it is time to reflect (iv)

Blog Post 34.

Saying goodbye to a moment I will never have again.

To people I may never see again.

To dinner at 22H30 (or later).

To feeling a need to be hugged by my mom more than ever.

To waving goodbye to most days as the sun set over the Atlantic.

To the omnipresence of the scent of hand-rolled cigarettes.

To confusion and comfort in a place I can call home for the time being.

To playing soccer on the beach at sunset with little Pipa and his primos (thanks for dragging me into that game, Andrés,- it is a moment I will never forget).

To wondering what it’s going to be like when we get back.

To wine (and gluten free cerveza) that is cheaper than water.

To missing my best friends.

To not knowing if what I was feeling was because of distance or because of …

To Isabel’s obsession with taking selfies.

To feeling at home in a place that has never been and will likely never again be home.

To so much else…

 

Goodbye tends to be about the end, but saying goodbye mentally to these things encouraged reflection of many of the lovely experiences lived, marvelous people met and surprising prosaic constants depended upon throughout my time in Spain.  I realize that framing a reflection of such wonderful things with goodbye gives it a sadness that I typically avoid, but that’s just how the cookie crumbles sometimes. Parts of me are deeply sad to say goodbye to these things, people and moments. Mostly, however, I am so pleased to have known them. It’s a goodbye that says you are part of who I am now.

 

Espero que nos encontremos de nuevo. Que todo esté bien. Que no te olvides el español ni los trazos de inglés que te he enseñado. Sé que tengo hogar en España y en Italia y en Rusia. Trazos de mi corazón están en estos sitios y en Maryland y Montana y Massachusetts. Qué trotamundos soy…