Preparing to Say Goodbye

As we head into our fifth week here in Valencia, it seems strange to think about saying goodbye. It feels like just yesterday that we were wandering the unfamiliar streets and experiencing the culture shock of being in Spain. There are still many things that are unfamiliar to me, however I have began to feel truly comfortable here. This vibrant city and its incredibly rich culture will stay in my mind for the rest of my life, and this is one experience I cannot possibly forget. I will miss the train ride through the countryside every morning, and the people of Torrent even more. It seems that just as my relationships with my coworkers at the museum have become strong and I now see them as friends, but now I have to say goodbye and head back to the US. Not currently sure what is the best way to say farewell to these amazing people, but it feels as if a card or a letter won’t be able to convey the gratitude I have for being welcomed so warmly into this new culture. I will have to give them all of my contact information, and keep in touch to tell them about my time at school. One thing is for sure, I am going to prepare a detailed farewell for my coworkers in Spanish since I don’t have the vocabulary to make it up on the spot. I am truly grateful to these people and I want to have prepared exactly the right words to let them know that (they don’t speak any English). As I spoke with my family on the phone last weekend I told them that I was feeling a strong sense of homesickness, and that I missed everything back in the US. However the advice that they had for me was to try to appreciate things during these final two weeks even more, because the second I return home I will begin to miss things here in Valencia. I will take this advice to heart in my final days here, because I may never have this kind of opportunity in my life again to live fully immersed in a culture as rich as Spain’s.