Oy vey! Time has flown by, and not very slowly. It seemed like last week I was packing to leave, and then suddenly it was finals (which I totally owned) then a plane ride home. With just getting back a few days ago, adjusting to life in English again has been surprisingly a bit challenging. Some words I have to translate back to English from Spanish. I’m stuck in a Spanglish world. Although I only spent a few short months in Spain, there are some things I will never forget, memories that will stick to my brain for a lifetime. Traveling around and seeing new places is always amazing, exciting, and fun, but it is the people that I encountered, whether they were chance, one time meetings that were pleasant conversations that ended in us parting ways, or developed into newly blossomed friendships that will remain for a lifetime, they have branded a part of my heart and soul. You could see every museum and church a city has to offer, but if you never know the people, you’ll never truly know the city. I was given the opportunity to really get the chance to know a city, be a local, and actually dare I say, fit in? Within the past weekend of my “citizenship” in Córdoba, I was confused as a local twice! It made my heart secretly leap with joy.
There are things that I will miss (siesta, coke without high fructose corn syrup, my almost fanaticism with fútbol) and things I will definitely not miss (unending cat calls from creepy old men, crazy park jobs, patatas fritas), but all those things, whether good or bad, make up the country as a whole, and would not be the same without them. I think going abroad, whether it be through a school program or by one’s free will, is essential to living. You learn to appreciate things you have, love, and miss, while also learning new and different ways of doing things. It truly has been the most eye-opening experience of my life up until this point. People asked me, “Wow, you must be having the time of your life?!,” and to be honest, I hope this isn’t the peak of my life. To me, this is just the beginning. Now that I’ve seen and explored countries on the other side of the world, it’s only inspired me to push my goals and dreams further. I have so much in my life to look forward to, and I will always have my experiences abroad to thank as my muse. I have nothing to hold me back, the world is my oyster. I wish everyone could feel the same hunger (and thirst) for life as I do at this very moment, I feel like a frickin Disney Channel movie.
I know I will always be an American, but for a few short months, I was a true blooded Spaniard, and I will never forget it. I didn’t include a picture this week, because I could never choose one picture to sum up my experience as a whole. I leave this blank Polaroid picture in hopes that you’ll be inspired to make your own memories abroad, get out of your comfort zone, travel the world, and broaden your horizons. You’ll thank yourself! Thanks for following me in my past semester, and if you haven’t been, Resham still has them all posted from the beginning, so hop to it. I’m off to make my family some Spanish goodies for dinner, hope they like copious amounts of olive oil.
Un Besito,
Katie