A month ago, I flew to Valencia with a group of 28 strangers. On Friday, I took my final exams in a room full of friends. We have all had our ups and downs with each other, with school, and even with Spain itself. But as a whole, I have had the time of my life in Valencia.
The last dinner conversation I had with my host sister and my housemate was about how we all cry really easily. But the next day, when I had to pack up my things and say my goodbyes, I somehow kept it together while my madre told me her house is always open to me. I bit my tongue and smiled and nodded a lot to keep the tears in. Then I got into the elevator and lost it. I am so grateful to have had such a welcoming host family—they were patient with my broken Spanish, and they always wanted to make sure my housemate and I were enjoying our time in Spain. They made our beds every morning, cleaned our dishes after every meal (denying our offers to help by saying “tranquila, tranquila”), and always sounded excited for us when we had plans to go out at night.
It’s hard to fully reflect on the experience while I am still in Valencia (my mom and brother joined me here at the end of my study abroad program), which is why I plan on continuing to update this blog while I am still here before writing my final “farewell to Spain” post. But even though I still have two more weeks left in Valencia, I know I will never have an experience quite like study abroad. It has been a treat.
El Camino de Felicidad 