It’s been 5 months since I last was here. I thought that Christmas and the beginning of 2012, were a good time to come again. Last time, I said that maybe, one day, I would be back and write about my train trip around Europe. I have to say that those three weeks were great and that visiting Bergamo, Milan, Pissa, Florence, Rome, Verona, Venice, Vienna, Prague, Berlin, Amsterdam, Brussels, Brugge and Paris was awesome, and even more given that I shared that with one of the best girls I’ve ever met: Iria Díaz Modroño. However, the reason why I’m writing today is not to talk about that amazing experience.
I decided to share my feelings about what the United States mean to me almost seven months after my departure from that country. It’s time, therefore, to write in English and, all I want, basically is to let my favorite Americans know that I miss them like crazy.
No one knows what being an exchange student means until they live it. A year is a very long time to be away from your family, your friends, and your life before; but it was certainly easy for me to enjoy my year abroad since I got to spend it with the best people. I really couldn’t be more thankful.
I need to start talking about my American family, of course. Drew, Susan and Jeff treated me like I was part of their family and welcomed me not only in their home, but in their hearts. And so did I. It’s really hard not to be by their side now, and I really wish Senior year left me just a little free time to Skype with them more often. I hope they know that I love them like if they were my biological parents and sister and that there’s nothing more rewarding than knowing that we really developed a deep relationship that will last forever. I miss everything I lived with them, from the bigger things, like trips to NYC, Chicago, Florida or Barcelona, to the things like Mexican nights, mall times, singing out loud in the car, or just calling daddy with nice voices to ask for carry out or for more mexican or for Red Robin. I miss eating dinner in the basement or in the den all those TV shows that when translated to Spanish suck (big time). I even miss watching Days of our lives with mom, even if I fell asleep. There are way more things than I said that make me miss this great family – my great American family, obvi (Drew I’m trying to catch up with the new American expressions so I’m not an alien when I make it back). I finally got the box on the mail and it brought back many memories that motivated me to write this. Thank you, not only for the box, but for everything.
There are many other people I need to mention here, like people I met at Highland Baptist Church, that welcomed me from the very beginning and that made the experience even better. I remember many good times from the very first Sunday at the pool party (when I finally got to meet McKenna, and we became pretty much inseparable) going through the lock-in, House Party, skiing, evenings with mentor group, Wednesday nights, Sunday School, and many others, to the last Sunday, when amazing Carol Harston made the goodbye at church official and made me feel, once again, like I was a part of HBC.
Then I had the plessure to attend classes at Presentation Academy where I got to meet many special girls and was really lucky to have great teachers that made me feel really comfortable all year. Somehow, at the moment I wish I had become more involved in the Pres community, maybe in some sport or club, and I kinda feel sorry for not doing that. I need to say that Prom night was so awesome, I had the best time at dinner, dancing and then at Shelby Adams’ house with many other great girls. Once a Pres girl, always a Pres girl, that’s for sure.
I miss having Niki and Kira over all the time, I miss therapy wednesday mexican nights at Mexico Viejo with Drew, Susan, Michelle and Amy. I miss dancing and singing with Drew in the basement, I miss lots and lots of things that I would never finish writing this if I mentioned them all.
To conclude, (I’m sorry that I can’t make a better and longer reflexion about the year, but this school year takes the 24 hours of each day of my life) I just need to say that even if I haven’t seen any of you since June, I think about you all the time, because all of you have shaped me and had had a great impact on my life. I will always take the experience and these memories with me wherever I go and I really hope to make it back soon, see all of you again and tell you in the three dimensions that I love you so much.
Happy 2012 and thank you, again, for the best year of my life!
