Surprisingly, I'm not upset, and I have not yet cried. Believe me, I tried; standing in the Plaza Mayor for the last time, I waited for the tears. Saying goodbye outside of Paniagua to all these friends I have made, I thought maybe that would be the moment. But nothing. Walking home for the last time past the duck pond and under the bridge, then leaving my apartment and thanking my host mom, that didn't do it either. But as I knelt in the backseat of our coachbus alongside Mark and Somer (who have also been here for the year), and as we looked out the window as the lights of Salamanca faded in the distance, we started laughing.
I may not ever be back in this city again, with all these amazing friends, as a 20-something-year old with nothing to lose, and I am ending this HUGE chapter in my life. This thing called Responsibility waits for me in the near future, so I have ever reason to be scared and upset and sad. Life is moving on, and I should be sad, right? But I'm not. I am ready. Change is happening, and I am incredibly excited. And I think I am ready.
Words cannot describe how nice it was to sleep in my own bed last night, to wake up at home and see my mom, and to drink a glass of fresh milk with breakfast. IT IS OVER. My 8 months abroad, this grand adventure, has brought me back to where it all started. HOME. As I drove through the Vermont countryside today, Salamanca felt like a thousand worlds away, and it's so strange that life there will go on without me. Last week, my friend Mark learned an expression from his host mom, "pero en la vida siempre hay que pasar la pagina," meaning that in life, we always have to turn the page.
Hi, Here are other student's experiences in Salamanca, Spain. It was an amazing journey. Please do comment: http://bit.ly/M5Ue6a
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