Hasta luego

In Spain, they do this thing where whenever you leave somewhere, they say "luego" (which means "later") instead of "adios" (bye).  Even in a situation where it's obvious I'll never return, like a snack store in Ibiza or, hopefully, the doctor's office in Madrid, the people smile and say, "luego!" as I walk out the door.

I've also noticed people on the streets say "luego" instead of "hello" whenever they pass by friends as well.  The man on the corner snack stand waves "later" every time I pass by. In a way it makes sense, because anyone you are greeting you are probably going to see later.

It's taken me a while to get used to this slight cultural difference. I'm always sputtering, "Goodbye!"when I leave places. But today is the day that I'm finally sinking in to the Spanish way. As I make my way to the airport this morning, I don't want to say "adios" to anyone. My time in Spain has been amazing, and I have no doubt in my mind I want to come back. So I really mean it when instead of saying bye, I just say, "See ya later!"

Which is what I am about to go say to Mercedes right now. And though it's going to be hard and emotional, it has to be done because I heard there's this woman in the U.S. whose name also starts with an M who REALLY wants to give me a hug.