down the road. While I’ve had plenty of great days – many more than mediocre or horrible days – I have also experienced days that made me question everything. As evidenced in my last post, I experienced some difficult times last week. A combination of a new work placement and a failed travel attempt ended with an indescribable feeling that lasted for a few days.

Jackets optional, in Retiro Park (Madrid)

For better or for worse, the sense of urgency I previously felt has led to two more trips booked within 24 hours of each other. As a result of this spontaneity, next weekend I will be visiting Valencia to experience Las Fallas with a close fellow-North-American-turned-Madrileña friend, eludingennui (pictured with me above), and our lovely mutual friend. In the midst of my upcoming Easter week travel plans to Barcelona and Paris, I’ve had barely any time to think this trip through other than booking the necessities – the hostel and the bus trip – but the excitement is all that I needed. Luckily, we’ve also managed to confirm a trip to Palma (de Mallorca) for a couple months down the line.

Now that I’ve also been here in Madrid for 6 months, thoughts about the future and plans have most definitely started to consume my thoughts. Questions about whether or not I will choose to come back, go somewhere else, or go home have started to flood in. The truth is, I don’t know where I will be in 4 months, let alone 6 months from now. The options are endless, but much like life in Madrid, the decisions may have to be more last minute than I may have intended them to be. Having experienced some unpredictable times in the past, this may very well be the most unpredictable time of my life. Being 23 has been nothing short of dramatic, interesting, lively, and also very difficult to compare to. There’s no telling where time will take me.

One thing’s sure, though: it’s almost spring, and with spring, summer’s not too far behind. Stay tuned!