Thank you

Alejandro Salazar Jasbon

Sara Mira Sanchez

Cathleen Chiu

Dan Ho

Krystial Cebe

Melanie Munoz

Amy Lee

 Aliya Manguramas

Alex Song

Renee Yuen

Joan Kang

Echo Liu

Nik Kretzschmar

Dan the man

Meljia aka bird

Vicente

Chino Store

and everyone else

for the most amazing summer ever!

Almodovar. Donovan.

if you guys have any other cool videos please send it to me. some were just placers. 

Faces and Words.

These are the people that I have met and spent the past two months with.
DISCLAIMER: ANYTHING WRITTEN IS PURELY OPINIONATED AND BASED ON MY OWN PERSONAL OBSERVATIONS.

Alejandro Jasbon Salazar | genuine

There's something about Alejandro that really attracts people to him. He always finds an opportunity to engage in conversation and form new relationships with people. He's very much a people-person.

Sara Mira | thorough

I've always thought that Sara has the most perfect qualities you can look for in a girlfriend and a wife. Her husband will be a lucky man.

Isa | spirited

Isa is the tiniest adult I've ever met. I tip my hat to you.

Alex Song | certain

I think it seems very natural for Alex to assume the alpha position within a group.

Cathleen Chiu | proactive

Cathleen is on an ongoing search for amusement and adventure. She is my elder, and I am her baby #2.

Dan Ho | mushy

Dan's tough, but she's also very mushy. Also, the candid pics I take of her always turn out the best, hands down.

Echo Liu | whimsical

Despite appearances, I think Echo is very capable of fending for herself given any kind of situation. Her positivity won out over my many failed attempts to annoy her.

Joan Kang | nurturing

Joan makes me feel comfortable because for some reason everything about her screams "home."

Krystial Cebe | dutiful

Krystial emits this kind of aura that assures me that I can depend on her, probably because everything she does is done with a hardened resolve.

Melanie Munoz | proper

I appreciate that Melanie is able to do the things that most wouldn't want to do regardless of whether or not she receives credit for doing them.

Nik Kretzschmar | pleasant

Nik is like a teddy bear. He's approachable and fairly open to strangers, even if they (namely, me) put up an invisible barrier.

Renee Yuen | intentional

I'm interested to know what kinds of things interest Renee. I feel like she finds very particular things amusing, and I'd like to know what they are.

Rondell Almodovar | inclusive

There are a lot of traits in Rondell that I aspire to adopt. He is my spirit guide and studio role model to whom I accredit so many happy and worthwhile memories.

Aliya Manguramas | insightful

Aliya is a scholar and a thinker who is able to see the bigger picture in most things. I have been humbled and reassured by her words time and time again. Words cannot express the gratitude I feel for your company and conversation. Thank you for being the greatest roommate/travel buddy that I could ever ask for. 


Thank you,
Amy Lee

It never ends

It was not until I left that I realized how I was used to and fell in love with Spain. Not until I found Coffee con leche is a must for me to start the day.

 Those dance moves,

the teas in the cave,

and the mountains we've conquered;

the sunshine,

the heat,

the crowd,

and the beloved paella.

If anyone asked me what I miss about Spain, I will tell him without hesitation, 

EVERYTHING.

Echo Liu

no guarantees

To the next class - 

You may not trust me at first, and you don’t have to 
I probably wouldn’t
Guardamar is a sneak, a mystery moonlighting as a blank slate
slowly plotting overnight, tiptoe-ing towards a gradual reveal.  

You walk the same walk to the beach, take more than a couple showers
seek out your usual spot in the sand, test the limits of your daily tan
become a regular at your favorite bar, work at the same cafe for (13) hours.

You will never notice it change,
nor the way you change with it.

Until you realize you’ve grown to love those around you
and rush to explore together the surprises of each new city
always today
Until you find yourself staring at the fire in the sky, learning to live
absorbed by the infectious joy of our town

Until you charge in, splashing fighting searching for yourself in the sea
Until you finally know that Guardamar will always be our home
even when we leave.

And when it’s over, you will miss it like no other.




Cathleen Chiu

Nothing gold can stay

Renee used this in her Instagram post: "Why does something suppose to make us feel complete ended up making us feel so empty?" -the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.

It's strange how the body responds to changes. Some days we long for change, and other days we desperately grasp onto every form of comfort and familiarity for the slightest prolonging of a certain place or time--serenity finally found and pain waiting to conquer.

I felt this sense of serenity at the last hour sitting at the beach with everybody. This feeling comes from a compilation of memories I've made encountering the pain from the realization of an ending. Because there is sadness in this ending, a longing for these memories, a sense of emptiness and loss in leaving, I can personally conclude that these factors are proof that I've gained something valuable beyond my knowledge.

Time and experiences will never be still, nor how we respond to this fact. Like Robert Frost says, "nothing gold can stay." This experience is over but that's okay, because it was gold.

Dan Ho

5 reasons why you shouldn’t spend your summer in Guardamar del Segura

This may be a long post, but bear with me. These are important things you should know in case you are planning to spend a summer in Guardamar. 

Prepare to know the truth!

1. There are no places to visit

There is no such thing as an antique castle where you can go to learn some history, take pictures and enjoy the view –it’s a lie.

A place called The Dunes? The one with the ever-changing landscape in which you can get lost easily but enjoy the serenity of the moment? The ones that house the ruins of the Rábita Califal? Never heard of it.

The port? The beach? Other spots of interest? Nope. Seriously, give up.

2. The food is terrible

The is not a single dish which will leave you open-mouthed

Nor a single mouth-watering bocadillo or granizado

Nor good ice-cream or delicious horchatas that you can share with friends.

3. No one is nice to you

There is no hope with the locals. No explains anything nor kindly gives you tours.

No one will give you a smile or offer you things that will make you extremely happy like boat rides or shawarma.

Photo by Alex Song

Photo by Alex Song

Especially this man below. BEWARE OF HIM. Giving you unlimited amounts of food, good conversations and jokes are not things he does. I mean, please, Vicente being nice? No one has heard about that before.

4. There is nothing entertaining to do

Absolutely nothing. You can’t go to the beach to have fun in the sand, enjoy the sea nor the scenery.

Photo by Cathleen Chiu

Photo by Joan Kang

You cannot go out for a game of pool or a drink with your friends. No parties either.

Nor you can go sailing and cool things like that.

Photo by Rondell Almodovar

The town does not have exciting events like the Día de San Juan where you can jump a fire and dance at the beach, nor Moros y Cristianos where the whole town comes together to make this big parade. No, it was probably just everyone’s imagination (a very creative one though).

5. There is simply nothing memorable about the place

You are not going to have any extraordinary experience nor will you meet people that will change you forever.

You are definitely not going to have one of the most unforgettable summers of your life. You will not miss the people nor cry every time you remember when you had to say goodbye to them. The memories will not bring a smile to your face each time you reminisce them.

Long story short: don’t spend your summer in Guardamar… unless you want it to be one of the best summers of your life :)

~MelanieMuñoz