The final week of my journey in Granada has come to a close and I am very saddened. There are no words to express the gratitude I have for the families here that have taken me in and provided me with food, a home, and of course, love. My family has supported me in my adventures, letting me stay in and watch television with them in the evenings if I wish, skip dinner at home if I wish, and stay out late to experience night life if I wish. My set of keys to their home became my favorite thing in my purse because they allowed me to both explore and come home to a family with freedom. I am going to miss those keys.
Together as a group we spent our last weekend at the beach, Almuñecar. The beach itself is pebbles, not sand, which made it different, but fun none the less. The water was filled with jellyfish and I got stung, an unfortunate encounter that left me with a very exciting battle wound. I enjoyed laying out with my friends on the beach, walking the length of the beach, seeing dolphins, and listening to jet skis and crashing waves. It reminded me of home it its own way. The house we stayed in we cool; it was motel style and spread out with a court yard and three floors. I enjoyed the experience of staying with 15 or so people and coming together to make food and play games together at night, while separating during the day. It was nice to spend our last few nights here in Spain together.
Sunday night, after the beach, all of the families here came together and had one last goodbye party. It was saddening to have to say goodbye, but I was very grateful to be able to give thanks to those who created homes for us here in Spain. There is no greater gift than unconditional love from strangers (of course, they are not strangers anymore). There was singing, dancing, exchanging of gifts, and lots of hugs. I captured a photo with a friend I made here that is fantastic and makes me smile! It is a special event to be able to bring everybody together one last time.
Similarly, I had to say goodbye to the kids I work with. That was not easy either, as I have grown to love their smiles, Spanish language, and competitive drive in soccer. They're fun, loud, and always find a way to make my day brighter. Ellie, my mentor at work, thanked me for coming, but the words I could find to say to her back could not fully express how I felt. The experiences their after school program has given me have molded memories into my head that will stick forever. I am fully appreciative of them taking the time out of their days to make sure I am understanding what is going on by trying to speak in English themselves. My last day there was one of the best, as the whole day I was speaking almost fluently in Spanish and I got to be the adult in the room for an hour to supervise a few kids. I am impressed with myself for giving my best efforts to speak Spanish and am impressed with everybody at work for being so kind and patient with me.
There are a lot of things I am going to miss, like the beautiful streets of Granada, the shops, and of course my family. But I will also miss things like the broken light in the kitchen, the fidgety door in my bathroom, and having to make my bed every day. I will miss my routine here, taking the same bus to lunch everyday, always showing up an hour early to lay in the sun and listen to music in the courtyard. I will miss my gym, my views, and my evening strolls. I might even miss being constantly plagued by health issues. It is difficult for me to express the love I have for this city and the people around me.
Most of all, thank you to Mike, my professor here, who has gone out of his way to not only make my trip here smooth, but help me patiently with any road bumps that have come up, be my extremely knowledgeable tour guide, and be there to talk to me about things bigger than us humans here on Earth. He has put his best foot forward for us and his efforts have given me the trip I was hoping to have and more.
Thank you, Granada.
