Dear HC readers,
As I sit in my bed in this unknown home and city, I wonder about my fellow Deacons back in Winston Salem. I day-dream about all the activities that may have occurred on Orientation Week for the curious freshman, the proud sophomores, the juniors who couldn’t bear to leave, and the soon-to-be graduating seniors. I would have been part of the infamous O-week, but I am one of the juniors who chose to go abroad. Therefore, to the freshmen, I am one of the new faces you will be seeing in the spring when you are wondering why all of sudden the lines in the Pit just got longer. And, to my other companions of Wake Forest, I thought I would write just a few articles keeping you updated on what’s happening on the other side of the Atlantic.
I chose to study abroad in the simple but majestic city of Madrid, Spain with a host family. I was lucky enough to be set up with an elderly woman who lives on her own and cooks me breakfast and dinner – so it’s basically like living with your grandma except she speaks no English, and I only somewhat speak Spanish (if anyone can understand what I am saying past my stuttering).
Mara’s bedroom in her host family’s apartment
Firstly, I would say that my biggest challenge is being able to understand everything Conchita (my host mom) is saying to me in Spanish, and when she expects a response, it can be almost as if I’ve forgotten how to speak any language at all – I would sometimes just stand there frozen and lost. This feeling of nervousness was, of course, most intense on the first day, but I will proudly say that since then my Spanish has definitely improved, and our communication consists of this sign language sort of thing. To those who have never lived with a host family, I will tell you that the adjustment is not easy, but there are moments of humility that make up for the fact that you just moved across the ocean and landed in this unfamiliar bed on a street you can barely pronounce.
The first night was filled with an incredible amount of weariness from the jet lag and an overwhelming amount of nerves – you wonder what you will talk about at the dinner table, if you will like the food, if you will have a roommate, and what your bed will feel like. In most circumstances, the host family is just as nervous as you are – they too hope you will like their cooking and home just as much. I am not going to lie and say that the first few days weren’t awkward. I did not know how to turn on the shower or that I was expected to make my bed every morning before I left for school. After a few days though, Conchita began blowing loveable grandma-type kisses my way every day before she left the house and before she went to bed. I began to feel as though, in this city where I know maybe 20 people (including my professors), that there was someone from a completely different culture that cared for me.
Mara (far right) with her fellow deacons in Spain
In this foreign country of Spain, I am learning something new every day about myself and about the people surrounding me. I would have to say, though, the greatest lesson I have learned, thus far, is that no matter how awkward a situation may seem at first, the intensity will pass – which is something I believe all my fellow Deacons would agree with.
Until something else comes my way that I can’t help but share!
Hasta luego,
Mara Rodriguez