This was supposed to come 3 weeks ago, but I may have gotten slightly distracted. I hear there are some kind of cool things to do while living abroad. Anyway, forget halfway reflections, I give you my 71% of the way done reflections!
Language – My Spanish is miles and miles ahead of where it was when I first got here in August, with Creole still stuck in my head and my first instinct when I had to speak. I can hold a conversation with anyone on the street, understand pretty much everything that is said to me, and I’ve learned so much grammatically as well. That being said, I still struggle with being able to say that I’m thinking, and I feel like I have to prepare what I’m going to say in advance so that I can know I’m right. I want to be willing to sound like that stupid American when I talk, because that’s the only way I’ll get better.
Money – Well, things would be much easier if I was a millionaire. Unfortunately, that’s not the case. To be honest, the hardest part about my money situation is the constant worry about whether what I’m doing is too expensive, or what I could be doing to save money. I want to be able to enjoy my experiences here, and while I obviously am, it still sucks to always have my bank account balance in the back of my mind. I’ll be getting back to the US with pretty much no money left, which isn’t ideal, but at the same time, when I was thinking what I would have done differently, the answer is nothing. I wouldn’t trade a single trip or experience I’ve had thus far, and even though I’ll have to work pretty much constantly when I get back to have enough money to pay my rent, it’ll be worth it. (I hope.)
Classes – Different, that’s for sure. Very little busy work in any of my five classes, and I can go weeks without needing to do any work. However, I had midterm week last week (5 midterms in 3 days, including 3 in one day, let me tell you how fun that was) and I can say that they were really, really hard. In Spain, a 5 (on a 10 point scale) is a pass, and most students are content with a 5. Obviously, that isn’t the case in America, and so all of us were freaking out about our grades. In Spanish terms, my grades were pretty great, but for my GPA, a couple probably weren’t so hot. All I know is I will be studying very hard for finals.
Trips – Amazing. I’ve been lucky and everywhere that I’ve gone has been absolutely incredible. I don’t know if I could pick a favorite, but Paris is the standard that I measure the rest of my trips against. I also had the best burger of my life there. Dublin reminded me so much of Boston, and it was definitely the place I felt most at home, and the countryside with the cliffs was breath-taking. Also the best apple pies in the entire world – I ate six in probably ten minutes. Portugal was the most fun, adventurous weekend I’ve had so far, and I’ll be talking about it for the rest of my life. I’ve also been lucky enough to travel to so many different cities in Spain and get a real feel for Andalucia, as well as northern Spain and Catalonia. I haven’t gone to London, Morocco, or Denmark yet, but those are some of my most anticipated trips too! It’s been a whirlwind four months, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Food – Obviously one of my favorite topics. First up, the food in Sevilla. I’ve been lucky to have a senora who is an incredible cook. There has been approximately one meal in the past 3 months that I haven’t liked. One. Uno. That’s pretty amazing. She also has Taco Tuesday, which all of my friends are jealous of and I pretty much live for. That, and the paella, tortilla de patatas, and the 100% unhealthy amount of ice cream she feeds me. I haven’t gone out to eat much in Sevilla, but my friends and I go at least once a week to Cien Montaditos, a place with 1 euro sandwiches and tinto that we love. Also, the ice cream here is out of this world. A place right across the street has some amazing s’mores ice cream. However, there is a long list of food that I miss that doesn’t exist here that I'll condense for your benefit (take note, Mom): chicken parm, BREAKFAST (pancakes, eggs, bacon, any of the above), mac and cheese, Chipotle, lemonade, and Aroma Joe’s coffee. Okay, rant over.
Friends – I miss Boston a lot, but if it weren’t for my friends that I miss even more, I would never want to go home. And every time I consider dropping out of school and staying here forever, I get a snapchat from my roommates about the crazy things they’re doing or a friend messages me about the Boston Book Festival. I also can’t wait to see my family, who I miss so much. That being said, I’ve made the most amazing friends here. It’s hard to believe that my first week here I was wondering how I’d survive these four months, and I planned on Skyping my home friends every day. This has been an incredible, amazing experience, but it’s been made even better by the wonderful people that I’ve gotten to share it with. We do crazy things, and have way too much fun, but I wouldn’t have some of my best memories from this semester without them. And now I have an excuse to buy plane tickets to California.
In summary: 71% of the way done with my abroad experience, I want time to slow down so I can stay here forever. I’m completely in love with Spain and Sevilla, and leaving is going to suck big time. But, I miss my friends and family so very much, and I can’t wait to see them again. Thanks for reading, and hopefully you’ll get another post before I’m flying back across the Atlantic in 6 weeks.
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