If there is one thing I didn?t expect to encounter in the first days of my time abroad was the extreme longing for familiarity. The aspect I was most anticipating was the mystery of the circumstance as I counted the days to when I left my home in the States for a new one in Spain. The first activity I attempted to interact with the culture and people of Spain was ordering food. To say the least, most expectations (of which I had few and modest ones) were shattered. I realized, I don?t speak this language. I don?t know the custom?s. I feel like I?m in the way of everyone here just trying to live their lives. I?m not sure I can even buy food. These are not good feelings and lead to an individual seeking what they are familiar with; for me this seemed to be my fellow aggies on the trip. The title of this piece is a line from a cattle herding song about? rounding up cows to settle in. Those words of the title are the best representation of what I felt first when I came here; taking shelter. This is admittedly slightly pitiful. But I?m here to tell a happier story, one of incredible enjoyment, fulfillment, and reward from several days on the streets of Barcelona. My fellow aggies, of which I have come to call friends, and I have no choice but to run out of our shells and embrace every aspect of Spanish culture. In only a handful of days (feeling like either a couple hours or several weeks worth of time, I can?t tell which yet), we made incredible strides in being able to not only interact with locals but appreciate and cherish their culture.
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