Tuesday, December 11, 2007

And that's that

It's been 14 and a half weeks, and it's nearly all over. Today was the last day of classes, with only finals standing between me and my departure from this land that has become my second patria. At the beginning of my stay here, I read a newspaper editorial criticizing Americans for their role in the Iraq war, deriding our young soldiers as "sturdy boys" who would rather just listen to their iPods and flirt with Susie Q. With my indignation stirred up, I discussed it with my señora and she told me, "Of course you're upset; it's your country." I never imagined I would feel the same way about Madrid, but at the protest last week in Barcelona calling for Catalonian independence, that same mixture of pride and umbrage swelled within my chest, surprising me with just how attached I have become to my second home.

It hasn't so much been the classes that have left an indelible mark, like they did so memorably for Justin this semester, but instead the process of adaptation - of settling into a city across an ocean and making it a home - that has really defined the essence of this semester. You can bet that the memory of my señora, Olga, easy-going and motherly, will remain with me forever. The same with my host-brother, Luis, party-animal and avid skier. But, most of all, I'll remember the unique experience of stepping out of my American life, if only with one foot, and forging a new path through an unknown terrain. The Vanderbubble, science classes, dorms, rowing, and many more things that are so basic to my life in the US were swept away for a semester to be replaced with bullfights, metro rides, eurotrips, and tortillas, the framework of my adopted Madrileño lifestyle.

From that first silent ride in the taxi from the airport to my new home to the final takeoff from Spanish soil this Sunday, it's been a wild ride for which I couldn't be more thankful.

2 comments:

Brad said...

It's been great reading about your adventures as a Madrideno. We look forward to having you back on campus.

Brad

Jean X. said...

i agree, it's been awesome to hear what a great experience traveling abroad was. have a great break!