Mis queridos padres...

After Dani and the boys returned to their respective countries, I finally had a moment to breathe. For the first time in weeks, I found myself sitting on my bed, alone, in an empty apartment. While it had been fabulous seeing so many friends, it was nice to have a moment to collect myself again. I spent a few days casually studying for my upcoming exams and enjoying the improving weather with Ivan and Elena in Retiro Park. Before I knew it, my parents were on their way to visit me. The night before their arrival, we had a goodbye party for our good friend and flat mate, Dominik, who was heading back to Germany a few days later. A great time was had by all, and as always, there was plenty of tasty food and wine to go around our crowded apartment. I finally headed to bed about four thirty, leaving just enough time to catch two hours of sleep before leaving to pick up my parents at the airport that morning. Seeing them walk out of baggage claim was a very surreal experience and I realized at that moment just how much I had missed them since our last time together the previous August.
Having them here was a very special time for me, being able to show them around the city and help them understand exactly what I had been doing all year. I had booked them into a small hotel two blocks from my apartment, which was quite convenient, and we spent the first few days passing by the royal palace, making tranquil stops in various parks and plazas, the Prado museum, the university, and my favorite neighborhoods. They had a few different tapas experiences and we had an absolutely fabulous dinner in an Indian restaurant I had wanted to try, where we struck up a conversation with a 9 language speaking Argentinean martial arts instructor. We also saw an incredible flamenco show. This was all in the first couple days before they left for Barcelona, leaving me sadly behind to cram for and sit two midterm exams as they went on an adventure to a city I have still yet to visit. They arrived back in Madrid on Friday afternoon with stories of their adventure, and we spent the night walking around the city. We ended the night at a fancier tapas restaurant called La Musa that was packed with people and unique food. I was absolutely stuffed after trying all sorts of new tapas and desserts.
Saturday, their last day in Madrid, we spent seeing the last parts of the city I wanted to show them, like the huge forest-like gardens that extend to the south of the Royal Palace. We also took a cable car ride over Madrid's largest green space, La Casa del Campo, where we saw the end of a morning bike race, and as the sun was setting, we stopped in Madrid's majestic Atocha train station. That night, we went to my favorite Thai restaurant with my friends Emma and Julie. It was really nice to have my parents get to know two of the people that have really helped me feel at home this year in Madrid. I couldn't have asked for a better visit from my parents and I really did enjoy every minute that they were here.
The excitement of my parents' visit was slightly dulled by the departure of Dominik, which was a bit hard to swallow. The night before he left, after I had dropped off my parents for the night, I joined him, Emma, Pablo, and Annie at a nearby tapas restaurant for one last toast and chat before his departure the next day. As my parents and I helped him carry his last things to his car the next morning, I found myself at a loss for words for what exactly to say to him. I knew I would be seeing him for a short hello and cup of coffee in another month as he passed through Madrid on his way to Peru, but it still felt like goodbye, so it was hard to know exactly what to say. It made it easier, when seeming to be thinking the same thing, he told me that the words weren't necessary at that moment, and that we would be seeing each other again soon.

I still struggle with how to tell Dominik how much he has unknowingly affected my life. In the end, we never became quite as close as I would have liked to have been, the result of both leading two busy lives, but Dominik had a profound influence on me during the 7 months that I knew him. Not on any incredibly deep level, but on a very basic one, which is all the more important, I think. He is a person that I really admire, and leads a life that I have almost attempted to mirror, I guess you could say. We are similar in many ways, I think, but he has always been impressively good at living his life how he wants to live it. One of the coolest people I have ever met, intelligent, hard working but understanding when not to work so hard and perfectly take advantage of the time when he doesn’t, such as this year in Spain. He always speaks his mind, but has the friendly personality that allows him to do it effectively. And while he is constantly busy, he finds time almost every single day to run distances that pushed me to my limits as I tagged along. He is one of those few people one meets in their life, that while they may not make up a large part of one's time on Earth, profoundly influence how one lives. I will remember Dominik and what he taught me for a very long time. I guess that he really way like that older brother that I never had.