There is an entire universe of people and life beyond the starry skies of Texas. This semester exchange has honestly been the most life changing experience. For the majority of us, growing up, we’re told that in college we discover who we are and where we fit into the grand scheme of things, but being immersed in this culture for six months has taught me that college, and what comes after, is about creating the person you want to be. There is so much diversity and uniqueness in Barcelona, it is easily one of the warmest and most welcoming places and cultures I’ve ever experienced. I could be talking nonsense because as I mentioned in my previous submission, I haven’t been out of Texas too often! However, Spain has left a profound impression on my mind, and has been on my mind since my plane took off and circled the city once more. Honestly it is like salt to the wound knowing it would be some time before I returned. In our small towns, and even in cities, we can feel like we’re running out of faces to remember, but this experience has taught me the world has so much to offer. While hotdogs and red dye 40 are quite unforgettable, there is a palette of flavorful cultures waiting to be learned about. You gain an appreciation and see life in a new beauty and light. First and most importantly, our time on this Earth is finite, there is so much to see, yet so little time. Secondly, and bittersweetly, because we have such little time, the act of feeling, experiencing, and seeing life, the heavy and the light, is all precious in the human experience. I was staying on a street just around the corner from an elderly home in the center of Barcelona. Every morning on the way to the gym, I would walk past the building, old and young people just sitting outside, talking, smoking a cigarette, and just listening to music – people were at such ease – like nothing else mattered except the conversations in that moment. There was no commotion, no tangent thoughts about what was to come the following day; it made me realize how fast we move in the states and how we’re always in a constant state of worry. As college students in America, we’re kind of conditioned to brace ourselves for the realities of adulthood, but the reality is, adulthood can be whatever we see fit. Spain has taught me I can be anyone I want to be; it’s not unattainable, simply a lot of work to attain. While that may sound like a bore, I’ve also learned everything falls into place perfectly. I recognize some people might say it’s a little unrealistic to view life in this way, without much planning and just pure will and faith, however sometimes you have to be a little foolish in order to accomplish your dreams. Just like in religion, faith and hope can manifest immense amounts of energy to ensure you obtain everything you want in life. Life and the experience you expect out of it follows the same principles: have hope in yourself and everything else will fall into place.
“Here’s to the ones who dream
Foolish as they may seem
Here’s to the hearts that ache
Here’s to the mess we make”
– Emma Stone.
And as for first impressions, it is only the first, meaning there are still many, many more to come.