Madrid - The Final Days

Today is my last day in Madrid. I feel a mixture of contradictory emotions - happy, sad, anxious, nervous, and excited all at once. Like someone is yanking me out of Spain just when I was getting used to the rhythm of life here, even though I know that everything that will lead me towards my future goals awaits me in the United States. I long for the comforts of home, but want to maintain the tranquility and peace I've found here in Spain.

All in all, the last few months have been some of the best in my life. I look back on them with fondness and I'm sad that I'll be leaving all the wonderful people I've met here. Like Nada - the Moroccan woman at the beauty salon who only charged me €10 after waxing off half my body and then invited me over for dinner. Or Cota - my host mom who was a like-minded liberal and progressive woman with whom I would discuss everything from the progression of women's rights to the correct usage of swear words.

While I've technically been on a "study" abroad program, studying has been the least of my concerns. More important to me have been exploring the culture, the city, and the language. Getting to know people and building relationships. And because of that, I've grown on a personal level far more than I have in the past 18 years of my life. Spain has taught me how to be a less timid and a much more open and social person. Someone who can start a conversation with strangers, who knows how to have fun, and doesn't always lock herself in her room studying.

To finish this post, I'll end with several photos from my last few months in Madrid.