Bittersweet Symphony

Not even 2 weeks remain.

At this point in time, my sentiments of coming back to the US are mixed. I was talking to Emily, and we both agreed that it is a very strange thing. You wake up and you don’t know if it’s going to be a day where you want to go back to the US, or a day where you wish you could just stay in Valencia…

I have fallen in love with this city, and I think the thing that breaks my heart the most is that unlike my “homes” in the US, I can’t come back here whenever I want. It doesn’t work that way.

Sometimes I just wish I could move it to the other side of the world, or bring everyone I know and care about over here. But… it doesn’t work that way.

There is no other city like Valencia. It’s just that plain and simple. The rio. The beach. FALLAS. The plazas. Guardia Civil (my favorite road). Colon.

I also realize however, that the thing that makes this city so much fun is the fact that I’ve made many great friends here from my program. The thing (other than leaving Valencia itself) that is going to make this difficult is the fact that unlike Europe where I can go to another country for a couple Euro, it is expensive to travel around the US. Flights are not cheap. I can’t go to Philadelphia or Colorado whenever I want. It’s going to be rough.

It’s very strange, because the first weekend here I spent crying because I wanted to be back home in the US. Everything comes full circle though, and I think it’s going to be harder to leave this city than it was for me to come here. I don’t know when I’m coming back. This is the problem. Coming here I had it in my head already. May 31st, that’s when I return to the US. I have no idea when I get to come back here… and honestly that little thought freaks me out.

I’m excited to travel around afterwards, but it’s going to be different. I know that when I leave Valencia I’m not coming back. All I know right now is that May 7th is going to be a very difficult day... = (

I love my life here. It’s amazing. I get to travel a lot. Go to the beach. Hang out with my friends all the time. I don’t have real work (usually- this week is an exception). My life in the US is not so fun and luxurious. It is a rough world compared to here… and I feel like it’s going to be difficult to adjust back. I have to adjust to being back home, and then when I’ll finally be adjusted to living back at home, I will have to leave and go to Luther. Which is going to be another adjustment… a lot of work. No real fun time. Depresses me just thinking about it…

This weekend I have spent the majority of the time working on final projects and studying, but on Saturday we went to La Albufera, a nature reserve. We took a boat ride around the lake. Watched waterfowl. Then we all went to the beach a little outside of Valencia- “El Saler” and we ate lunch and soaked in the sun for a couple of hours. It was nice : )

Since it is getting down there, my life now revolves around classes and the beach. This week looks like this:

Monday: Class all day (lame)
Tuesday: Skip class? (I gave my final presentation already and everyone already skips it all the time and I have yet to miss) Beach day.
Wednesday: Morning classes. Afternoon beach.
Thursday: No class. Beach day.
Friday: Morning classes. Afternoon beach. Then celebrating my 21st birthday Valencia style… going out. (Maybe staying out late enough to watch the sunrise on the beach?)
Saturday: Going home and eating some breakfast, and then sleeping on the beach?
Sunday: Beach day.