Nine Years Later

This picture was taken nine years ago in Plaza Mayor in Madrid. I was eleven years old on my first European vacation with family and friends. When I first arrived to Spain, I remember walking around the plaza in Santiago de Compostela where my mom came up to me, whispering, "We're finally here. This is the real thing."

Fast-forward to today, here I am in Miami, trying to explain to my father, that yes, I do need that third pair of brown heels, and even though I recognize that my suitcase weighs about 49 pounds, those shoes are crucial to completing about 1/4 of the outfits I'm taking with me. My dad is also going over a map of the Barajas Airport with me while my mother is busy wrapping seven bottles of gel in individual plastic bags. In the midst of all the packing frenzy and crazy moments that come along with having a typical Cuban family, I remembered the old home videos of our trip to Spain in 2003. I began watching these videos, skipping to the footage on our time spent in Madrid. I heard my dad's voice point out the famous Puerta del Sol, which is where I'll be living this semester.

And while my parents still continue to nag about the little details that have yet to be arranged, I can't help but think about life and how everything is so connected when you look back on it all. This little eleven-year old girl with the curly mess of hair has no idea that in nine years, she'll be calling Madrid her home.