no español: a tough decision.

Hello all -

I am writing to inform you of a difficult decision that I have come to in the past few days, although I believe it has been a long time coming. Living here in Madrid has taught me so much about myself, other people, a different culture and the world. I have been so incredibly lucky to have this opportunity, and I have done my best to take advantage of everything that has been offered to me since I've been here. I have balanced out the amount of traveling and exploring around Madrid during my weekends, and I have participated in many activities in order to get to know this side of the world a little better.

But I have also had an immensely difficult time being this far away from my family, my friends and my town - basically life as I know it. I realize that college is about growing up and maturing more, and moving on to a different chapter in your life. But I think I may have opened my book to the middle, overlooking the first few chapters that are crucial to gaining that independence. For every second that I love it here, there are one or two during which I am feeling sad, lonely, and homesick. As much as I look forward to spending time with my friends or walking around and stumbling upon things in this beautiful city, I equally look forward to being able to talk to my parents and others back home.

For these reasons and a few more, I have decided that one semester in Madrid will be enough for me. This January, I am going to attend Suffolk Boston. My hope is that it will be an easier adjustment for me, and I will be able to be happy all of the time, instead of just most of it. This has been a difficult decision to make because I don't want to be disappointed in myself. But I believe that I have learned and seen so much in the past few weeks, and one semester has filled my wish to study abroad. I don't believe this is the last time I will be in Europe, but I am doing my best to soak in the last few weeks I have here. It has been a crazy ride and if time turned back to April and it was time for me to decide, I would still choose to come here, because it has been a learning experience in all aspects from day one.

In other news, I discovered an incredibly beautiful park near where I'm staying, and fall is a beautiful time, so here are some pictures I hope you will enjoy.