So this is it. This was my last day in Pamplona and I leave tomorrow at 6:45 am. It feels so weird to be leaving this place that I have come to feel is another home. It will be hard to answer the standard question, "Oh, how was Spain?" Many people just want to hear "I loved it!" or "It was a great experince!" but it was more than this to me but it is hard to explain it even if I had all the time in the world but I will try.
One of my best days in Pamplona was a Thursday I believe. As I was walking through campus to class I found myself waving at many friends on the short walk. After class I had lunch with my friend Maite and we talked in Spanish for almost two hours. As I walked back home I was stopped by another friend who I had come to know through my Geografia Cultural class. I finally felt that I fit in in Pamplona. I had people that I called my friends and I had daily routines. A semester abroad is not a vacation, yes there may be a lot of traveling but you learn so much and not just about the country you go to but you also learn so much about yourself and where you come from.
I have learned that I love being an American and that I am able to say that I am from the United States. I think everyone has at least some pride in where they come from and I think being proud of your country is a beautiful thing. This semester has opened me to so much more as well. My confidence grows each day as I learn that I am independent and can be successful even in another country with a foreign language. Language is also a beautiful thing.
I think I learn more in 10 minutes of conversation in Spanish than I can learn 4 years studying at a university. I learn about the person, the language, the culture and myself. There are just so many different meanings to words in other languages that translation cannot portray. It is so hard to describe this experience of how learning Spanish has taught me so much about others and myself but I wish everyone could understand it. I hope just by being around me you can all learn a little of what I have experienced while I was away.
This semester has flown by but it was an opportunity that I am absolutely grateful for from the 2€ chocolate con churros special to the special bonds that I have formed with the people in Pamplona. I wish I could thank everyone that I have come in contact with here in person and also all of you because this all makes up part of who I am. I feel like I learn so much from observing others. I love running in other countries because I get to see the daily life that many tourists miss at that look at the huge attractions. I get to see the not so pretty part of town but I also get to see the hidden secrets that make the town who it is. I wish I had better means to talk about this and show you but you can all let your imaginations wonder as you look through pictures and try to interpret the meaning behind it all.
I was thinking about making a list of things that I would miss and things I am grateful to have again but I think I might do that later when it all sets in. I also might write more about my time here when I really get to think about it. It is so much for me to really reflect on. Thank you all for reading about my adventures here even if some days weren't so adventurous. Check next week because I think I will write one last post when I get home.
Adios Espana! Eres muy maja.
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