It’s hard to begin a reflection for an experience I wish never ended. I will start off by saying, after three attempts of trying to study abroad, I am glad my final destination was one worth remembering forever. Study abroad experiences are always special. It is more special when you go in with an open slate and a positive mind. I am someone who travels a lot–and I’m foreign myself–therefore I will not sit here and describe how different I thought Spain was because it wasn’t a shock to me. The culture was different from the U.S., yes, quite different actually, however, it wasn’t like something I have not seen before. What was different to me was not the place, but the experience of living in Europe with 27 other Texans (most of which I have never met in my entire life). Seeing groups of friends form, people connect personally, team up when lost, support one another when hurt, check on one another when walking up the metro, spend hours running around the streets of Barcelona to find a location to watch El Classico (p.s. not able to yell out happiness when Real Madrid scores because you’re in Barcelona territory), and argue/miscalculate the portion to pay when splitting the check…and just endless weird but memorable experiences. There are a lot of cool experiences I have done that I will date only back to Barcelona, like seeing my friends order countless Sangrias, being confused by the Spanish friendliness not getting if they are flirting or not, seeing the beautiful architecture that traces back to religion and history, and questioning whether Spanish people even have water to drink (because they are never sipping on water). I made close friendships in such a small amount of time. Although my study abroad experience was only two weeks, Barcelona has opened my eyes to things I think I would have never learned in a classroom. Visiting Celler Diaz and seeing the rich involvement in family value and quality, and sensing their fear of growing, made me realize that growth does not have to be scary. Learning doesn’t have to be scary. The worst that can happen is for you to end up doing it wrong or saying something wrong maybe. And that’s even another chance to grow. Thank you Spain for giving me the opportunity to experience studying abroad before I graduate. Thank you for the endless memories built in such a beautiful country. Thank you for giving me the chance to experience not being understood by natives and having to get out of my comfort zone to get along. This isn’t a goodbye because I know I will be back. See you later Spain. Hasta luego Espa?a.
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