The Adventures of Merrick: The Last Alicante Weeks

May 3rd, 2013

It's just about time for me to say goodbye to Alicante. My parents arrive on the 5th, and then it's time to spend the rest of my time abroad backpacking until I come home on June 9th.

So what have I been up to the past two weeks? Honestly, not too much. Until a few days ago, the weather had been extremely gloomy. It even hailed. I thought this was Spain!? It had been absolutely pouring for nearly a week straight, with wind to match, making it near impossible to do a whole lot past catching up on TV series and movies.

Goodbye's are strange. There are people I've spent the last four months with that, all of a sudden, will never be a part of my day to day life again. There are people that I've hung out with the first half of my stay that I've already have fallen out of touch with. There are people I've just met within the last month that I lament why I hadn't meet those people sooner. The daily commutes down the explanada, waking up to the view of the Mediterranean, the routine; it's like saying goodbye to a different life. And it's surreal.

For memory purposes, I got three t-shirts from the three things that defined my time in Alicante:

RocAlacant. Despite a very prominent language barrier, the community at this rock gym took me in from day one. They have driven my sorry butt from crag to crag, allowed me to climb virtually for free, and are the sole reason why I have even been able to make it to so many beautiful areas in Costa Blanca.
Barbaros Ultimate Frisbee. Who'da thought that I would come to Spain to discover a love for a sport outside of climbing? A sport that involves a ton of running at that! I now crave for every next opportunity to play ultimate. Being a part of this team has been an absolute pleasure, and I will take back the fondest memories of the many Wednesday and Saturdays spend playing such an amazing sport with such a wonderful group of people.
The University of Alicante. Of course I'm going to buy a t-shirt from my university. Especially when it says UA, the same name as our rival school in Arizona. Oh, the hilarity!

I have had some of the most eventful days and some of the craziest nights here in Alicante. The thought of not returning here for years, if ever, is incomprehensible.

And yet, it's almost concerning how ready I am to leave this place.

The best way I can begin to describe it is comparing the feeling to when one is choosing a college. Generally, one needs to visit the campuses in person, take a tour, and assess whether or not they can see themselves attending that school. It's not a decision based on the credentials or the programs. It's a decision solely based on the feeling that you belong there. I do not belong in Alicante. I do not belong in Spain. Don't get me wrong, it has been a wonderful and amazing experience here that has taught me more than I could have ever expected. But I'm ready to be done here.

I miss my Arizona life. There, I said it. People are all, "You're tired of it already? Why do you want to go home? I never want to go back to my life in the States!" Sure, I get it. The truth of it is, this Spanish party culture and homestay business just isn't my thing. I miss drinking to enjoy conversation and company (and maybe climb onto the roof), not to get wasted. I miss cooking how I want to eat. I miss my freedom of local travel outside the limits of buses and metros. I miss my AZ people, I miss my language. And surprisingly, I miss working and feeling productive. Being abroad has definitely shed light to the fact that I have a pretty damn good life back home. While it may not be located in an exotic or awe-inspiring part of the world like Spain or Europe, it has just about everything that I need to be happy. I guess that's what makes it home.

With inspiration from an LOTR quote, the time of Alicante is over, and the time of international European "go-wherever-the-wind-takes-me" travel is about to begin. Because there has been nothing of interest to take pictures of these past two weeks (that or I just don't carry my camera around with me every waking second), Here are some of the Alicante highlights over the last four months of my life:

Pictures: