End of the Road

“Although we’ve come to the end of the road, still I can’t let go”

So sang Boyz II Men (bit of a dated reference I know), and the same’s true of my time here in Barcelona.

It’s a shame really that I couldn’t spend the whole year here, as only being here for four months has made this feel much more like a long holiday than anything else. That said, I’ve really enjoyed my time here and I’ve tried to get around and see as much of the city as possible in the short time I’ve had.

There’s just so much I’ll miss about living here.  I’ll miss walking past the Sagrada Familia on my way to work.  It’s such a fantastic example of Gaudi’s work and, even if you don’t know the history behind it, the sight of it alone is so impressive that you can never really get tired of looking at it.  I used to like seeing if I could notice any progress that had been made on it since the last time I saw it, usually with no obvious result, but occasionally you’d catch a glimpse of one of the painters working on the fruit sculptures on the towers, which always looked equal parts cool and terrifying.

I’ll miss the students at my job.  Teaching them for the past few months has been incredibly rewarding, and even though some might say that teaching children is more rewarding, it’s still been a thoroughly enjoyable experience.  Having taught some of my students since I started, I’ve really been able to see their progress.  One girl started at A2 level back in late September, and is now preparing to take her B2 Level English exam, so that’s been really rewarding to see.

I’ll miss my colleagues at the school, teachers and staff alike.  Working is one of the company’s smaller academies meant that there were only ever a few of us in at any one time, and when we didn’t have so many students we all got to know each other really well.  We went out into the city after work a few times, the last of which was Tuesday for our “Office Christmas Party”, which ended with me and another teacher belting out “Time of My Life” (the video of which will I’m sure make it onto Facebook at some point) in an Irish bar at 3 a.m, with the few Spaniards who were in with us looking very confused.

Ironically, that song we chose probably highlights exactly how I feel about my time here. It has honestly been the time of my life (I’m aware these music references are getting out of hand now), and I will miss it.  Still, on to Marseille and my next placement in Hostel Vertigo in the Vieux Port. If I enjoy it even half as much as Barcelona, I know I’ll have had a great time.

Feliz Navidad y Felices Fiestas!