I was whisked back home, greeted with American flag decor, a banner with some poorly translated Spanish, and (most importantly) a bottle of my favorite Alhambra beer (from a store not too far from home). The hometown pizza was delicious, though I soon crashed from exhaustion.
I was finally home. Back to my usual existence.
But something was missing.
For the nearly dozen times I left Madrid for travel after the first month, returning always offered a return to normalcy. Familiar food, familiar language (more or less), familiar transit, familiar apartment, and an outlook to the upcoming school week.
More importantly, I returned to my best friends.
In a short amount of time, I was exposed to many new people. Initially hesitant, I did the best to overcome my fear and meet as many people as possible.
Everywhere I went introduced me to new people, from residence halls, class, hostels, trips, and general wanderings. My goal was to do as little possible alone. I am very happy with the results.
My time abroad is defined by the people I met. They made the difference in turning average days into an unforgettable ones.
I wish to dedicate this final post to all my new friends in Europe. Undoubtedly the most interesting group of people I've ever encountered.
To everyone who has followed my blog from the start, thank you. Thank you for following my journey and living it with me.
To those who will see me again, feel free to ask me about my time in Spain. I have many stories to tell!
To all of my world wide readers: Thank you, Gracias, Grazie, Merci, Teşekkür Ederim, Dziękuję, Obrigado, Danke, Dank U, Təşəkkür, Cпасибо.
What is know now is this: I will return to Spain. I hope to live there again and perhaps work there.
I hope to travel again. Visit new places. Meet new friends and visit old friends as well.
Even then, nothing will compare to those five months spent in the spring of 2013.
They will be part of me forever.
And equally, a part of me will forever be...
...Miguel de Madrid
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