Is it really time?

Wow…the end has come. This time is incredibly bittersweet; I miss my friends and family back home, but I’m not ready to leave my life here in Spain.

The past three months have made for an incredible journey towards self realization; I’ve discovered things about me that I never knew existed, changed in ways I never imagined possible, and truly lived for the moment. I’ve embraced the culture and the people around me, I’ve become sincerely self-confident, and I’ve grown as a person.

When I first arrived in Granada, I realized how dependent of a person I was, and the stress of being alone, so far away from home, knocked me down completely. I had to rebuild myself as a person, discover who I was and who I wanted to be, and I emerge as someone strong enough to handle what was before me. I have changed and evolved while I’ve been abroad, and I really like the person that I am.

Now it is time to return home, and find out how deep these changes run. It is time to say goodbye to my friends here; for some it will simply be a “see you later,” but for others it will truly be goodbye. I’m trying my best to focus on the sweetness of the moment instead of the bitterness. I’ve had an incredible time, I’ve made great friends and amazing memories, and I’ve grown as a person. I want to take the happiness that I’ve found back to the states, enjoy the memories I’ve made here, and embrace my life back home.