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| Photo Credit: Nate Long |
Ready to go, not to leave--if I had to sum up my feelings right now with a "six word story", that would be it.
I am so excited to finally see my loved ones, but I can't imagine saying goodbye to this place that I have learned to love and called home for the past five months.
My heart flutters when I think about seeing my family for the first time in the Cleveland airport, but sinks when I think about saying goodbye to my familia española in the Alicante airport.
I have dreamed about all the familiar things that I've missed from home, but can't help but remember all of my experiences this semester that have been dreams come true.
I never could have imagined the experiences that awaited me as I sat in the Cleveland airport on January 8, people watching as I tried to distract myself from how nervous I was.
And now, after making many lifelong friends, traveling to seven different countries within Europe, exploring countless cities and little pueblos within Spain, and becoming a part of a new family, I feel that I have truly "aprovechar"'d la vida.
That isn't to say that there weren't difficult times as well.
There was a time when I wanted nothing more than to be able to hear and speak English. But then I remember the time when I was able to give directions in Spanish to a beach-going couple who was lost. (No small feat for a directionally challenged individual like myself).
There was a time when I wanted nothing more than to run with my teammates through the streets of good ole' Springfield, Ohio. But then I remember the euphoric feeling that washed over me the first time a friend and I ran up the castillo de Santa Bárbara without stopping.There was a time when I craved normalcy, familiarity. But then I remember the times when I satisfied my craving for adventure, facing my fears of heights and relentless gaviotas to climb the ginormous rock in Calpe (thanks to the patience and encouragement of a few friends).
There was a time when I wanted nothing more than to chat about mundane things over Panera with my friends from home. But then I remember the six a.m. nights (mornings) dancing with new friends, the life chats sitting in front of the tranquil Mediterranean, and the afternoons doubled over in laughter attempting to play fútbol.
There was a time when I wanted nothing more than to find myself wrapped in my mom's warm hug, breathing in her scent that I had come to know so well over the past 20 years. But then I remember how excited my madre española was the first time I made tortilla de patata and I successfully completed the dar la vuelta part.
And so, looking back on my semester, I know that my life will never be the same.
I am now orange, to use the metaphor of one of my professors (and no, not just because of all the sun that I have gotten). Upon arrival, I was yellow (the 'color' of the U.S.) a little bit lost in a world of red (the 'color' of Spain). Although I have still maintained my American identity, poco a poco, I have taken on a bit more red, getting used to eating cena at 9 p.m., not getting annoyed when my professor regularly showed up to class 20 minutes late, taking more time to disfrutar la vida.
Little by little, I changed from the color of honey to marmalade and finally to the vibrant orange of a juicy clementine.
And that is why, looking back, I can't help but smile at all of the memories, but I also can't help but cry a little at the fact that it is almost all over.
*Familia española: Spanish family
*pueblos: towns
*Castillo de Santa Bárbara: Castle of Saint Barbara
*gaviotas: seagulls
*aprovechar"'d la vida: To take advantage of life
*fútbol: soccer
*tortilla de patata: a typical (yummy!) dish made of potatoes and eggs
*dar la vuelta: to turn over (to make the tortilla de patata, you have to flip the entire tortilla so that the other side can fully cook)
*poco a poco: little by little
*cena: dinner
*disfrutar la vida: to enjoy life
