2.5 Months Later: Reflections on Spain

Despite my best intentions of blogging weekly, three sad entry-free weeks have passed without sharing any updates on my life here with ya'll (#southerncharm). Last weekend was my first FULL weekend in Sevilla since the beginning of March and, as fate would have it, I caught the stomach flu. It was very short-lived, but needless to say I spent the majority of the weekend resting in bed. As annoying/uncomfortable as it was, in retrospect it was a blessing-in-disguise because it forced me to stay home and fully recover from what had been a month of nonstop action as well as reflect a little more on my experience here. 


Wow, what a special and unique time the study abroad experience is! As any student studying in a foreign country will tell you, the experience is characterized by one giant messy clusterfuck (sorry for the language) of infatuation, exhaustion, amusement, nostalgia, fiesta, self-doubt, self-assurance, and, to sum it all up: LIFE! Life... but a very specific chunk of it that is quite removed from reality. Honestly, when am I going to encounter another opportunity quite like this one where I can get away with traveling to hidden gems every other weekend, meeting new people everywhere I turn, practicing a language I love daily, and living in the heart of southern Spain without having to worry about work, school (only a little), and the general responsibilities of day to day life?? Probably NEVER! This time in my life is so special that I truly need to squeeze as much juice out of those naranjos (orange trees) as I possibly can. That being said, it is important to reflect as well upon the times that have not been so fun here in Spain. I have felt lonely, struggled with relinquishing the control that I'm used to having over my life at home, experienced fatigue more times than I can count, and genuinely missed the familiar.


The thing is, though, discomfort is necessary to get the most out of this experience. If we never learn to test new waters and try on Spanish Ray Berries (ok, terrible metaphor) then what are we truly here for? I did not move to Spain to come back the same person. Life is a game of perspective; a beautiful game in which we hold the cards and can win every hand if we learn to play them right. In this light, loneliness is an opportunity to make new friends, relinquishing control is setting ourselves free from habit, fatigue is an opportunity to reflect rather than act, and nostalgia pushes us to fall in love again with the things in life we take for granted.


So when bad days look like that, how can you not be thankful for them??


Here are some quick snippets of what I've been up to lately:

I stayed in a hotel on a beach in Morocco

I walked on the coast of northern Africa

I went to a spice shop in Tetuan

I kissed a two-week old camel in Tangiers

I took a picture with our amazingly kind guide in Chefchaouen 

I had rooftop drinks overlooking the cathedral in Sevilla

I made new friends :)

After a very tranquil two weeks, I leave again tomorrow to explore the northern coast of Spain in Cantabria! I am taking a 7 hour train ride from Sevilla to Santander (stopping in Madrid) and am so excited I can barely handle it (it's Semana Santa next week so we don't have school, I will be traveling from Saturday to Wednesday). In planning this trip, I literally google imaged "northern coast of spain", "cliffs northern spain", and "scenic northern spain" then clicked on the prettiest pictures to decide where I wanted to visit (...before doing a little more extensive research). I originally planned to travel solo but my friend Russell has decided to tag along as well, so it'll be great to have some company as I frolick around the beaches, cliffs, and mountains of this gorgeous region. I can't wait to write about my adventure when I get back!! Hasta luego, xo.