But instead of being a complete downer about saying "Adios" to my favorite Spanish city on this planet and all of the friends that have forever changed my life, I decided to compile a list of ten things I'm going to miss about this fantastic experience; ten things that have truly left a mark on my time here (although some of these ten things may be a tad silly).
Disclaimer: These are not listed in any particular order.
1. The microscopic spoons at the McDonald's in La Campana.
They're probably like that at every McDonald's in Europe, but I've grown strangely attached to my insanely small ice cream spoons. They help trick my mind into eating less (or so I'd like to think) and now when I go back to the monster spoons they have at the McDonald's in America it just won't be the same. Neither will the flavors of ice cream and McFlurry's, because Spain definitely had a lot of cool options going on like white chocolate. That has been my go to flavor this semester. Yum.
2. Milka chocolate and Kinder eggs.
These will forever have a place in my heart. Not only did I become attached to them when I lived in Germany as a kid, I have managed to re-addict myself every time I visit Europe. This will be one of the main reasons behind my reverse culture-shock and I don't know how to prepare myself for a world where there is no Milka chocolate or Kinder eggs...they have literally gotten me through all of my up's and down's while I've been living here.
3. Tea and coffee dates.
I'm sorry, but America just isn't the place for cute tea and coffee dates with your best gals. You can take a quick ten minute stroll in any direction and stumble upon the cutest coffee shop with bold flavored coffee and croissants and end up spending two hours just chatting about life with your friends. These have also been the location of some of the deepest heart-to-hearts I've had while abroad, so I am going to miss these little buggers so very much when I go home, as well as the conversations that occurred. Coffee and tea dates are the best when you need some life advice.
4. My walk to class.
I stare at this picture and think, "Wow." I'm simply in awe of the beauty I pass everyday on my way to la Universidad de Sevilla, and sometimes I take it for granted. I look back at pictures I quickly snap while walking to class and realize that I need to stop and smell the rose petals more (not literally... there aren't rose bushes here). I'm in love with my city, my beautiful Sevilla, and I will be devastated when I have to say goodbye.
5. Bad ass wine tasting excursions.
Word of advice: if your professor ever asks if anyone wants to take a class trip to a vineyard for wine tasting, you go. End of story. One of my favorite days while in Sevilla so far has been the day I decided to wake up early on one of my days off and go with my friends and my teacher from my "Literatura y Cocina" class to taste some awesome wine. Such a funny, intriguing, and wild day! One I surely won't forget.
6. Peggy Sue's: Food From America
To me, it's funny because I passed Peggy Sue's every day for so long before finally going with my friend Tori. Also, I could only get one item on the menu because it was the only thing without meat: Nachos and cheese. "Homemade nachos" was what was advertised. What did I get? Some stale tortilla chips with cheese from a can. It was pretty disgusting, but I was in love with the 50's style diner that I didn't mind too much that the food was absolutely horrible. My dessert, on the other hand, was absolutely fantastic. They should really specialize in American desserts, because in my opinion the food was spot on.
7. Bi Frutas.
Bi Frutas is honestly the best fruit juice you will ever have. And no straw is needed! Just peel back the little silver flap and start chugging away! They are also very cheap, so picking up a quick pick-me-upper (see what I did there?) in between classes was always easy, and Bi Frutas was just the perfect treat to make my day perfect. I don't know how I'm going to make it through the day without a Bi Frutas in America...I may have to find a way to ship these little guys.
8. Traveling art selfies.
There is so much artwork and statues to be found in Spain and in Europe in general, and I am going to miss seeing them firsthand while travelling. I am also going to miss taking ugly selfies/solo-pics with all artwork and statues I encountered. It was really quite magical, and definitely left me with some unfortunate looking photos from my time abroad. So I would like to take this time to say thank you, artwork of Europe, for getting me addicted to taking ugly selfies.
9. Partidos de Fútbol.
10. Halloween donuts and cupcakes at Dunkin' Donuts and Cupcakes and Go.
The Halloween treats were seriously works of art. Dunkin' Donuts always impresses me here with their donut craft, but during the Halloween season things get turned up twenty notches. The only downfall was that the prices for these beauties went up 1 euro, but hey, it was worth it. They were so delicious and so beautiful. The Halloween holiday in general was so interesting in Sevilla, because it was more about being scary than just dressing up. All of the costumes were centered around horror -- there were no princesses in sight!
11. BONUS: Saving the best for last... my friends.
I wish I could put all of the pictures I have...but that would be way too many for a blog post. The friends I have made here are some of the most genuine and caring people I've ever encountered. They're funny, they're not afraid to be themselves, they're the best shoulders to cry on and they're the best people to roll on the ground laughing with. My experience in Sevilla, Spain would not be the same were it not for these people, and I can without a doubt say that I would never want a different mishmash group of goofy people to accompany me across the world. I didn't know a single one of these people before arriving in this foreign city, and now they're some of my best friends. I know we will keep in touch, but it will still be very bittersweet to leave our beautiful home here in Sevilla in just 4 weeks and live in completely different parts of the country when we return to America. CNMJ Group Fall 2013: I love every single one of you.