Fue un placer
Let me start off by saying I've never been good at goodbyes. In fact, I'm quite horrible at them. Sometimes we do the leaving, and sometimes we get left behind; I've talked about this with several friends and we've yet to decide which one is harder.
For someone who grows easily attached to people, it's a lot easier for me to let them in than it is to let them go. This makes me terribly unequipped for the relationships that spring out of travel. Practically guaranteed to be temporary, the friendships we form while bouncing from place to place have an expiration date that matches our return ticket. We often times make these friendships out of necessity, befriending people we normally wouldn't simply because we were somehow thrown together and they're our only option for companionship. Because of the various circumstances from which these partnerships arise, some goodbyes are a lot harder than others. Sometimes we're perfectly fine with the knowledge we'll never see them again, and other times they take a small part of you with them.
The first people to run away with a piece of my heart were my roommates from Colombia and Argentina. I technically wasn't supposed to have lived with them, but life has a funny way of working out and I can't imagine having started out in Spain without them by my side. Many of my first explorations of the city were done with them, and with their help I spanned the Iberian Peninsula.
Travel also reinforces the fact that friendships come out of unexpected places. My best friend in the city was an Italian who lived in the same apartment I once did...but after I had already moved out. We met one night as I was having a farewell dinner in my former apartment with the aforementioned Argentinian (and the rest, as they say, is history). What better example of these traveling friendships could exist: as I'm saying goodbye to one of my most important connections, another equally momentous one walks into my life. I spent more time with and traveled farther with my Italian counterpart than with anyone else, and with her help there was never a lonely moment.
As everyone's semester came to an end, the goodbyes came with more and more frequency and I finally was forced to come to terms with the fact that I, too, was done in Barcelona. The city wouldn't mean as much to me if it weren't for the people in it, so maybe it's better that I left at the same time as everyone else, to avoid losing some of the enchantment this place still has over me.
I'm a firm believer that everyone we meet has a purpose in our life; whether that function is just to brighten one day or stay for a while is up to fate. Some of those people to enter my life taught me how to properly pronounce creme brulee or how to say "crosswalk" in Dutch (it's zebrapad in case you were wondering). Some taught me how to be more selfless and affectionate, while others taught me to guard myself a little more against the harshness of the world. I learned so many things from so many people, all of whom helped me grow into a person I'm proud to be. I can only hope that I positively affected them half as much as they influenced me.
Aside from those mentioned above, here are just a few of the people I was lucky enough to have cross my path, be it for a handful days or a number of months:
The German roommate who took me out on my first Saturday so I wouldn't be alone.
The Andalucians I helped with their startup (find my wonderful narration skills and some incredible technology here)
The waiter from the neighborhood bar who greeted me as I walked past every day.
The Italian that explored Toledo with me - thank you for showing me that talking to strangers can pay off.
The Portuguese that made me laugh harder than I have in a long time.
The Mexicana, mi socia, who laughed along with me through the struggles of international dating.
The Greek that served as my therapist, late night ice cream buddy, and dancing queen - thank you for giving me the courage to live without fear of judgement.
The Spaniard who supported my chai latte addiction - thank you for laughing along with me through all the errors that come with speaking another language.
The Catalan who opened her house and made me a part of the family - thank you for telling me it's okay to be young and (relatively) stupid.
"See you later" is a phrase I very much dislike using unless I know I mean it; to me it seems an empty and often times impersonal way of saying goodbye. That being said, I can only hope I'm lucky enough to see these people again. But in the case that some of these goodbyes are forever: thank you for making my life that much better. Fue un placer coincidir con vosotros.
