As my year in Spain draws to an end, I’m made fully aware of just how quickly this year flew by. From the very beginning, when the time seemed to crawl, to the end, it has been an amazing learning experience and I can’t say I regret doing it at all. It would certainly be naive, however, to say that everything went as planned this year or that it would have been possible to predict just what Melilla (Spanish Morocco) would have in store for me when I arrived. Although not everything went perfectly, I don’t see that as a bad thing. Life is an ever-changing adventure and the difficult experiences to which we adapt are what make us a better and more diverse people.

The state in which I presently find myself is one of mixed feelings. On one hand, as you might imagine, I’m quite excited to be returning to my home, my family and my friends after nine months away. Then on the other hand, there isn’t a doubt in my mind that I will miss many aspects of my life in here in Melilla once I have gone. Before coming to Melilla, I had no idea what kind of things I would miss because I had no idea what life would be like here. However, as I now prepare myself mentally to leave Spain, maybe to never return, I have a much better idea of what I’ll likely miss. To me, leaving Bremerton was not as difficult as returning might now be. When I started this adventure, I knew that in just nine months I’d be able to return to all the people I care about, but now it’s different. I’ve grown quite fond of the relaxed attitudes and life styles of many Spaniards, and more specifically, those of the Melillenses (natives of Melilla).

Lately, my Spanish friends and I have been spending a lot of time relaxing near a pool or going to the beach. There isn’t too much to do here in this small enclave of Melilla, but that only adds to the tranquility. Also, Melilla is a city in which not many things change. However, my German exchange partner came here recently for 10 interesting days. I use the word interesting because not only did 10 German exchange partners come in total, they insisted we do something every waking moment in order to get the most out of their exchange. This experience also taught me just how long a group of girls can take to get ready to go out. It was at times frustrating, but overall a very enjoyable 10 days.

At present, I’m packing my backpack to go on a unique school field trip. Tomorrow at nine o’ clock in the morning, along with the rest of my high school classmates, I will head to the beach in order to spend the day in activities and playing games. I’m sure this field trip will be of the utmost fun, however, without a doubt, it will lack any academic content. Upon first arriving in Melilla, I felt isolated, not being able to understand nor converse with anyone. However, during the past eight months, I’ve become fluent in Spanish and, maybe more importantly, had the opportunity to live the life of a Melillense. My biggest fear at this time is when I return to Bremerton, I won’t be able to converse with anyone in Spanish and will lose a lot of the language skills I’ve worked so hard to obtain. It’s unfortunate so few people in the United States speak a second language, let alone Spanish. I’m aware that it isn’t uncommon to find Spanish speakers in many parts of the United States, although there seems to be a relatively small number in Kitsap County. However, I’m sure I’ll find use for my newly acquired Spanish fluency.

This is my last column. I’ll be back in Bremerton in mid-June.