Coming to a close

I can't believe it's been almost a month last my last post. As they say, time flies...

Everything's ending now. I've been staring the end of this semester in the face for quite a while, and today it all started becoming a reality. I took my last exam after pulling an all-night slumber party with some friends last night, after which we all went to have a "farewell luncheon" because one girl on the trip is leaving tomorrow and won't be able to make it to the official "farewell dinner" tomorrow night. I already started to get emotional after this first one. I'm starting to realize how incredibly much I'm going to miss this place... and these people. Sitting typing this now, my window is open and the sounds of Madrid seap into my bedroom... they're not so much different than the sounds of any other city, but they have a really special quality for me, and they're sounds it's going to be hard to get used to doing without.

I'm going to miss Maricarmen (our director) and Cristina (our coordinator). Maricarmen, as I've mentioned, is a saint -- an absolutely wonderful, incredible person. Cristina is 25 and has gotten to be friends with all of us over the course of the semester, letting us teach her the best ways to use English swear words.

Anyway, the point is, I can't believe it's ending. It just creeped up on me from out of nowhere, and the reality is hitting that it will probably be a very long time before I can come back. "They all end up coming back," a fellow ex-patriate told me, "just wait, you'll be back." I hope she was right.



Oh... and I never posted about Portugal and Northern Spain. Sorry about that.

The truth is there's not an incredible amount to tell... it was an awesome trip, which was more important to me in terms of getting to know people better, hanging out with the two guys who are (hopefully) to be my next year's roommates -- we've just got to find that apartment now -- and realizing I can't wait until next year. I haven't been this excited about going to DC since I first left for college, I don't think.

Anyway, the trip. Well, basically it consisted of a series of very long bus rides over the infamously beautiful landscape of the Spanish northern coast that I've already mentioned. Rode a ski lift thing to the top of the mountains in Asturias, had a hotel with a private beach in Galicia (where the water was absolutely freezing but we ran in anyway), had lunch on the grass overlooking the river in Oporto (Portugal), hiked over the rocky countryside, stayed 3 nights in Lisbon, partying, dancing, carousing, having a great time.

Unfortunately, I don't have a whole lot of pictures of my own.. though when I get back to the states (so incredibly soon) I'll add some that other people took.

That's all for now. Tomorrow, I feel, will be when it all really hits (though I might not get to post). So until further notice, to the people (mom, dad, nana, papa) whose caring and generosity allowed be to spend this incredible semester here, I absolutely cannot thank you enough. It has been the single best experience of my life -- I have fallen in love with this country and learned so much about myself and my own culture through being here. It is absolutely invaluable to me.