hasta luego, grana

Surreal. So so so so so surreal. In two hours, I start my journey home. Oh. My. Gosh.

I'm trying to put how I'm feeling into words but I'm having trouble, which, I'm pretty sure, is because I really don't believe that I'm leaving. I really feel like it was yesterday that I was sitting in my piso looking at my iCal and just wishing it was February. And now it's May and the next dinner I eat will be my mom's pizza and the next time I change clothes will be in my room. So unbelievably crazy.

I used to really not get why people were so "you NEED to study abroad... it's the BEST thing ever". It's TOUGH! It's hard and you have to be away from your family and your friends and everyone and you're in a completely new place where they don't speak English and it's hard! But when you're sitting and waiting for your cab to come pick you up on the last day, you kind of get it. You get that you just did something REALLY cool. You realize that you lived in a foreign country for four months. You realize that you lived in a small city in a non-English-speaking country with a family that knows almost no English. You realize that in four months, you have been on three continents, in seven countries, and in fifteen cities. You realize that you did something you never thought you could do. This feeling is worth every skype session that I sobbed through, every time I turned bright red stumbling my way through a conversation, every time I would see my friends' away messages and get homesick... It's worth it. And the absolute BEST thing is that in a few hours I get to come home and see everyone that I've missed the crap out of for the past four months.

Tonight was our farewell dinner, which was a great time, along with our CEGRI rage at Granero. Highlights included eating a great meal, getting to eat at the same table as Miguel Angel and Nerea, watching my teachers dance on a bar, taking a shot of tequila with Yanira, my lit and conversation teacher, and watching the entire CEGRI staff chase out a guy who was creeping on all of the girls. It was the perfect end to the CEGRI experience. I'm really going to miss the CEGRI teachers! I also just said goodbye to Alli and Breezy, which was SOOOO tough! Thank goodness I get to see them in a few weeks though!

I also just wanted to thank everyone so much for being so so so so supportive of me during this whole experience. I am so lucky to have such a solid support system back home and such great people to go home to. Thank you so much to everyone for reading my blog and keeping up with me... It really means more than I can say. I love you all and can't wait to see you!!