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Where the Heart Is

March 29th, 2014 emquin15

As I am writing this post, I feel a mixture of emotions.  In just 3 days it will be April, meaning only two short months are left for me in Palma.  Before leaving for Spain, the thought of being away from home in a foreign country for at least 10 months seemed daunting.  That’s practically one year of my life spent away from the comfort and convenience of America.  Anyone would be nervous, scared, excited.  Now looking back on those weeks before I made my journey across the Atlantic, I find that I have completed reversed my thoughts and emotions about living abroad for a year.

I love Palma, Mallorca, Spain and everything that comes with it.  The homesickness I felt first semester has long since passed. Now I realize why: this is my home. Not only do I know my way around the city and the island, pronouncing street names and villages like a native in the Mallorquin dialect, but also I feel emotionally connected to the place I am living. When I recently made a trip to Dublin, I felt homesick, not for Wisconsin or Holy Cross, but for Palma.

Here lays not just a beautiful island with great weather, but optimistic, welcoming people.  The relationships I have developed with a few special Mallorquins have helped me tremendously grow as a person, and I know they will last.  The thought of not having them in my everyday life this upcoming year, or years to come grieves me.

With this in mind, I intend on taking full advantage of my last two months here.  This year, although intimidating at first, now doesn’t feel long enough. There will always be a piece of my heart here in my new home.

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