Disclaimer: I am not claiming in any way to be physically financially burdened or experience the same obstacles as an individual from a low- income background. If any of this content comes off as offensive or insensitive, that is not my intent, so I apologize if that is the case.

As a New York City kid, I thought I had an appreciation for good food, but life in Salamanca has shown me that in gastronomic years, I’m still a child. At lunchtime, Salamanca winds to a halt as we all find our way home for la comida. Meals are a ritual of animated conversation and mind-numbingly delicious food. At Teresa’s table, my Spanish madre gathers together her husband and an occasional family guest. We savor Teresa’s three-course lunch as we watch the news, discuss politics, and talk about our days.

Week one down- time to reflect. What am I learning? What was it like to anxiously spend my first week in Australia? Fair warning: this is a bit of a stream of consciousness.

Current Mood:

I’m feeling it all. Nervous, excited, hungry, tired, yet energized.

“When you’re traveling with someone else, you share each discovery, but when you are alone, you have to carry each experience with you like a secret, something you have to write on your heart, because there’s no other way to preserve it.” –Shauna Niequist

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5M_BNCbj71Q

Solo soy una extranjera en esta gran ciudad / Una cara nueva / Un acento raro / Y un montón de cuentos que no han empezado

“I'm just a foreigner in this big city. / A new face / A strange accent / And a lot of stories that haven't started.”

-‘Extranjera’ by Claudia Prieto

Some of my best memories that I made in my time abroad involve animals. I have always loved learning about and seeing new animals in wild life sanctuaries, or better yet, in their natural habitats.

I didn’t realize how fast time could fly until I found myself packing up the remnants of the best four months of my life and saying goodbye to a place that will always be home. My time spent studying abroad in Barcelona seemed to have pass in the blink of an eye but I will forever be grateful for my experience, the friends and relationships I made, the places I traveled to, and the lessons I learned both inside and outside of the classroom.

For any student studying abroad in the Southern Hemisphere, a trip to Australia is a must-do!  Two friends and I went to Australia this last week, since the University of Canterbury does not hold classes a week before final exams begin.  

4 months later and I’m back from my longest trip yet. After a 2 month trip to Israel last summer, I returned and experienced extreme reverse culture shock. I saw everything through a new lens and questioned the way I found happiness in American culture. It took months to adjust. It seemed like just when things felt “normal” again, my semester in Spain came to a start. Of course, I anticipated culture shock while in Spain and reverse culture shock after my study abroad experience. Here I wanted to share some observations with you.