Adiós, España

As I climbed into a taxi this morning and traveled to the Madrid-Barajas Airport, I reflected on my journey through Spain (preferential to awkward small talk with the cab driver, right?). When I was preparing for this trip, I really had no idea what to expect. The only other nation I’d really been to for a long period of time was Canada. Which (let’s be honest) really isn’t much different from the US. Spain was a place that existed only in my mind. I had romanticized notions of what it would be like from when I was younger, but I think my actual expectations were quite realistic. I expected hot weather, beautiful architecture, and deliciously different food, and I think these were all fulfilled. My only real fear going into this trip was the adjustment to the new culture, new people, and new language, but I really had no problem with it. I think this revealed how open-minded and adaptable that I am. While in Spain, surprisingly enough, I actually thought to myself a few times, “Wow, Spain really isn’t that different.” Yes, there are the obvious cultural differences, visual distinctions, and language barriers. However, once I had adjusted a little to life in Tarragona, I honestly forgot that I was in Spain. My life had become routine very quickly as a student, and since I was surrounded by 21 other Americans constantly, it was very easy to ignore the fact that I was in another country. Not that I wanted to, of course – I tried to immerse myself in the culture as much as possible. Easier said than done – however much you try to assimilate into another culture, you still feel like an outsider. This was especially apparent with regards to the spoken language. I could get by on my high school level Spanish, but I would need to live in a Spanish-speaking nation for a long time in order to feel fully comfortable and fluent. On that note, I spoke a lot more Spanish when I was on my own in Madrid than when I was with the group in Tarragona and Barcelona – when you’re alone, you obviously can only rely on yourself.

One major thing that I learned about myself is that I don’t always love being a tourist. There are so many typical tourist activities that you are expected to do when visiting each city, and trust me, I did them all, and more. We saw Camp Nou, Park Guell, Sagrada Familia, and all of the other Gaudi creations in Barcelona. I visited the Palacio Real in Madrid, spent many hours surrounded by magnificent art at the Prado, Thyssen-Bornezisma, and Reina Sofia, and saw many a breathtaking artfully painted church ceiling. I’m not saying that my jaw didn’t drop when I walked into the Sagrada Familia, or that I didn’t nearly hyperventilate when standing five feet from my favorite painting, Velasquez’s Las Meninas, at the Prado. But I will say that my favorite day out of the entire five and a half weeks that I spent in Spain was the day that I hiked the mountains of Montserrat Monastery. I took a train for an hour and a half from Barcelona with a few friends, and ended up breaking off from the larger group with two other outdoorsy people. We hiked up to the very top of the mountain, climbed a huge boulder, and stood overlooking the Monastery and its surrounding rock formations. It was the most beautiful and majestic view that I’d ever experienced. I felt so privileged to have been standing upon that rock, and seeing what I was seeing. I didn’t want to leave. We were there for five hours, and I couldn’t stop smiling the entire time. Now, maybe it’s because I love the outdoors so much, and I have a thirst for adventure that can never be quenched, but this experience was by far the best day not only of this trip, but maybe even of my life. I think this was the most important revelation that I made, and I discussed it in depth with the two others as we rode the train back into the city. Even though I personally had only been to two European cities at that point, I started to realize that a city is really just a bunch of buildings and people. Yes, there is a ton of history wrapped up in all of those buildings and people, and I enjoyed visiting Tarragona, Barcelona, and Madrid, but at the end of the day, each is still just another city. There’s so much more to see out there than the major cities of a given country, and I want to see as much of it as I can. Next time I travel to another nation, I plan on spending a decent amount of time in the less-traveled parts of the country. Maybe then my need adventure will be more fulfilled. I will never forget the feeling that I had when standing on the top of Montserrat, and I will now travel in search of that same feeling.

I think that personally, I’ve become more aware of other existing cultures and the real differences that exist between them. I hadn’t really been exposed to any different cultures prior to this trip, and now I’ve been immersed in a culture completely different than my own for a long enough time to really analyze it. I also think I’m more confident in my ability to navigate on my own. Since I didn’t get an international plan for my phone, I had to get around Madrid solely dependent on my super-touristy map that came with my Madrid travel book. I was impressed with myself, and actually began to really know the city and its streets. I barely used my map the last two days of my time there. I’d strongly recommend trying this the next trip you go on – sometimes it is fun to wander around with just a map, and you really learn a lot about yourself and the city this way. And lastly, I think I realized how independent I really am. I spent an entire week alone in an unfamiliar city, and not once did I feel lonely or homesick. I don’t know many people who could say that, and I’m really surprised that I can.

My professional and academic goals haven’t changed. I had never considered an international career before this trip, and after spending so much time in Spain, I can say that my outlook hasn’t changed much. I enjoyed my time in Spain, but I don’t think I would want to live internationally for a long period of time. I was interested in the chemical plants that we visited in Tarragona, so I might consider their American branches.

I think that the single greatest benefit of studying abroad was that it gave me an opportunity to try something new. Actually, not something – a lot of things. There were a ton of adjustments that I had to make, as I mentioned when talking about my fears on this trip. Luckily, I’m not afraid of change, and I love adventure. I enjoyed and appreciated the chance to try new foods, make new friends, and become accustomed to a new culture. I think that the advice that I would give to future participants would be to have an open mind, and try everything. This may be your only opportunity to try something out, and you really have nothing to lose by doing so.

Despite how much I loved this trip, I don’t think I would study abroad again. I liked being able to explore each city and I don’t feel like I had enough time to just focus on exploring when I was taking classes. I have plenty of time to travel in the rest of my life, and it’s pretty impractical to try to study abroad as an engineering major. This trip was amazing, and I couldn’t have asked for a better experience, so I think I’ll just end my study abroad experiences there. Thanks for reading my blog!