by Daniela, Tufts 1+4 Participant
Valentine’s Day is one of my favorite holidays. I love a lot, so each year it is nice to have a sweet holiday to celebrate who or what you love.
We are over halfway through our bridge year adventure, and I have many new things to love. First, I love the girls at Montoya. Ana, Yaiza, Carmen, Lucia, Leyre and Eva each hold a special place in my heart. I love the way Ana says goodnight to Madeline and I every night. I love the way Yaiza creates customs out of whatever is in the house. I love the faces Carmen makes at me after she makes a basket at her basketball class. I love the way Lucia blows grand kisses to us almost everyday. I love how Leyre wants to play make believe every time we are walking together. I love the way Eva gently corrects my Spanish. The educators at Montoya are also lovable. I love the fact that Juan Carlos asks for help with his English homework. I love the way Inma makes merienda. I love, love, LOVE Maria Jose, I love her food, her jokes, and I love that fact that during the first few weeks she was shouting Spanish absurdities to a boy who was making me cry.
I love Madrid and its mix of beautiful balconies and Franco style apartments. I love the buses here. I love Retiro and the Palacio Cristal. I love Celicioso, my gluten free bakery. I love not being able to understand Hector, my Cuban crush who works there. I love Toma Jamon and the fact that every time I go in, they know my order. Un cola cao, caliente. I love the Reina Sofia and the scary Buñuel movie that plays there. I love the fruit shops on every corner, and I love the neighborhood mercados. I love that it still smells like Roscone in front of some of the bakeries. I love our house and Miguel the portero. I love the gangs of elderly women talking and rolling around their little carts. I love when the Metro announces the wrong stop and everyone in the car laughs. I love it when I recognize the local street performers and their acts.
I love being able to travel. I love seeing different parts of Spain, and Europe. I love wandering around each city I visit and stopping at the local stores and coffee shops. I love making new friends, like Juan and Nathalia, who I ended up visiting last weekend in England. I love seeing old friends in unexpected places. I love seeing things in real life that I have only seen in books and pictures, like the Cliffs of Moher and the Nobel Peace Prize Center. I love that students enter museums free or at a discounted rate. I love mastering public transportation in a foreign language. And I love coming back home to Los Mesejo again.
Like I said, I love a lot. And while all of the things listed above (along with a couple of others) were contenders to be my Valentine, none of them stole my heart like my fellow Fellows! Daniel, Zoe, Eve, Gabriel, Aberdeen, Steven, Emerson, Abigail, Isabel, David, Elaine, Gongga, Justin and Madeline are the true MVPs this Valentine’s Day. Ellos son super guay! I am constantly inspired by them, via blog posts, Instagram, snapchat, homework assignments, and correspondence. Being able to relate to one another across projects and continents has been one of the highlights of the year. Whether talking about work, or just joking around, the 1+4 fellows are the absolute best. I love them. Hands down, they are my Valentine this year.
*Honorary MVP titles are also awarded to Isaac, Lydia and Nellie our peer leaders.