Final Project and Final Goodbyes

Okay, so I know I'm pretty late on this last blog post. BUT, after I left Spain, I spent the rest of my summer in Italy visiting family friends. While Italy was amazing, there was also no internet where I was staying so my blogs had to be put on hold. However, now I am back at Rutgers and although I'm happy to be home, I am missing Europe like crazy. Anyway, here's a recap of my final week in Palma. For the past few weeks I had been studying marine life and conservation while getting to explore one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. Our lectures were coming to a close and we were given our final assignment. I have to say, this project was one of my favorite parts of studying abroad. Our assignment was to assess a specific marine area and determine the consequences of building a prospective marina in that area. We picked an area called Cala Comtessa and Cala Xinxell. In the past this was a military zone, however it is no longer used for these purposes and has now become touristic beaches. However, because of the previous use as a military zone, the marine life was more or less conserved. It was our job to determine the specific species that would be majorly affected if these areas were suddenly developed through the construction of a marina. I loved going out on my own and snorkeling around the area and counting all the wildlife and habitat areas. You don't realize how many species can be thriving in such a little area and how important they are to the entire ecosystem. In addition to the assessing the marine species, we also had to think about how building a marine would affect wave patterns, pollution, erosion,economic factors etc. This project incorporated everything we had been learning about the past few weeks and brought it all together nicely. Our professors were extremely impressed with all the work we had put in. I was very proud of our group. After we presented, we all went out for a group lunch with all of the CIEE classes and teachers. It was really hard saying goodbye to everyone, especially my two friends who I had been in class with since the Netherlands. The time went way too fast! Had it already been two months?? It seemed impossible to me. I made amazing friends from all over the world that I am still in contact with and probably will be for a very long time. I even talk to my professors from time to time on facebook. This summer was incredible and unforgettable. I couldn't have asked for anything more from my study abroad experience.

- Victoria S.