A Veces Parece Como un Sueno

It has almost been a month since I have returned to reality. Its strange how missing the city seems to linger. Sometimes I seem to forget I ever had the experience, other times it burns so brightly in my memory I ache inside for the life I built in South America. And it is difficult to
relay to the people back home lo que paso. Also many aren't really interested in knowing what it was like. They just want to hear that you had a good time and fell in love with the place, people, language etc. I think this is one of the most difficult parts in returning. There are a handful of experiences that I will share from the past four months with the people in my life. I discussed this with a friend before leaving and she brought up the point that even are best friends are not going to learn of many of the things we experienced and went through. And making peace with that is difficult sometimes. But what I am finding is that with the people I am close to, we just end up meeting on some common ground and finding out about the changes we've made to ourselves in this common place. I can't take them back through my memories to explain how I have changed. But I can say "Hey, this is where I am right now" and in many ways that is sharing my experience with them.

I'm really pleased how the personal growth I began abroad is continuing here. I thankfully have not relapsed back into the Monica I was the semester before I left. I am learning to integrate my new ideas and concepts into life "back home". This is a way I can preserve my memories from Argentina. Specific moments will fade in and out of my jumbled mind but the changes I made to myself are not going to be easily forgotten. These changes are fundamentally linked with the place in which they occurred.

So I am holding onto the sense of adventure that I ran around Buenos Aires with and getting ready to dive into my senior year and the uncertainty that will follow. And who knows, that uncertainty could end up leading me back to Mi Buenos Aires Querido.