Submitted by Althea Suniga on the 2019 spring semester program in Rome, Italy…
After a whole lot of rainy days in Rome, it wasn’t hard to jump right on a plane and head to sunny and warm Madrid. Only to get there and have all the locals tell us we came on the coldest weekend they’ve had so far. But it wasn’t hard to deny the sheer excitement I felt when the longest landing in all airplane history ended and I was running through the airport to catch a cab. Only for there to be a taxi strike. A young traveler’s dream. Despite the roadblocks we had just trying to get to our apartment for the weekend, Madrid’s magic was hard to deny. What was relieving was the change of language, after speaking the littlest Italian I know for three weeks, I was glad I finally got to show off my six years’ worth of Spanish. Only for me to keep saying “grazie” instead of “gracias.” They never tell you how hard it truly is to adapt to language, the conjugations, the proper translations.
But our saving grace came in the form of a couple we met over churros for breakfast. Married for fifty years, the warm couple was filled with stories and kindness, we didn’t expect to transpire into a whole day of touring five young adults around their city. With every street, there was a story and with every story there was an inside joke. The husband, having lived there his whole life, spit out facts like it was written on a cheat sheet on his palm. They were patient and they were the sun in the coldest day. I fully believe that half of the experience is comprised of the people that you spend it with. The beautiful couple we met was just the epitome of that. For when we departed at late afternoon to go our separate ways, you could tell there was a hole. The walk to tapas was quieter without the fun facts and it got a little colder because the sun had left. It’s almost heartbreaking yet the most heartwarming concept as well, that you meet people that mean so much for you at a time, and that might be the only time. After meeting the married couple, I am hopeful in my future travels to meet more amazing people and hear their stories as well. For I know that Madrid’s real magic, lies in this wonderful couple.