Por Fin

Well, folks, the bittersweet truth is that I said goodbye to beautiful Granada a week ago. I am loving being with my family and being in Chicago at Christmas time (one of my favorite things in the world), but saying goodbye to Spain, my host family and new friends, Europe in general, and the study abroad mentality was (and is) difficult. Before I get into that, though, I want to write about my last weekend excursion of the semester...to Paris!

I decided not to write a whole post on my trip to Paris just because a lot of what I did was pretty typical and tourist-y and I don't think there's too much to elaborate on, at least in this setting. But I really had a fantastic time there, so here's a little blurb about it and some pictures too:

Out of all the European cities I visited this semester, Paris is probably the only one I could actually see myself living in at some point. I think you could explore it for weeks and still find new things every day. There's so much to do, and while places abroad are always a little different than you expect, something about the Parisian streets and churches and riverside book stalls is as picturesque and romantic as you've always heard. I did a lot of the "must-see" sites: the Eiffel Tower, the Arc d'Triumphe, the Louvre, Notre Dame, Saint Chappelle, the Sacre Ceour, and more. We ate crêpes while walking through a square of street artists and performers. We went to a few Christmas markets and stores on the Champs E'lysees. We even went to a fashion show! It was a really wonderful weekend with friends and a great way to gear up for my last week in Spain (minus the overnight layover in the unheated Barcelona airport on the way back to Granada- that was an adventure).

I know this is three pictures of the same thing, but come on. It's the Eiffel Tower. 

Arc d'Triumphe

Fashion Show in the Galleries Lafayette!

Yeah, I saw her!

 the beautiful Louvre

Notre Dame

Saint Chappelle- it is INCREDIBLE. They are restoring the stained glass right now and it is just unbelievable.

the Sacre Ceour- you aren't allowed to take pictures inside, and it is just so huge and serene and has so many people from all over the world praying. That unifying and humbling experience was one of my favorite parts of visiting cathedrals/churches in Europe.

the art market we stumbled on near the Sacre Ceour

The lock bridge! We left one there :)

Oh, Paris.

And with that, I was giving my final presentation, saying goodbye to professors, finishing my semester-long community service, and eating my last meal with my host family in my apartment. I used this blog to record mostly my travels or big events during the semester, but that last week was about wrapping up and preserving the everyday elements of my time abroad and the people and culture I had grown used to. My last night in Granada, I ate dinner with my host family (including one of the older daughters and her family, who were visiting), and realized I understood even the side conversations that were being spoken in the rural Andalusian accent- success.

my students from my community service

Irene, my friend who I did an intercambio with all semester

my host parents at our program's final host family dinner

my host brother, Juanpe

When we first got to Granada, our program director had us write a letter to ourselves that we would read at the end of the program. I was really happy to see that I had done what I wrote about in my letter: gone to events even when I felt awkward or not like trying new things, done an intercambio and made Spanish friends, explored the city, and even (thankfully) forgotten the completely uncomfortable and terrible feeling of arriving at the home of a family you cannot communicate with.

Even though I really did try to go into the semester with no expectations, it was different than I expected. Ha. I feel like it's nearly impossible to escape clichés like that when you are trying to recap an experience like this. It's strange to come back, too, because everyone asks "how was Spain?!".
It was good! It was bad! It was hard! It was amazing! It was embarrassing! It was annoying! It was unbelievably exciting! You know? It's living life, but in a different place and in a different frame of mind. The movie moments, like standing on the cliffs in Ireland or riding camels in Morocco, are electrifyingly awesome and burned in my memory forever, but right next to it is my daily bus ride to school on the 33, and my host mom saying "Bri, come fruta!" after every single meal. What it really is, is an incredible learning experience, which I am seeing more and more clearly each day I am back in the US. I was and am blessed: so, so blessed. I am grateful. And I am excited, because there are so many ways this experience can affect my life and shape the rest of it. Thank you so much if you have read even just this post in my blog. It was a huge encouragement to me to know that people were interested in my travels and thinking of me. Have a wonderful Christmas and New Year!

Nunca te olvidaré, Granada.