Saying Goodbye to Friends in Salamanca
Goodbyes are tough, to say the least. After four weeks of being here in Salamanca for my language camp, I’m lucky enough to say that I have made so many amazing friends. These friends have come and gone over the past weeks; Lexi left last week, as did Julia and Jenna. But as my friends have left, new ones have come. Ben and Wren came 2 weeks ago, and Lillie just got here on Monday.
However, there has been a welcome crew since the beginning—a group of us in it for the long haul; as others come and go, we have been here consistently for four weeks now, welcoming the newbies. Eytan, Sander and Marina have been close friends of mine since day one. They’re all the people who I’ve learned with and grown with in this wonderful city. Anyway, it is with a bittersweet attitude that I write this post, for all of my dear friends will be departing tomorrow. After a long four weeks, only one (me) remains. The whole crew is leaving this weekend. It’s difficult to see all of my friends from around the world leave, especially because I very well know that I may never see some of them again. Yes, I may keep communicating with many of them, but the chances that I visit each and every one of them are very slim. It’s quite sad actually, but I’m trying to remain optimistic about my goodbyes.
The brilliant Doctor Seuss once said “don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened” *sorry, that’s so cliche, but it just fits*. But anyway, I’m trying to adopt the attitude of Dr. Seuss in regards to saying farewell to the crazy crew of kids I’ve grown to love. It has truly been an amazing experience and I’m thrilled that I met each and every one of these kids, but goodbyes are really tough.
The worst part is not that I’m now the only veteran left and I will have to meet new friends and take them under my wing. It’s not even the uncertainty of the situation: I’m not sure that I’ll be able to form another group as awesome and epic—I just can’t think of better fitting words to describe the crew—as the one that is leaving. The worst part is that I’m going to miss this crazy group soo much. Each and every person that I’ve met here has made a positive impact in my life, and has taught me something valuable. It’s quite difficult to put into words how much this group of people mean to me and how appreciative I am of each individual person…I just can’t begin to fathom that in a mere 24 hours I won’t be seeing them nightly in the plaza; I won’t be playing UNO with them; I won’t be raving about food with Eytan; I won’t be shopping with Wren; I won’t be laughing with Sander and Ben; I won’t be walking home with Marina and Lillie. We won’t be a group anymore.
But I now remember Seuss, and I smile. I had an unbelievable time with my friends, and I will never forget the wonderful memories we have made together. So to my all of friends here: thank you all for making my first four weeks in Salamanca unbelievable…you’re all amazing.
Ciao, Jordyn
