It’s a bit obscure explaining why to study abroad. My experience was so eye opening and enlightening that it’s difficult to solidify concrete thoughts and feelings I have towards exploring the world outside the borders of America.
Having a mixture of culture here in the U.S. has exposed me to a variety of customs. Actually being submerged into new countries and cultures has made me happier, more aware, more willing, and more travel hungry.
Have you had patatas bravas on your way to an amusement park up in the Barcelona mountains?
Been to a Berlin flea market surrounded by local art and World War II memorabilia?
Rode a camel in a setting surrounded just by the sandy desert of Morocco?
Seen the Sixteenth Chapel with your own eyes?
Gone snorkeling in the Mediterranean Sea and seen Patrick the Star (definitely an impersonator) alongside an octopus?
Those were some of things I did after class. What were you up to?
It’s crazy to consider that the descriptions of the above adventures don’t come anywhere near the real thing. Today in 2016, we live through photos more than ever. I constantly said this picture doesn’t serve this breathtaking view justice. While my time abroad, I obviously posted my travels. People I went to high school with, college friends, family members, and people I haven’t talked to in years were mesmerized by the everyday sights I got to experience this past summer. My daily commute to my internship and class was Gaudi’s famous Sagrada Familia creation. That always amazed me walking down to the Metro station.
As I sit here staring out the train window back in the U.S., I just flashbacked to staring out the train window in Barcelona and Paris. I would do anything to get the authentic street art view with the Eiffel Tower in the background or waves in the vibrant blue sea crashing into rock fixtures.
I’m not the same person I was when I hugged my parents and siblings goodbye. I was oblivious to the experience I was stepping into. Not only did I learn during my travels, I learned so much within the classroom and my internship on a professional and cultural awareness level. My internship allowed me to read into the Spanish/European market and how consumers act with consumer behavior. I also expanded my Spanish proficiency with my translating tasks as well as working in a Spanish-speaking office.
The course I took taught me there’s more than just the “American way.” I didn’t really know that was present in my decisions until it was put up in comparison with how Spanish people work, eat, live, and exist on this planet.
I didn’t take this experience on my own. I got to go with my best friends and I met a great number of lifetime friends. I’m so glad we got lucky to be in the same program, same summer, same neighborhood, and same apartment. I love them all!
This past summer I scratched on the surface of being exposed to Barcelona, Paris, Tarragona, Berlin, Rome, Stiges, Canary Islands, Ocata, and Morocco during a two-month period. That for sure was one summer for the books!