The Road Less Traveled: Year #2 in Madrid

I had very mixed emotions coming back to Madrid after the summer; while I knew I didn't want to stay here past this school year, I also didn't know where I'd go when I left. Now that my plans are a bit more solidified and I'm 99% sure I'll be moving back to the PNW, I've really been able to enjoy and cherish my time here in Spain knowing that I won't ever have this experience again. It's made me have a bit different of an outlook than I had last year at this time when everything was so new and exciting-- while living in the middle of a European capital that lives to party has it's perks at times, what I most enjoy now is being with my friends, drinking a glass of wine at the Mercado, having a Belgian beer at Cafe Eke, a quiet dinner party, sitting on a terrace, an American dance party. These are the times I'll miss when I leave here, not the nights we spent at the club partying till 7 a.m (although I never will forget our first clubbing experience when I chipped my front tooth on a beer bottle). I've grown to love my job and second family here and it will be really, really hard to leave them in June.

Included are some pics from my first few months back after summer vacation. Enjoy!