Champagne Tales

Normally this blog is devoted to my travels. I don't think me traveling to Oxford, Ohio has quite the same affect and excitement as traveling to Europe. So instead of this being "From My Travel Eyes to Your Soul," I will call this post simply, "From My Heart to your Soul..." A snippet of what my crazy head is thinking. Enjoy. I know in my heart that I will never regret this decision. I know that after of hours of thought, prayer, and conversation, that this is the right decision. I am forever changed from my summer abroad in Spain. I forever hold in my heart the new things that I learned about myself. I learned who Kelly Dawes Smith was as the non-ice skater. I loved discovering who that girl is. I loved figuring out what my dreams and goals are in life. Many days I sat on the beach, usually with an awesome boy named Brandon by my side, who just listened to me talk and asked me questions about almost everything in life. I have so much more I want to offer the w...

I sit here in quiet Barrington after being home for just over a week. Reverse culture shock is just the beginning of my emotions. It's crazy how quickly you can adapt to a new part of the world, a new culture, lifestyle, friends, food, language. So I sit here in my quiet house trying to make sense of the biggest question people keep asking me, "What next?" "What is life's next adventure?" For once in my life I am not sure. I know I will take the knowledge and beauty I learned this summer and see that forever change my life. But what is next for Kelly? Who knows. It doesn't mean I'm not planning or dreaming because let's face it, when do I ever stop dreaming of adventure? But more than anything now, I feel extremely blessed for this summer I had to travel and see the world. To have my eyes fully opened for the first time. This is a chapter of my life that I am sad to leave behind but I know that Spain will always be a part of my heart. So it is wi...

I can't believe that in less than 12 hours I will be leaving Barcelona to travel home to Chicago. I simply can not believe that somehow 70 days have passed since I have last stepped foot U.S. soil. I can not believe how much I have learned this summer. I can not believe how much I have grown as a person. I can not believe this part of my journey in life is coming to an end. I can't believe it and I don't want to believe it. I do believe that I will never be the same person after this summer. I will forever have a different output on life with how I see the world and how I interact with people. I do believe that this was the most incredible summer and trip of my life. I embraced every moment and opportunity and opened up my heart for it to change: and it did change. I don't cry very much in life but know that when my taxi picks me up at 6:45 AM from my apartment that tears will be pouring down my face. Even as I travel on my 3 planes to head home, or sit in the Frankfurt...

I did my body a huge favor today: I went for a run. Well, a run with occasional walking. I ran along the boardwalk of the beach before dinnertime and absolutely loved it. I found out that I sweat just as much here in Barcelona as I do at home. And what else would my day be without a little bit of exploring? I found the neatest park with a river, metal sculptures, awesome real estate surrounding the park, and the most unusual benches. Best part of my day: sitting on a swing meant for children about 100 pounds less than me and swinging next to my friend Brandon. The coolest thing I saw were these metal boxes that you could step on and hit different music notes with. It basically would have been my childhood dream playground =) After that we found a fantastic mall with restaurants that I know I am going to hit up soon and then proceeded to hop on the tram to get home. I had no idea the tram even existed until today. Funny how life just continues to surprise me.

A piece of my heart will always be in this place, Barcelona. A piece of how I think for the rest of my life, how I view the world, how I talk with foreigners, how I talk in Spanish; it will all be impacted by this country. I go to class at 9:30 and done at 1pm everyday. I absolutely love it. My English is starting to get pretty bad with how I speak. I keep laughing at the odd phrases I say or the interchanging Spanish I use. Afterward class, the day is mine. I'm free to explore, hit the beach, check out the huge sales that Barcelona is currently having in this extreme heat, and make it home in time for a cold shower before my cena (dinner) at 10pm. I'm laughing a lot with the people I'm with, I'm smiling just looking around me at all the ironic or beautiful places; I'm loving it. I wish I could take all the people I love so much from home, my friends and family, and ship them over here for one night. I would take them up to a beautiful view of Mount Juic , dri...

I saw my first bull fight today. Actually, to rephrase that, for the first time I saw five bulls get killed over a span of two hours. After a weekend in the beautiful Costa Brava where I went boating, hit the beach, and explored the coast line cliffs, I finally stopped running around. I am the energizer bunny cracked up on café con leche every day. It’s absolutely fabulous. I am in awe of the beautiful world that God has created. So many times I look around me with the people I am with and I just can’t stop smiling at the backdrop I am sitting at. The most amazing moment I had this weekend was walking in my just my bathing suit along the coastline cliffs Cadaques, a small quaint town in Costa Brava where Salvador Dali lived. Exploring is my favorite thing and I loved walking along the coast, staring out into the turquoise clear Mediterranean water, watching sail boats and windsurfs pass by, listening to the waves crashing below, and seeing the sun glisten off of the water. My feet hat...

I was asked to write about my stay here for our synchronized skating athletic web-site which will be posted sometime soon. Keep your eyes peeled at this address http://www.muredhawks.com/sports/w-syncssk/mioh-w-syncssk-body-main.html This is what I sent in... Enjoy Buenos Dias from Barcelona, Spain, Eventually, I will have to stop moving at 1,000 kilometers per hour while I am living here in Barcelona; eventually. Until then, I am seeing beautiful places, meeting the most genuine people, learning a beautiful language and eating the most unusual food. The perfect word to describe my entire time so far in Spain is random. When my alarm goes off at 8:00AM, I leave my 8th floor apartment with the host family I am living with, head to class, and after that, I never know how my day or weekends are going to end. The best purchase I have made in this country is the 47.00 Euro unlimited monthly metro pass. I literally am living on the metro getting around from one end of the city to the other, ...