A Farewell to Spain

My study abroad experience is behind me, but Spain will forever be a part of me. Not only did I see tons of the country that's been calling my name for years now, but I saw it -- and lived it -- with some amazing people.

What I really didn't expect is how much those people made my memories of Spain so special. I'll never forget spending a couple days in San Sebastián with Scott and Jordan, some of the coolest Canadians ever (Hope you get your stuff back from my landlord!). I love all my German-speaking friends, finding those delicious places throughout Madrid and taking me along. I'll remember clubbing with pretty much every international student at UC3M, and staying out until the trains started running again.

I've seen 5 different countries in the last semester (the UK, Italy, Morocco, and the Netherlands), and I spent them all with some incredible people. I grew to trust myself and to know that I can take care of myself. I grew so much as a person and changed more than I could ever have imagined. The past six months have given me more memories (and photos) than I know what to do with.

The only thing I can say is thank you. Thank you to my family for supporting me and allowing me to test myself like this. Thank you to my friends who stayed in touch with me from seven time zones away. Thank you to the people of Spain, who encouraged me to practice my Spanish and to embrace true Spanish living. Thank you to my new-found friends, from all over the world, who helped write a chapter of my life that I could never really put into words.

And most of all, thank you to the random people that I met along the way. Those people that helped me find delicious hole-in-the-wall restaurants in Rome, met me for drinks when they visited Madrid, and chatted with me at breakfast in my hostel. Thank you to those people that will never know what they did to make my trips that much more special.

Thank you for following me on this journey. I'm home again, but my time in Spain lives on.