Spanish for Farewell

Today is Thursday and the feint echo of conversation between my housemate Lola and her friend can be heard from our house's patio as I relax in our living room. Melodic Murcian Spanish mixed with the soft passing of the occasional unseen car are making the afternoon pass with much desired calmness.

Life in Murcia has maintained this rhythm for quite some time now. Relaxed. The weather forecast each day has been hot with  zero chance of chilliness for what seems like a few consecutive weeks. The lingering swoosh of a nearby tranvia (tram line) gives the false hope of possible breeze as I take in a quick view of a cloudless blue sky.

Sitting here, taking in the afternoon hours of the day, there exists a creeping internal storm that is due to hit the shores of my attention in exactly one week:

The completion of my English Language Assistant Contract. 

The realization of this unavoidable event has been something that I have been trying to ignore since returning home for a few weeks in early April. Despite numerous attempts in trying to swat away it's untimely arrival it can still be heard like the chirping of birds hidden within nearby ficus trees.

June 5th is the official last day of my teaching contract but half the classes in one school will be leaving for a field trip to Asturias on Monday, meaning that goodbyes with a lot of kids had take place this week. Saying farewell to close to seventy children, most of whom I will probably never see again, might have been one of the difficult moments of my life. After hugs mixed with the shaking of hands, I closed the door to classrooms being sadly aware that I would never open them ever again.  

In one week the high fives, the calling of volunteers, the writing on chalkboards, and the constant horsing around will stop. Deep down I want to make sure that each student lives a good life, stays in school, and becomes the best person they can possibly be but I know that my role in their world was only meant to go this far. Somewhere within the warmth of Murcian air the melody of beautifully sounding music has just been given its warning to stop due to noise complaints.

It's hard to physically put into words how it has felt to be a part of both Vicente Medina and Nuestra Señora de los Angelés but two descriptions that keep finding their way back into the forefront of my mind are challengingly incredible and incredibly challenging.

With no prior experience at managing or even talking to children in a classroom setting, nine months of working as a teacher in Murcia started very difficultly. However one month guided into another and a bond between myself and the students began to take foundation. Physically witnessing children learning makes me truly grateful for the professors that I once had in school and there exists inspiration to keep working with kids in the future.

Deep down I know that there are people, a great number of people as a matter of fact, who could have done a better job and who would have been more qualified to teach the children English than myself. At the same time I feel humbled, honored, and nothing short of proud to have had the opportunity to try my absolute best. Walking away I feel safe knowing that everyone, the students and myself included, has learned something from this experience.

Ascen, Rosa, Sarafina, David, and Señora Carmen all deserve great amounts of credit for showing me how to be an effective teacher and also for trusting me to serve as their assistant.

Despite June 5th being the final day of work, my last day in Spain won't be until Wednesday, June 24th. The remaining few weeks will be shared with Lola and Lucia, my two housemates and close friends, plus a week long trip outside of the country. On June 10th I will fly to Aarhus, Denmark to visit Lonnie and Mia, two really good friends who were met a few years ago in prior travels. From there a second plane will send me to Sweden to visit Malin, a close friend who I haven't seen in five years, then come back to Denmark to visit Cille, another friend who hasn't been seen for five years as well. These are all people that are very important to visit, especially if a return to Spain doesn't happen next school year.

A second stint in Murcia is very possible because I have been awarded a placement for next year at an still unknown school, however a final decision about whether to come back won't take place until later in the summer.

This post, like the past nine months of living in Murcia, is about to reach it's timely expiration. I may never buy colored dice, foamy bouncing balls, or Despicable Me stickers ever again but where there once was room in my backpack to store such items, there now sits nine months worth of wonderful memories.

Its now time to soak up some Murcian sun before it dips downward and out of site...

...towards Home.

Thank you for taking time out your day to read this blog, you are a very beautiful person.

Take care & stay in school :)

Daniel Anetac (Catena)