Aidan McGrath, '11

The End?
June 11th, 2010

This is the final blog entry from my Study Abroad blog, which I wrote during my time studying in Palma de Mallorca, Spain.

      I'm currently flying from Dublin, Ireland, after making a quick pit stop to see my new cousin Jake before heading home to Boston. How is it that my time in Palma has finished so quickly and I'm writing the final blog of my junior year abroad? Our group has been experiencing the most confusing mix of emotions what with final exams and presentations, packing up our lives in every sense of the word and the inevitable "Good-bye" encounters that have secretly been looming in the back of our minds since last August. This is it: the grand finale. And what a finale it's been!
      Last Friday, 5 of us rented a semi-automatic car, a lime-green Renault Twingo (try imagining a clown car in green), and set out for a three day experience never to be forgotten. After picking up the car on Friday evening we traveled to the beautiful mountain town of Deia where we explored its tiny streets and took in the beautiful views including the nearby panorama of Sa Foradada. That same night we drove up to a spot called Na Burguesa, a restaurant perched atop a mountain overlooking all of Palma including the Bellver Castle. We stargazed and shared some chocolate and watched a fireworks show that was happening down along the shore.
      The next day we took the car on a journey to the north of Mallorca to a beautiful area called Formentor. We went to a pristine beach there for a couple hours and then drove to the Cap de Formentor where a giant lighthouse and indescribable view greet visitors-such an amazing sight that will be etched in my memory forever. That night was my final dinner with my madre's family. We ate traditional Mediterranean and Spanish food and I even got a few presents! That night also marked one of our last times out to the infamous Paseo Maritimo… (cue chorus from "Memories" by David Guetta & Kid Cudi, or maybe "Nosy Neighbor" by Akon?).
      Sunday was the day of all days: the same group traveled to a high-class area of Mallorca called Magaluf for a Kooks concert marking the opening of the new Mallorca Rocks Hotel. OK, so describing Magaluf as high-class is actually a huge stretch… Basically it's the Mecca for English hooligan tourists in search of a week of absolute debauchery. Guys walk around shirtless and girls in bikinis, all showing off their newly-acquired sunburns and brandishing some sort of fruity mixed drink. The streets consist of bars, casinos, arcades, restaurants, and, of course, tourist traps. You would never know you're in Spain-instead the atmosphere is more like a mini Florida… but with no dignity. Panama City Beach anyone? We decided that since we avoided being tourists all year we deserved a one-night lapse of Spanish-ness. What a hilarious, unforgettable time. The concert was great, the after-party a riot and the group bonding the highlight. Monday was our last day with the car so we drove to an awesome lagoon beach called Cala Pi in the South of Mallorca before returning Twingo to the airport. I can honestly say that the memory of my final weekend in Mallorca will stay with me always.
      One can't prepare for the range of emotions felt from having to pack up and leave Palma after living here for a year and making such great friendships and memories. On Tuesday I went to Son Hugo (the pool) one last time to say goodbye to the whole team and I didn't realize until then how much I was affected by everyone. I had become so comfortable with them and the abruptness of my leaving was so hard to comprehend on both sides. The finality finally hit me when Marcelo, the coach, and the rest of the team gave me a round of applause for my year with them. I hope I see them again in the future.
      Yesterday I bought Antonia a bouquet of flowers and got her a photo of the two of us to put in the picture frame that I got her at Christmas. I thought it would be a nice touch to close out the year together. When she got home she walked into the kitchen and just let out some silent tears. I think it hit her then that I'd be heading home soon and it was tough for me to watch her come to that realization.
      This year the best TV show in television history, Lost, came to an end and I found that the outcome of the show had a lot of themes in common with my study abroad experience. OK, yeah, the show was set on a beautiful island just like Mallorca but the ending had a lot to do with alternate realities and loving relationships. The whole last season of Lost highlighted the happenings not only in reality on the island but also in a separate world in which all of the characters experience happy, meaningful, love-filled lives, unlike the troubled backgrounds they all came from in real life. When the characters die in real life they enter into the happy reality with all of their loved ones and then "move on" to what is presumed to be heaven or whatever you want to call it. Now, I'm not saying that I, nor any of us for that matter, come from troubled backgrounds in real life-I can safely say that we all have lived happy lives up until this point. But god knows that problems arise for everyone sooner or later in life that cause grief and pain. After living in Mallorca for a year and not having one negative memory or regret, just happy memories with friends and family, I like to think that my "happy reality" will be like my experience in Mallorca. Thanks Lost.
      Thanks to everyone who's been reading my blog and has been living vicariously through me in my island paradise. I want to commend the HC Study Abroad program for making me spend a whole academic year in a vastly different culture from my own. My eyes have been opened and I now realize that a year is necessary for a truly meaningful experience.