I spent the day at the beach with my friends for the last day in Barcelona. Walking the familiar streets where we went to school, our last time getting Tizana acai bowls after the beach, and getting Parking Pizza for dinner knowing that I am now leaving has felt sad. There is a sense of familiarity in Barcelona that I feel now, a comfort with knowing that I have known and lived in this city for the past 4 months. I know my regular coffee places, where I hang out at Glories park with my friends, and the paths I cross everyday.
The Glories park where everyone would connect and lay out in the sun, in front of the view of the Sagrada Familia, has become my favorite place to go and relax. My favorite coffee shop where I would study after school, Pankofi, where I ordered a frio Chai latte, has become part of my routine. I will miss the beauty of the city and being able to see the Sagrada Familia on a regular casual walk. I feel like there have been parts of me left in the city in all the places I would go.
One of my favorite trips abroad has been Morocco. I was able to go sandboarding, ride camels in the desert where everything felt still, and dance around at the campfires playing music. This experience felt special because my group of friends had a tour guide from Morocco, who had lived and grown up there all his life and was our age. We spent almost all of our time together in the desert even in the long 8-hour car rides, where we were able to bond and connect. It made me realize our similarities although we grew up in different places. He gifted us a bottle of sand from Morocco, and our goodbye was very difficult as we did not want to leave yet.
My other favorite trips have been to Paris and Italy. I was able to watch the Eiffel towel sparkle, something that I will always remember. In Italy, I was able to watch authentic pasta be made, which is my favorite dish. I also saw the beauty of Sicily, the Amalfi coast, and Lake Como. I know I will never forget these trips and experiences, and the memories I have made.
Now sitting in the airport, I know this is not a goodbye to Barcelona. I have never had the experience of being able to travel to other countries, and now I feel like I have had another perspective and another side of me open up. Barcelona has become a second home for me, and I know I will have to go back and visit later in the future in a different point of my life, now having a different point of view. I can’t believe I have been able to have this experience, something that feels like a dream.
