At lunch with Juani and her friends yesterday, one of them told me, "When you see La Palma, you can never forget it. But when people ask you how it is, don't tell them— we don't want everyone finding out!" He is right. La Palma's beauty and peaceful energy are unforgettable, and La Palma's beauty and peaceful energy are unforgettable, and it will be hard to keep quiet about how special it is!
I asked my host mom the other day if she is used to her renters coming and going. She said, “Cuando ustedes se van, voy a estar… pero entiendo.” (“When you all go I will feel… but I understand.”) I feel the same way— it will be hard when it is time to leave, but I take comfort in knowing that these relationships and all I have learned will stay with me.
It will be emotional to say goodbye to my students, co-teachers, roommates, friends, and the beautiful island itself, but I am focusing on how lucky I am to have had the chance to meet them and to be here in the first place. Without the Fulbright Foundation support, I probably would never have heard about La Palma and would never have gotten to spend five unforgettable months as a part of this community.
