Whether it’s Kings Dominion or Hershey Park, I’ve always been one to love the thrill of roller coasters; the eagerness awaiting the fall, the thrill of flying through the air at unknown speeds at glorious heights, the jerk of the stop and the rush of emotion both positive and negative that follows. What is life if you’re not experiencing it, right?
I’ve found that after three months abroad, my life has turned into the most fascinating ride of all. It’s almost as if my experiences are mimicking the feelings that inhibit the characteristics of my favorite coaster of all time, the infamous “The Bear” from Hershey Park. One month ago I was high on life; I was traveling the world and couldn’t get enough. Since then, I’ve spent time encountering the magic that is Barcelona, visited Valencia to celebrate the Spanish tradition of Las Fallas, and of course, midterms. One by one, my roller coaster of a life went back up and down the track.
In Barcelona I had the opportunity to visit one of the most well-known churches in Europe, La Sagrada Familia. My friends and I had just reached our exit for the metro and were walking up out of the station and straight into the streets of Barcelona when I saw what gave a new meaning to the phrase ‘stop and stare.’ No building has ever made me literally stop in my tracks before; I was amazed. The architecture, time and effort put into this temple is breathtakingly beautiful and no picture or testament can do it justice.
Las Fallas had a similar effect on me. This festival that takes place in Valencia, Spain every year. People from all over Europe flock to come see. For four straight days, the city of Valencia becomes one big party. This was the most amazing waste of money I have ever seen. From firecrackers and fireworks galore, the town was literally lit up in flames at midnight of the final day.
Next came midterms, the most glorious part of study abroad. I think it was the culmination of traveling so much that wore me down just in time to hit a low while studying for the exams that account for almost half of my grade (yes, they transfer). After the nervousness of waiting to leave home, adapting to my new life, and then falling in love with that life, I came back down to reality. My roller coaster was swerving up, down, left, right—all around, and I wasn’t prepared.
Luckily, my family came to save me. Five days ago, I walked into the Meliá Alicante hotel next to the beach and there they were. I had never been so happy to see their faces. My week with them has been such a relief, although my mother has become slightly dependent on me to order her ever-so-specific meal choices in only Spanish-speaking restaurants. I thought that was exhausting until my Spanish madre here in Alicante graciously wanted to cook a big paella comida (lunch) for her family and mine all together before my family left. Good thing they all speak different languages.
Thank goodness spring break is only 24 hours away. And when I say spring break, I mean a full two weeks of traversing through five different European cities. Thankfully I bought a small travel suitcase that rolls to take with me on all of the planes, buses, trains, gondolas, piggy-back rides, and whatever else form of transportation I am going to use. But since it’s the same size as a backpack, I’m still going to check back-packing through Europe off of my bucket list.
Rounding the corner of lap three, here we go. Hasta luego.