Goodbye just means we're closer to the next hello

            It’s never easy to say goodbye. Just ask Chuck Noland about it. Remember in Cast Away when he parted ways with his best friend Wilson? That’s why I’m not going to say it. Instead, it will be “until our next hello” to all my new friends, to my host mom, to Granada.

            I’m four months older now and over this time, I’ve experienced tremendous personal growth. Plumper, yes I am, but I’m talking about a different kind of growth: in developing a worldview, in discovering who I am, in trying new things, in defining myself. Am I completely fluent in Spanish now? Probably not. Has everything worked out how I had hoped? Nope. But in measuring success, it’s more important to evaluate yourself not just on where you are now, but on where you are now in relation to where you started. After all, Rudy wouldn’t be an inspiring movie if his success were based only in his playing 27 seconds after practicing for four years.  

            This, of course, brings me back to January. It was a time when my comfort with familiarity was broken. I stepped out of my routine, and my beloved country for that matter, to embark on a journey, whose fate I knew not. Coming as a stranger in a strange land did not exactly make for an easy arrival for me. Since then, I’ve been thrown into uncomfortable situations, made plenty of mistakes, and sometimes wondered why I was here. But those are the pains that are part of growing. Attaining anything great cannot be done without effort along the way. Putting yourself in the ring, to be marred with sweat and knocked to your knees, is the only way to achieve anything worth having, to bridge the divide between reality and your dreams. After all, you can’t ever win if you’re always standing on the sidelines. Winning is something I’ve enjoyed a lot of here. Going out with friends. Learning new subjects in class. Traveling to different countries. And, of course, I’m never happier than when in the midst of my afternoon siesta. I've learned that sometimes, you don't even have to know what you're looking for to find something that makes you happy.

            Alas, in leaving, I will miss most the people with whom I’ve shared these four months. The places I’ve been will surely outlast me, but never again will I have an experience like this with the people I did. I know that tonight’s the last time I will ever get fro-yo with Elizabeth and Megan. Tuesday was my last time going to the club with Alex and Erika and Anna. Tomorrow will be the last time I ever sit in a classroom with Colleen and Jack, Sam and Jason. We’ll stay in touch over facebook, I’m sure of that, but what I am losing is something that took four months to gain. We’ll all go home, experience the joys of reuniting with our families and friends and work our way back into that familiar routine we left in January. But, we won’t be quite the same. We’ll be carrying something extra with us—something so grand, packed deep inside, that I will most certainly not tell Delta about it for fear they will charge me extra to board the plane on Saturday. Those nights enjoying ourselves under the backdrop of the Alhambra, the moments in econ when Spanish got the best of me, the Saturday mornings searching for deals at the gypsy market…
             Tomorrow, when I board a bus leaving Granada by myself to begin my trek home, I’ll remember that timeless line from It’s a Wonderful life when Clarence says to George, “Strange, isn't it? Each man’s life touches so many other lives. When he isn't around he leaves an awful hole, doesn't he?” To all who have come into my life in these past four months, thank you for the memories and thank you for your friendship. I am who I am today in part because of you. You have touched my life, molding me into something a little different than I was four months ago. In this way, I know that I will not be by myself tomorrow or any day for you will always be around me.

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Four Months of Favorites:

Favorite quote:

“Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive and then go do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”

Favorite Food:

nutella-bannana crepe in France

Kitty’s gnocchi dish

Favorite Class:

Economics with Prof. Cuenca

Favorite Purchase:

Diamond encrusted Dollar-bill Belt

Favorite Country:

USA

Favorite Place Visited:

Rome

Most important to many of the fond memories I have are the people who are in them. This is what made, for example, Lagos such an awesome trip. However, Rome is a place that was incredible by itself and definitely a city I would love to revisit.

Until next time, whenever that might be, may you grow only healthier and happier in your life.

P.S. Mom, leave the light on; I’m coming home!