So a year ago today, I was packing, unpacking and repacking my bags for Spain, about ready to set out on what is thus far, the greatest adventure of my life. When I got out of the car that night to hug my family and tell them I'd see them at Christmas time, I was nervous, excited, and completely oblivious. I had high expectations for Spain and my entire study abroad experience, but never in my WILDEST dreams could I have imagined what I was about to encounter. Everything about my life there was a dream. The sights, the smells, the tastes, the SOUNDS. It was incredible, literally beyond words. I learned that until then, I was blissfully ignorant of a whole big world out there. It's a world full of different languages, food, sleep schedules, customs..... it's a world of wonderfully different people and I just occupy the tiniest little bit.
I hope I never forget what it felt like to walk down Asuncion and marvel at the impeccably dressed babies, looking up at balcony's, and dodging little kids on bikes or playing soccer. I hope I never forget Mascarpone, or riding in the elevator, or how wonderful my bed felt after a full day of exploring. I hope I never forget how hot it was walking to class those first few weeks or the first time I saw the Cathedral. I hope I never forget walking out of those double doors to the excited mob of host moms or that first car ride and meal of spaghetti. I hope I never forget im-ing Kara and waiting for dinner or the sangria at O'Tapas..... I hope I never forget the feeling I had every single day in Spain.
It was the feeling of someone who is really alive. Someone who lives to experience and explore, someone who knows what a gift each day is, and someone who just can't stop smiling. It was amazing.
My life in Spain taught me a lot of things. It taught me the importance of learning new languages, cultures, and customs. It taught me the value in a slower paced lifestyle, the importance of friends and family, and that sometimes taking risks is the best way to discover something great. I could have gone back to Northwestern last fall - a place where I had friends, a routine, and assurance. But I didn't, I went to Spain knowing no one and not even knowing the language. And it changed me.
Now that students are heading over to Sevilla for this fall semester, I find myself a bit jealous. Who will stay with MY host parents? Who will discover MY favorite sandwiches at Cien Mont or MY favorite store? It's hard not to feel jealous and possessive over what can only be described as a living dream that was MY reality for a few months.
As much as I want to go back though, and as much as I want to do it again, I know it will never be the same. We will never again be that carefree or youthful. So for now, all I have are my memories, and damn they're great. I'll go back again someday, but I know it just can never be the same. And while this makes part of me so sad, the other part of me is hopeful that it was just the first of many wonderful adventures in my life.
I'm about to embark on my senior year of COLLEGE. Where did the time go? I have my whole life ahead of me and who's to say that can't be a dream too? After this summer, I'm excited to work. I'm excited to have a real purpose every day, to work with real, mature people, to be a real person. And, I'm excited for love and family and travel..... I'm excited to live.
So in the next year, I will graduate from college, hopefully find a job, start a career, and who knows what else? A lot can happen in a year....
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