Not ready to say adios

I'm sitting here alone in my room on a Thursday night. Behind me is a blank wall above my bed where pictures, notes, and a string of jewelry used to be. In a whirlwind of an hour I just managed to pack almost all of my belongings up. It's very strange to me that I just did this because I do not want to leave Madrid at all. But maybe I am ready. There are so many things I have learned and loved about this semester, and most of them cannot be put into words. I still have an entire week before I have to leave, but these last few days will consist of the two things I hate most: final exams and saying goodbye to some of the greatest people I've ever met.

It's funny how you can become so close with a few people in such a short amount of time. My closest friends and I all come from very different backgrounds, but through the experiences we have had together, we have become so similar and have come to appreciate the same things. It seems so long ago that I shared a room in Toledo with girls I barely knew, but in those few nights together I realized they would become some of my closest friends on this trip.

Yet some people you don't meet the first night, or even the first few weeks really. Some people you have to put the effort in to get to know before you realize how much they have to offer. In my college years I have put less and less effort into making new friends, because I go to such a huge school and I already have so many people I care about. But going to a school that consists of three floors, where everyone knows each-other's face and knows what country you're visiting the next weekend, has made me think twice about the effort I put into meeting people.

And then there are those people who you wish you got to know better. There are several girls on this trip I wish I had spent more time with. But I think that's the beauty of studying abroad- you can meet the most amazing people and have just a few strong memories of them that will last as long as the most amazing moments of your semester will-whether you went out to tapas and wine with them a few times, or shared a picnic with them at Retiro, you'll always look back on those times together, even if they weren't many.

I am so thankful to have met all of you. I don't say it a lot because I'm pretty bad with emotional things such as saying goodbye...so don't be offended if I run away when you cry next week. But thank you so much for sharing a part of yourselves with me these past few months, I have enjoyed it more than you know.

Love,

Emily