today i'm feeling somewhat apathetic about many things. (before i continue, let me be the first to say i could not love life any more at this moment. i'm truly blessed and happy with all the opportunities and blessings that have come my way. it's incredible.) not sure why i feel apathetic today, but in any event, i've tried to be productive. i spent a large part of the day doing more research about the peace corps. i've also thrown into the mix the salesians. megan radek, the in-country director for rostro de cristo, volunteered with the salesians in ecuador and loved her experience. she suggested i look into them as well since they work solely with youth (which is want i want to do). i'll be creating a list of pros/cons for both programs (and any other as i move along), but one big PRO for the salesians is they have a program in bolivia, while the peace corps has suspended their program there for the time being. this is still a while away, but doing research on things like this keep me busy on days like today where there isn't much to be done.
in other news, i've joined couchsurfing! for those of you who don't know what couchsurfing is, let me explain. essentially, it's the new way to backpack around the world. instead of paying to stay in a hostel, people sign up to host/stay with locals in whatever city they may be visiting. so for example, if i decide to take a trip to prague or amsterdam, instead of schelling out 20€ a night to stay in a hostel, i can sign into my account with couchsurfing and search for fellow members in amsterdam or prague who are willing to host travelers at that time. it's a pretty ingenius idea for a couple reasons. first, it's free. while hostels in ecuador were super cheap (between $4-$12), they are more on the expensive side here in europe (15€-25€). second, if you stay with a good host, it's like getting a free insider's guide to the city. think of it as a way to get to know the city one step beyond the normal tourist experience. finally, it's a great way to meet people from all walks of life. i've already had my first couchsurfer stay with me here in zaragoza: santiago, a 24 year-old from córdoba, argentina stayed with me for a couple days. santi was a great first person to host: really outgoing, easy-going and low-maintenance. we had a lot of conversations about life in argentina, spain, the united states and life, traveling, etc. so far, i'm very excited about this experience. it's incredible how little things, like meeting people, speaking spanish, laughter, etc. can make me appreciate life.
anyway, i should go. i'm trying to spend less time on here and more time out and exploring. tenga buen dia!
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