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It can't be real. I'm sitting in the parque del Templo de Debod, studying not very hard for my Art History final. It's a cloudy day, though the sun still pushed its way through the clouds from time to time. I look up and a girl, about my age, is walking toward me. She asks me something and I see that she has a book in hand, so I determine--very brokenly--that she wants to practice a presentation (on me). She tells me it'll take about 10 minutes, and I tell her "está bién" in the way that I tell gypsy beggars "no thanks" at 4 in the morning. She takes it differently and sits down next to me. Great. She opens her book, then closes it and begins to recite something, occasionally glancing at the black and white photograph she's holding over the cover of the book (as if for inspiration). It's a picture of a woman dressed in early 20th Century Spanish garb. All I could think of was that it reminded me of those super old postcards you might find in Goodwill or in newly purchased picture frames.

So she continues to read, to recite in performance-like tones. Her poem/story/quick anecdote was beautiful and spoke directly to the two largest issues existential to me at the moment: Immigration Syndrome and Singleness (as separate concepts...haha)
According to Sociology, Immigration Syndrome is this idea that after a few years of immigration, one may lose any sense of "home" identity. For example, in Sigur Ros' "Heima," one of the band members explains that "Heima" means "home." After years of touring the world, they played a tour in Iceland, their real heritage...pretty sweet. From the guy's expressions, anyone could tell his excitement about that--to be with family, to see familiar sights, to feel that indefinable joy that is "home."
Although I've only been in Spain for four months, my move to Texas three years ago has left me displaced. Anywhere I go, there's the distinct chance that I'll be longing for the people I miss from the other places...Cincinnati, Waco, Monterrey, and even Madrid, at this point.
The second phenomena she spoke of was "Singleness."
This one's quite easy to comprehend. Imagine one person. check.
There are some excellent perks to being single. I've always thought that maybe I'd spend my whole life that way (I know, weird, right?) until recently...(don't worry mom, there is no lucky lady at this point.)

She said, "You travel and travel. You have no home (or better put, multiple homes). You turn around and one day (she turns around) and you are the only one there."
Five minutes go by and she ends her recitation. We talk for a few minutes. I tell her that I'm a foreigner, that I'm a traveler. She asks if I'm German (first time I've ever gotten that!). "No, Texan." That never fails to get a response.
She hands me a very artistic and clearly hand-made business card that says "UNO A UNO, todos somos mortales. JUNTOS, somos eternos" -Apoleyo. (One and one, we're all mortals. Together, we're eternal). Interesting.
As odd as this little encounter was, I am SO thankful that it transpired in my last few days here. What a world. a random, thought-provoking, beautiful world. In the words of our skydiving instructor: "makes me giggle."

-griff