Well, I'm back. After a great two weeks in the states and a really rough morning in preparation to leave, it is 9 am in Madrid and 2 am in Chicago. I didn't sleep on the plane, even though I shared a row of 4 seats with one other guy. I was able to relax, but not to get any actual sleep.
I did manage to get a lot of work done on my sweater I'm making. I had the back almost done but put it in my checked baggage because I didn't want to have to take scissors which would be necessary for the final parts of the shoulders involving fastening off and rejoining the yarn. So, I worked on the front instead. I got basically two-thirds of the way done. I'd like to finish it soon, to see if I'd like to make another for gifts etc. The first sweater I ever made turned out to be a bit of a disaster (the yarn was really gross, in retrospect, which didn't help with the sweater0. I've also discovered how to make center pull yarn balls which are great for flying since my yarn basically stays put.
I also listened to a couple of podcasts on the flight and started a movie on my computer when they started the second movie on the plane. Normally, the second movie on Iberia flights is awful (usually gross nature documentaries with sharks tearing each other apart), but today it was Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II. Which I had not yet seen since they only showed it in the dubbed theatres here. So it was an okay flight. I actually wasn't feeling too exhausted 'til I sat down now. Fortunately, my flight is about an hour and a half earlier than normal, cutting my normal 4+ hour layover to less than 2 (especially since our flight landed late today). Unfortunately, I will almost certainly miss the bus from Bilbao to Donostia immediately after my flight - unless a miracle occurs, which I'm not counting on. If I miss it, I'll just hang out at the cafe in the airport 'til the next one comes an hour later.
I was sort of smug before leaving about how brave I would be about coming back this time. That was, apparently, a huge lie. I was a big baby. For the past few days I've been weepy on and off at the thought of coming back. Then yesterday, I started in giant baby mode for real. Today, all bets were off. I woke up crying and basically didn't stop until I was boarding my plane. This is a small exaggeration, but only a small one. Here are the facts, though: I love my husband. I love living in the same place as him. Living an ocean apart doesn't get easier. It gets harder. I am mostly okay and not weepy about it, but it doesn't make it easier. I know it's temporary and some day I will be living in the same house (or at least on the same continent) as him. But. This will happen much more quickly if I get a job on the terrible, horrible, no-good, very-bad academic market this year. About half of my applications are in, with the rest on my agenda for this week. I'm starting to feel like I MUST, MUST get a job this year. Therefore, I need all of the prayers, thoughts, rain dances, good vibes sending possible for the next few months. I have a trip to the US booked in March, and I'm hoping and praying that I have an interview or two to attend then. I would love to come back to walk at graduation next June and be able to stay home. Or at least not come back to Spain. So, whenever you have a few minutes, good thoughts and prayers are greatly, greatly, greatly appreciated.
On the plus side of coming back, I've had more Hilarious Interactions with Americans. The most recent one occurring on the train today between terminals in the airport. This marks the second consecutive time I've been in the Madrid airport and had both my Spanish and English skills complimented within 5 minutes of each other. After giving them directions, the American family behind me commented that my English was "almost perfect!" I wonder if the "almost" was due to jet lag on either of our parts.
No comments:
Post a Comment