Profunda Pena

Today, I miss my Spain classmates.
Almost every Friday, if most people were in town, we would all meet in front of the Mercadona (a Meijer-type grocery store) to buy some junk food (and, in Alyssa's case, bread) and then we would head up to Sarah's host mama's apartment to eat, drink some sangria, and watch a movie.
This was always a highlight of my week, and not just because Ben usually managed to snag us movies that a) were brand-new in the States and b) most of the time, not even released in Spain yet. It wasn't even because of the mountains of Rebuena cookies that we all ate. Or the fresh strawberries, ice cream, or any other manner of junk food we managed to find.
It was always a highlight because I loved spending time with these people, no matter what we were doing. We could have been just lounging around in Sarah's room chatting (and we often did). It wouldn't have mattered to me. I just liked being around everyone.
Lately, I've really been missing that. And not just the thought of "hmm, I miss them." It's more like..."I really want to see these people. There's a place in my heart that only these people can fill." A part of my heart hurts without them.
One of my very good friends told me that a person can grieve anything that has been lost. I think that most of the time we attribute the action (or state of being) of 'grieving' only to the times when a loved one has passed away. Well, none of my Spain classmates have passed away. But I still grieve the "loss" of them. The loss of seeing them every day, being able to talk to them basically whenever I wanted/needed to, being able to go out  with them for cafe con leche, or even being able to simply lay on the beach in the sun with them. I grieve that loss.

I know I'll see them all again. That's a given. But for right now, I wish we were in Sarah's bedroom, laughing and eating and enjoying each other.