As my 25th birthday quickly approached I found myself surrounded by new friends staring into a camp fire. As I watched the flames dance over the embers, proving warmth in the cold mountain air, I felt blessed. As a 24 year old I had been on the move. My 24th birthday had found me surrounded once again by family and friends from all walks of life. As I celebrated my homecoming and said hello to old friends I feared the next step. I was in the midst of preparation for Spain, but my heart was not there. My heart was home.
Leaving for Spain was never a decision I came to regret. Spain became my doorway to a new self-discovery and new friends. It was a good year. In the past year I lost my thirst to see the world, speak in foreign languages, the thirst to explore. And as I was ready to call it quits, life sent me a reminder of why I chose the life I have. Through strangers that set my soul alight in Amsterdam, to musicians that sang about life on the road in Frankfurt I learned once more what it feels like to love your life with every ounce of your being.
So here I am on a rock, water cascading down rocks all around me drowning out the incessant sounds of daily life. Glancing around I see only trees, water, and feel the warm embrace of the Pyrenees that surround me.
My first week here the mountains were surrounded in mist. They were softly rounded, unlike the jagged Rocky Mountain peaks. Trees blanketed every mountain, giving them a soft, gentle appearance. Then about a week in to camp I headed to my ESL class letting my eyes wander over the beauty. This morning was different. The mist had lifted to reveal snow-topped rocky peaks in the distance. I stood silent for a moment, taking in the overwhelming beauty of the sight, all the while marveling at my luck to live and work here amongst this splendor.
In the Pyrenees campsite I am working with younger kids that bring with them different challenges. At a lower English level you being to speak an interesting pidgin sign-language, and any joke that escapes your lips is purely for your own enjoyment. I met 5 kids in Bordeaux to escort them to camp. To this day I am not sure when I became responsible and grown-up enough to escort the children of strangers around a foreign country. But it happened.
Unlike the freshman, there is little thought of rebellion but their independence has yet to sprout and I find myself struggling to encourage them to formulate their own sentences rather than simply copying all that I do.
Though I’ve enjoyed the challenge if earning their love and respect it is the days off that monopolize my thoughts.
My last day off I was in Bordeaux. Having once again returned the campers safely to their families I was given a free night in a hotel. (love this job!)The next day was spent taking my companion on an impromptu tour of my last few years. I spotted once more the familiar signs of the Camino de Santiago and let it guide us through Bordeaux. We wandered through markets where you can find just about anything you’d like and wandered into supermarkets where I heard the familiar rhythm of Beninese French and found a fruit from Benin that I never thought I’d taste again. The un-grafted mango is a stringy, juicier, sweeter version of its grafted counterpart that you find in the stores. It grows everywhere in Benin but has a very short shelf life. Yet like a mirage there it was in Bordeaux. I bought one and we savored the familiar flavor as our feet dangled over the Garrone River in Toulouse.
La Garonne, Toulouse
It was a magical day that trapped me in the clutches of nostalgia but offered me a great chance to reflect. As my 25th year of life drew to a close and life tumbled on like the river flowing unceasingly around me I couldn’t help but be grateful for the year I have had.
I thought back to my visit to the palm reader in Fort Collins many years ago. He had read on the lines of my palm that I would meet “the one” when I was 24. And did I meet this mysterious one? Who knows. I’ve certainly met a lot of people who have left an impact on my life, helped me to appreciate the world and myself a little more. I have fallen in love countless times in the last 12 months; with Colorado, Spain, France, friends both new and old. This past year has brought me home from Benin and carried me off to Spain. I arrived barely able to order a beer and left being able to pass the night chatting with friends over beers. A country I felt very little affection for has become a true love in my life. This year has also brought me to France, where I have always dreamed of living. This last month in the Pyrenees, visiting quaint French towns tucked away in the folds of the mountains, partaking in French wine and cheese with the locals, losing myself in the gentle rhythm of the language, my love has grown stronger than ever.
So as I begin my 26th year, I look forward to my upcoming year in southern France and onward to the unclear future that lies just beyond the river bend. As I spend one last day in Madrid before returning to the States for a quick vacation I am filled with the familiar nerves that come with leaving the familiar for the unfamiliar. But life has shown me time and time again that the unfamiliar is not bad, just unknown. Every time I have taken a familiar leap it has brought me good things. When was the last time you took the leap? With that notion I leave you. And I will see you all soon.
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