It just hit me. I miss Spain. Terribly. I miss my city and my school, miss my walks down the beach, miss my favorite ice cream shop. I miss the ocean, miss the taste of salt in the air and always telling directions based on the beach. I miss the brightly colored buildings, the flowers and the tourist shops, the old Spanish streets and the taste of Spanish food. I miss catching the bus to wherever, miss having the feeling that I could go anywhere or do anything. I miss school, miss my seat along the long yellow wall in recreo, miss helping my friends in Latin and Greek, miss casual conversations with my classmates and having to learn cartwheels in gym. I miss Wednesdays with my best friend, miss calling her up and meeting her in town. I miss our long talks about anything and everything as we sat on the rocks and the sand. I miss her advice, her humor, her stories. I miss my exchange student friends, miss our adventures and our misadventures. Miss having someone to give my ice cream to when I couldn't finish it. I miss being pushed in the pool, miss my princess bed, miss washing the car in my bikini under the warm Spanish sun. I miss endless walks along the paseo, stargazing under blankets late at night. I miss the hugs that I dreamed about every day, curling up on buses and feeling safe in dangerous places. I miss smiling like my cheeks were going to burst, strawberries and cream that I wasn't allowed to touch. I miss spur of the moment taxi rides and melancholy, see-you-soon goodbyes. I miss falling up stairs and getting picked up when I'd fallen. I miss long summer days that never seemed to end. It all went so fast, but not a day goes by that my mind doesn't slip back to Marbella and the people I knew there. It was a wonderful adventure, and I'm deeply, truly sad that it's over. And to be honest, I'm a bit terrified of what this next year will bring. Life really is one awfully big adventure.
Love from here, there and everywhere,
Shonabell
