Malia in Madrid
Malia spent last semester in Madrid studying with American University. She checked in with us nearly every day via text, FaceTime, WhatsApp, and email to tell us about her experiences, ask questions or get help (often about the iPhone and cell service), or let us know where she was traveling next. Nearly every weekend she seemed to be going to another place in Spain or country in Europe, sometimes as part of the program and often to visit her friends studying in other cities. I honestly couldn’t keep up, and while I was a bit nervous for her safety, I also was confident that she’d make the most of every location.
When Malia returned home and unpacked, she gave me the football jersey I had requested from Atlético de Madrid, and under the Christmas tree she put gifts of small jam jars and bottles of olive oil from markets in Europe and gifts for her sister and brother. She also handed me a small crinkly brown bag filled with postcards, one from each of the places she’d traveled.
In the hubbub of the holidays, and our own family trip to the Caribbean, I didn’t take the time to look at the stack of postcards until we were back home.
Once I did, I realized that she’d written a note on the back of each card to tell us what she’d done in each place — enjoyed the views from Santorini, admired the artwork of Antoni Gaudí in Barcelona, eaten a lot of cannoli in Roma, hiked volcanoes in the Canary Islands, visited the Van Gogh Museum and Anne Frank House in Amsterdam, thought of our new house as she looked at the amazing tiles in Porto, enjoyed Geneva and the French town of Annecy with her friends, and felt the history of Valencia and Sevilla and Cordoba and Toledo.
And her writing was beautiful and full of feeling.
I don’t think I can accurately put into words what this experience means to me. I went into study abroad expecting to challenge myself and step outside my comfort zone but I wasn’t sure how much I would grow. I have learned so much about myself during this experience. I have been lucky enough to travel to multiple different countries and cities. And most of all, I’ve gotten to fall in love with Madrid.
In five months, Malia packed in a lot of travel and memories. When I finished reading the set of messages, I had tears in my eyes. This pack of postcards was a beautiful and thoughtful gift to give me and Erin. We are so glad that she made the most of this opportunity to study abroad.
Mostly, I’m proud that Malia’s handwritten messages conveyed her wonder about this world and her sense of good fortune. “I’m beyond grateful for this experience,” she wrote in her final card.
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© Anton Zuiker