It is approximately 2:04am on Wednesday, July 31, 2019. We have just gotten back from an all-day trip to [redacted in case Alejandro wants to surprise the next class]. Today is my last day in Guardamar del Segura.
I’ll admit, I was a little dismayed when I saw the program was based in a little coastal town that no one has heard of, but now Guardamar has a place in my heart. I’m actually glad that the program wasn’t based in Madrid or Barcelona. It’s the small towns like Guardamar, Santa Pola, Elche, Toledo, Segovia… that really captured my heart. You can see Spain for what it really is; cobble stone roads, old castle walls, history of the past conquests. This is what I wanted to see. Not Five Guys or Burger Kings or any other chain I can find in American cities. I can’t put my tongue on it, but je ne sais quoi.
Looking back, it all feels surreal that I’ve spent 2 months in Spain; whether it was digging for pottery, taking a ferry to Tabarca, avoiding getting hit by cars in Toledo or running away from a costumed Chucky character in Madrid. I won’t get to say ‘Buenas’ to Vincente, the owner of the Pension, nor “Me pones…” to the extremely nice waiters at Café Movellan, or ‘Perdon’ to the townspeople as they pass me by to get to the mercadillo. I’ve developed a certain routine coming here, and it makes me a little teary that I’ll finally leave this place. I’ve had a lot of experiences coming here (getting my money stolen, going to a hospital at 1am in Granada, etc…) but as much as I said I wanted to go home, I don’t regret studying abroad here at all. It’s bittersweet to leave because I’ve gotten close to some people, even Alex, and it’s strange to go our separate ways. Some people are going on to graduate school, others are coming back to Berkeley, but I am going to miss living together with my friends and coming down to the Pension for lunch. Spain is a beautiful country, and I am definitely coming back when I have the opportunity to.
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