the beginning of the end

Summer has finally arrived, which means laying out in the park, guilt-free siestas, and partying like the Spaniards do every night of the week. It’s also the home-stretch of this study abroad year, and some friends have already left Spain to return home. Saying goodbye to those who have left or are leaving soon stirs up a mixture of emotions: grief that I will no longer see someone I’ve grown so close to, nostalgia of all the memories we have made this past year, sympathy for the person who isn’t able to stay in Spain for the summer, and dread as I selfishly picture myself in their same position in a few short months.

This last feeling has really made me think about this year, and all of the things that have made my time in Spain so extraordinary. Madrid has been incredible to me, and I never want to forget the special parts that I will miss the most:

• Greeting everyone, stranger or friend, with a kiss on each cheek
• Eating churros dipped in rich chocolate for breakfast and having no one judge you
• Learning something new in Spanish every day
• Taking a weekend trip to another country for the same price as a bus ride from SLO to San Francisco
• Boxes of wine for 75 cents (perfect for making sangria)
• The protests, and how politically active the population is (especially youth)
• One euro sandwiches and jarras of beer from Cien Montaditos every Wednesday
• KEBAB
• How much cleaner euros feel than dollars
• That leaving a tip for service in a restaurant is never necessary 
• Going to sports bars on game nights and cheering for Real Madrid
• Having three hour meals where sitting and socializing is more important than whatever you need to do afterward
• Never being forced to choose what beer I want, because the only choice is Mahou
• Being surrounded by people from all over the world
• Being able to walk around Chueca (or anywhere in Madrid, really) and feel completely comfortable
• Botellons in the streets and meeting new people
• The history, and seeing buildings that are older than the USA
• Normal roundabouts in the street decorated with enormous arches and fountains
• Seeing it’s 10pm but there’s still light out
• No one is glued to their cellphones, because it’s too expensive to use them
• Buying one euro beers on the street at night
• At least one holiday every three weeks, if not more

Obviously, what I’ll miss most is the people I’ve met this year and the lifelong friends I’ve made, especially my IP family. I can’t imagine this year without this group of gangbangers, and even though it’s sad as we begin to depart, I’m already looking forward to seeing them again in California.