Ten months of Burgos

So, I have happy news & sad news.

The happy news: I will be home in five days!

The sad news: I will be home in five days.

Spain has become like a second home to me, especially in these past few months. This place holds its own place in my heart and it will be very hard to leave it. On the other hand, North Dakota is my home too and I can't wait to see the empty prairies and my family and friends.

The past few days I have been on vacation in Ajo, Spain, with María, Antonio, and the kids. It is nice to spend time with them, and I am so happy to be at the ocean once again. I am in the process of making a scrapbook of my life with them to give them when I go.

I am not going to pretend that I think the transition home will be easy. When I came to Spain, I expected everything to be very different than what I was used to—I expected to struggle, to be homesick, and to hate this place. Then I got here and none of that really happened. Somehow I adjusted well and didn't go through much culture shock. And somehow, going home seems a lot tougher than leaving it was. Granted, I am not terrified like I was before I came here, but when I left North Dakota I knew I would return. I am leaving this country not knowing when--or if—I will ever come back. I am leaving a language and a family and a second home, all of which I really love. I am scared that I will forget my Spanish and that I will never come back to see this place where I have grown so much. But that's life, right? All you can do is keep on pushing forward.

We'll get home from Ajo on Saturday night. Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday I will spend packing up my life and belongings and saying goodbye to all the important people here. Wednesday I will be on a plane back to the United States. When I get on that plane I'll leave behind ten months of my life. Ten months of growth and joy and pain and homesickness. Ten months of Burgos.