So I still have yet to finish writing about the rest of my trip abroad but I
got a little side tracked towards the end of it. We were super overwhelmed with
trying to focus on our final exams while still enjoying our last few days in
such a beautiful city. My one complaint about the program was the fact that our
finals literally occurred on our last days. We didn’t have time to say goodbye
to everyone, pack, spend time with our madre, bask in the great ambi of Sevilla
and slowly try to accept the fact that we could no longer call it home. Instead
we were crammed inside studying for exams that we had 0% interest in taking.
And the worst part was that these finals were actually crucial in our passing
the classes (which was wholly the reason we were in Spain to begin with).
Leaving
Sevilla made it to my top 5 heartbreakers. (The list also includes the day I
found out my mom was Santa, the moment I realized I could never be best friends
with Bear (Bear in the Big Blue House) because he wasn’t real, your typical boy
drama heartbreaks, the day the doctor told me I was 5’ 2” and probably done
growing, etc etc). Anyway back to the seriousness.
Ray and I were devastated that we
had to leave Sevilla, especially because that meant we were leaving Maribel
back on her own. It always made me nervous that she lived alone at her age. She
drove us both to our departing destinations- Ray to the airport and me to the
train station. Both drop-offs left me in tears but more-so an hour after Maribel
drove away, as I was sitting in the train station by myself. I think I was
still in shock when I said my last goodbyes, but the fact that I heard Maribel
say “Te quiero” through tears as she hugged me hit me hard after the fact. I
can undoubtedly say Maribel was a huge part of what made my trip the absolute
best it could’ve been. She was kind, caring, thoughtful, helpful, and
admirable. A beautiful woman inside and out. I’ll miss her dearly and can only
hope to soon return to Sevilla and catch up with my other madre.
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| Dancing the Sevillana flamenco dance at Feria with Maribel |
Which leads me to say, I will be
back to Sevilla in my lifetime. I couldn’t have chosen a better place to study
the Spanish language. It is the most culturally dense city I have ever visited
and I will forever be in love with it. The air, the people, the food,
everything breathes Sevillan culture. The city’s symbol “No8Do” short for “No
Me Ha Dejado” (It has not left me) is painted all over for a reason. Honestly
I’m tearing up as I write this because it makes it seem so far away.
I miss the Rio and everything that
surrounded it- my runs along it, crossing it on my walk to class everyday, the
hot afternoons where we drank CruzCampos next to it amidst the Spaniards. I
miss having a schedule that was developed more-so on where and when we were
going to “tomar unos tintos de verano” (go out for a glass of tinto) than
anything else. I miss tapas. I miss socializing over tapas. I miss speaking
Spanish. I miss Tomas, my favorite bartender that just so happened to resemble
Jude Law, my favorite actor and future husband. I miss living with Ray (who is
now in Malawi teaching English!!). I miss being in a city that was so big but
felt so easy to navigate. I miss the vibrancy and the feeling of liveliness
while simply walking the streets. I could go on forever but it’s starting to
hurt my heart.
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| Mi amor, Tomas |
I know I am so blessed to have
experienced such a beautiful place and I will be forever grateful to everyone
who was a part of it- from my parents for allowing me to travel, to Maribel for
taking the best care of me and Ray, to my professors (and all Sevillanos) for
forcing me to understand Spanish spoken at 3000 words per second, to the
program directors for being so encouraging and helpful all the time, to Ray for dealing with me and my many issues, to
the great group of friends made along the way.
Sevilla, No Me Ha Dejado <3
<3
