There’s a saying by Neale Walsh: “Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.” If this is true, then I really wasn’t living until I studied abroad in Barcelona one year ago.
I had never been to Europe, let alone lived anywhere else except Massachusetts, so this in itself was already way out of my comfort zone. As someone who has lived so close to home for most of my life, you can imagine how anxious, nervous, but also excited I was to leave the United States for four months for the most amazing adventure.
I won’t get into all the details about how amazing Barcelona is, or how I fell in love with Paris when I saw the Eiffel Tower sparkle at midnight, or how blue and crystal clear the water is in Positano, Italy. (Am I making you jealous yet?) This is about how those four months made me grow up, become more independent, and appreciate everything around me much more.
Being thrust into a totally new environment and culture forces you to adapt to their ways. They weren’t in my country – I was in theirs and let me tell you, things are different. In Barcelona, everything is much more laid back. For example, they take their daily naps called siestas and eat dinner much later: around 10 pm. To be able to adapt to an entirely new culture without knowing much about it when I first arrived was a big adjustment.
Becoming more independent was the biggest change I saw in myself. First of all, I went to Barcelona alone. I knew of other people going, but I wasn’t best friends with them and we weren’t living together. Through my program, I was assigned random roommates to share an apartment with. I definitely hit the lottery when it came to roommates – I was assigned to live in the same room with a girl who also went to UMass. Now we live together back at school! So thanks Barcelona for giving me one of my best friends at school and others who are further away.
You also have to be independent when you go exploring through different cities. One thing I never realized is that my phone wouldn’t work while I was out. It worked while I had Wi-Fi, but when I was on my way to Parc Guell or Sagrada Familia and got lost in the streets, I couldn’t use the maps on my iPhone because I didn’t have service! I either had to go old school and use a paper map or ask a local in Spanish (gasp!) for help. Totally out of my comfort zone at first, but it became easier over time.
Sometimes there were places I wanted to go that others didn’t – a little café, store or restaurant. In order to make the most of your abroad experience, you have to be independent enough to go places alone. And it is okay to get lost sometimes! It can be fun to wander around, as you never know if you could come across something awesome!
Looking back on how I’ve changed since coming home in May, 2014, I do notice a change in myself. I am much more likely to try new things and go places alone. I also appreciate the American culture more. While water and bread are free in restaurants here, that is not the case in Europe. You never know how much this means until you lose it! It is the little things that you learn to really appreciate when you are gone for a while. However, I am also able to appreciate other cultures and their ways, too. There isn’t a right way to live as every place is different.
I never realized that there is so much more to the world than my hometown, Amherst and Massachusetts. So get out and explore!
Not a day goes by where I don’t think about Barcelona and the food, the nightlife, the culture and the memories I have there. And if this doesn’t convince all you Collegiettes to go and leave your comfort zone, I don’t know what will.
Photos are the author’s.