Until our next hello

Our time here is coming to an end.

I can remember seeing this city for the first time as the plane flew over it and circled back towards the airport.
I knew that this was where I was supposed to be.

There I sat
Flying above the city
seeing my future play out before me
as I played out a future before myself.
What would be different?
What would be the same?
Who would I meet?
What adventures would I find?

My dad took me on adventures as a kid
Maybe to prepare me for the journeys I'd have to take by myself
Maybe because adventures together were better shared than borrowed
Maybe because I was a cool little kid to go on adventures with

Our time together meant so much to me
The value was in the time spent rather than the sights seen

Dad, I can't thank you enough for all those times you spent with me, taking me on adventures, exploring with me, and leading me as I was following you.

Soon my dad will be here in Barcelona.

I will show him the sights I've seen and tell him about the adventures I've had.

I will show him the places I've grown up and tell him about the lessons I've learned.

And together again, we will go on adventures

Dad, I can't thank you enough for coming to collect me

These goodbyes will be extremely difficult and I'm certainly glad I won't have to board that departing plane alone. 

I'm anticipating goodbyes here as well as hellos there but a goodbye implies an end so can't we agree that we're really just anticipating the next hello?


To the friends I've made here,

I hope these words find you somewhere in between studying for finals, breathing deep breaths, and taking the time to reflect upon this journey. I know I am right there with you. Between one more paper and four more tests, it's hard to think about ten more days.

I feel as though I've accomplished everything I set out to do and I hope you do as well.

We all agree that Barcelona is an incredible city for more reasons than just the ones we discovered during our time here. This city is majestic. But Barcelona is more than just a city, it was our meeting point, it was our home. Barcelona gave us one thing in common that could then spark a friendship. 

My favorite memories here involve you. They involve your faces, your voices, and your stories. They involve not so much who you are as much as who you were becoming. 

You all provided me with a place to call home as we all tried to navigate our way around the city streets and this thing we call Life. 
We lived together. We ate and certainly drank with each other. We laughed about things as we laughed at ourselves. Inside jokes were formed as we observed our world from the outside looking in. We were there to go on adventures together and grab drinks with each other after a long day or a short week. We learned from each other as much as we grew up with each other. We lived a life here as we lived our lives together.

I will always be thankful for my time here and especially thankful for my time with you. You all made this journey worth the destination because without Barcelona I wouldn't have met you. 

Life will not be the same after we leave but I'm sure glad we had what we had while we had it.
Thank you for the good times and the better memories.
I can't wait to see where you'll go from here. 

Always a good book to read during a transition in Life

Until our next hello,

Cole




PS 
If you ever find yourself in Austin, you know who to call