My expectations

Talk about being late right? What can I say, it's in my blood. And why is there a hyphen in my last name?

With not even two weeks left until I go to Spain, I have a lot to prepare for. What do I expect when I arrive? Being Puerto Rican, a lot of my culture comes from Spain. The language, religion, customs and traditions, food and even machismo all have their roots there. When I reach Spain, I expect to find a lot of familiar things. I expect people who I can better relate to. I expect a place, that overall, I will feel very comfortable in. Whenever I listen to a Celia Cruz or Hector Lavoe cd or eat tostones and amarillos, I get the feeling that I am at home. I believe that being in Spain will give me this feeling, only more often.

However, Puerto Rico and Spain are not the same place and so there will be differences. The only difference that really worries me, though, is the difference in speech. Living in the United States, I am mostly used to hearing my own native Puerto Rican tongue. I have had little, if any at all, interaction with Spain's own version of Spanish. This will be a new and beneficial experience for me and I don't think that I will have much trouble adapting.

I have read as much info on Spain as I could and what catches my interest the most is a small city named Ávila. The first of my two last names is Ávila and I believe that visiting this city is going to be an experience I won't be able to explain. I do know that I will feel a certain connection when I go there and I am very excited about going there.

I do regret that I will not be able to take my family along, but this is an experience that I will never forget and I will be able to share with them. My only wish is that Spain lives up to my high expectations (which I have no doubt it will).

Well, I do have one other wish for when I go to Spain; that the Spanish girls are as enthralled with my hair as the girls here in the U.S are.