Nunca es adiós, siempre es hasta luego.

Well damn, Madrid, how do I begin.  What an unreal year.  I don't even know how to gather my thoughts to thank you for my time here, so I'll do the best I can in the only way I've ever really mastered: making a list.

1. I came to Madrid thinking that I was a completely solid person.  Someone who had experienced ups & downs, and discovered who they were in the process.  Well, no.  Wrong.  The emotions that I've felt in Spain have blown anything else out of the water.  The highs were chart topping.  The moments surrounded by friends who truly knew me, the nights that turned into mornings (cliche but true), the trips to new cities that opened my eyes in new ways... It all brought my to my knees with joy.  I was baffled by how incredible one city could make me feel. How at home I could be there.  But then... then there were the lows.  Being disconnected from family, friends, and my past when the unthinkable happened humbled me to no end.  Watching people hurt and not being able to help forced me to really dig into a part of me I hadn't met before.  The part of me that needed to ask for help.  Learning that I don't have to go-it-alone was one of the biggest lessons I've had to date.  Madrid, you bastard, you've made me emotional. Thank you.
2. I've always had great friends, but a number that I can probably count on one hand.  People who I've truly felt close to and comfortable with.  I grew to assume that this was just the type of person I was; someone who knew many but got close to few; someone guarded.  Then I moved to Madrid.  The people I've grown to love over the past year are honestly some of the best I've ever known.  They're strong, independent, caring, and appreciate the same things I do.  I can say that I'm leaving Spain with 10 new lifelong friends. You mujeres know who you are. Besos.
   
3. Having all of Europe at my fingertips is a privilege I've always dreamed of.  I've known the most expensive part of European travel is the flight from the states, and soon after arriving in Spain, I realized how inexpensive it really is to see the world.  It's as though the rest of the world understands the importance of travel and the US hasn't quite grasped it yet.  I can pay $200 for a round trip flight to D.C. plus whatever ungodly cost for hotel, or I can spend 40€ for a round trip flight to Portugal plus 20€ for two nights in a hostel, where I'll later make lifelong friends.  Not only the places I've been able to visit this year but the people I've had the privilege of meeting makes traveling that much more attractive.  My eyes have opened.
4. Living minimally is a new quality I'm finding myself adopting, and likewise something I now look for in others.  Not that I want to be able to drop everything and run away, but that I need to place the uttermost importance on my relationships and not on my belongings.  Starting from the day I started preparing for my trip to Spain until present, I've been gradually stripping myself of the need for material possessions.  When I no longer need something, I pass it onto a friend or donate it. Things weigh you down. In every aspect.  The nooks and crannies of my suitcases are filled with postcards and ticket stubs.  The boxes I have packed away in my parents basement for the last year aren't overflowing with random goods, but rather everything that represents the things I love; photos with friends, mugs from my favorite cafes that I've accidentally walked out with, figurines that once sat on the shelf at my grandparent's house.  If it doesn't have a place in my heart, then it has no place in my home.
   
5. Madrid, and my wonderful CEIP Antonio Hernandez, you have forced me out of my scheduled life.  I've been the queen of my planner for years now, and I've always found peace in knowing when things would happen and in the certain nature they would take place.  Whelp, out the window with that.  I've been tossed into an uncountable number of situations where thinking on my toes is the only option.  People don't work on a clock here, let alone a planner.  Showing up to school and learning that I'd be going on a field trip / subbing a class I've never had before / winging a full day of lessons / any other scenario became a norm.  Attempting to get banking or citizenship appointments done transformed into a gamble.  Meeting with my landlord over wine, chasing people through buildings, and showing up on time for a meeting that wouldn't be starting for another 30 minutes no longer shocked me.  Word of advice to anyone traveling to Spain: expect the unexpected, and throw a 30 minute buffer on anything you're trying to accomplish.
   
6. I've realized how important celebrating is this year.  This city has so much pride.  Be it gay pride (and wow, do they have a lot of it, especially in Malasaña), city pride (HALA MADRID!), fútbol pride, or personal pride, they take joy in all of it.  Everyone stops and soaks it in.  Doesn't matter the situation.  When I told my school that my sister was pregnant, the entire room stood still, waiting for details, beaming with excitement.  When I went out for Pride Week, no one was on their phones, everyone was laughing and embracing; enjoying the moment.  When Real Madrid or Atleticó de Madrid were playing, the young and old came out to sing in the streets.  Happiness truly is contagious. 

Over the past year, I've fallen head over heels with the world and the people in it.  The flow of life in Spain has slowed me down.  Given me time to stop and look around me more often; to breathe it all in.  An opportunity that most of us rush past on a daily basis.  Walking slowly down the street and listening to the chatter of people I've never met,  the hum of cars down cobblestone streets, the clinking of glasses, the bouncing of a ball in the playground near my apartment.  It's all so much more beautiful than we realize.  Simplicity is key here.  Learn to love the little things and the big things will fall into place.  The biggest pitfall of my year abroad is that it has come to a close, but, don't you dare think that my adventure has ended.  Just heading into the next one.

With a full heart, I pack my final boxes.  Next stop, being Aunt Molly. Te quiero Madrid, para siempre.