A Place I Call Home

“Don’t be sad that it’s over, be happy that it happened.”

~ Dr. Suess

(I realize I am quoting Dr. Suess again, but this quote fits perfectly with what I am going to say.)

When I was traveling home from Greece I just kept subconsciously thinking “I want to get back home,” meaning Granada. Of course my home will always be in Idaho and with my family, but when one becomes comfortable enough to say someplace is home, it’s evident that that place has become very significant in their life. I will always think of Granada as my first home in Europe, who knows what the future holds. I have grown to love it here. I am very excited to return to my family, but I find myself torn.

The other day, I took the long way home from school, so I could walk through more sunlit streets, open plazas, and more of Granada. The weather was beautiful; I got a coffee and sat in my favorite plaza for an hour. I just sat, and thought about my experiences being abroad. I got a little emotional, realizing how much I would miss moments like that, and how much I would miss certain things about Granada. I have said before (this seems to come up in every post), it hasn’t always been easy, actually I have had some of the most difficult times of my life here, but I would never trade my semester in Granada. I am so glad I made the decision to come.

I will miss my walk to school every morning, passing graffiti art, the little tiendas along the road, café tables in the street, and walking between two apartment buildings on the narrow cobblestone streets, and looking up to the sky. I will miss café con leche, getting tapas with mi amigas, and not getting carded when I order a drink. I will miss my host mom, Maria Jose. I will miss the fountains, and I will miss the little bits of history mixed in with the modern.

I can’t wait to bring my family back here someday, to show them my city and where I lived. But, even if I come back someday it will never be the same as is it right now. Just like how I love journeying back from the Willamette library at night, walking through the campus, so serene, and returning to my dorm or apartment. I can’t imagine the feeling ever being the same if I was not a student at Willamette. But, even though I am sad to see it end next year, being a student at Willamette is a feeling I will never forget and am proud to have had the experience, just like the feeling of studying abroad in Spain, and being able to say I lived in Europe for a semester. This experience has forever changed me, I will never forget the lessons I've learned and the obstacles I have overcome. Hopefully, I also won't forget the Spanish I have learned. :)

I’m glad I can say “I’m sad to leave Granada, a place I call home.”