That's a wrap

I've been back in the States for two days and I've already fallen back into my old routine. It's funny how you can be in a different situation for an extended amount of time, then return to "normal" life and just pick up where you left off. In the shower, I subconsciously went through all the motions — though everything felt a bit extravagant after having experienced a huge range of hostel showers. Cash came to scratch my bed my first morning back (5:30 a.m., which was fine, as jet lag made me wake up at 4:30 a.m. anyway) and I picked him up and he licked me as usual.

Back home in Chicago!

There are other examples too — but they've made me worried that I'm going to easily forget my experiences in Europe, where life can be very different than here in the United States.

As you know, I spent most of my time in Granada, Spain, which is in southern Spain. At the end of the semester, Becca, Melissa and I traveled for an additional two and a half weeks, slowly making our way up the continent, eventually ending in the U.K. As we continued north, the culture and the landscape reminded us more and more of the United States. Overall, northern Europe is more modern and more "Westernized" than the rest of Europe.

For this reason, I'm very glad that I chose to study in an area of Europe that was very different and challenged me, both in the language and the culture. 

My running route with the perfect view of the Sierra Nevadas. :)

Speaking Spanish was a struggle. I have improved immensely, but I am nowhere near fluent. Learning a language takes an enormous amount of practice — much more than one semester. The frustrating thing is that as you continue to learn a language, you are more aware of the mistakes you are making. You have the tools to fix those mistakes, but it takes a lot of practice to avoid those mistakes. This is what I struggled with — at a point, I started to feel embarrassed that I was still making these mistakes, which made me clam up. I will have to seek out opportunities wherever I am to continue practicing the language, be it speaking, reading, writing or listening.

The Spanish culture was also a struggle too. I would not give back my experience for anything, but at points, I had a really difficult time. Southern Spain is very traditional and not very progressive, not to mention it has an unemployment rate of 36 percent in Andalusia (2013). Living with a host family was a good experience, albeit challenging. After living independently for a good portion of our college careers, many of us struggled with staying with a family where we didn't really have access to the kitchen, couldn't clean our own clothes, had to be conservative with electricity and water usage and occasionally had trouble communicating. Spaniards are also very blunt — many of us were told things by our host families that took us aback.

But all these experiences have made me a different and stronger person. Continuing to learn Spanish has continued to open the door to another world. Like learning music, learning a different language makes you look at words and structures differently, and not assume that your language is the "right" or "best" language (a very important thing for us native English speakers). Being able to find out information or solve a problem in another language is also a powerful feeling. The fact that southern Spain was so different for us than life in the United States made me realize that most of the world is very different than what we're accustomed to. Many of us do live extravagant and very modern lives that seem normal, because that is what we are accustomed to. We (and countries in northern Europe) live "Western" lives, which are what many countries would like to replicate. We strive to be the cleanest, the most technological, the fastest, et cetera. But that is not the case in most of the world. In Spain, life moved slower. We couldn't use our credit or debit cards barely anywhere, and were given dirty looks when we tried to use a 20€ note to pay for an 8€ purchase, something that cashiers here would not even bat an eye at. It took almost three weeks for the Wi-Fi to be installed and working in my host family's apartment, something that would take just a few days here. And those ways are not wrong — we're just used to other ways.

On another note, I now feel more comfortable in my own skin. I've discovered more of who I am and how I operate in certain situations. I often had to exercise humility — I asked so many people so many questions, many of whom were very helpful and others who I just shrugged off when they looked at me with the "stupid tourist" face. I've always described myself as more of a shy person, but now I feel like I can talk to anyone about anything. I learned I actually love dancing, whether it be salsa or to funk music in a club in Amsterdam. I feel most free and alive in nature — during hikes, while skiing or standing by a lake in the suburbs of Copenhagen. I love meeting people who beat to their own drummer — those with fascinating stories who lead lives that are off the beaten path. I don't like being restricted — I need independence and responsibility.

The Trevi Fountain in Rome!

I could go on and on here, but this post is already getting long and I don't want to lose you. So, I just want to say this: No one studies abroad to actually study. You never hear someone say, "Yeah, I want to study in Paris because I really like the classes offered there." AND THAT'S OK. I didn't study abroad because I wanted to take Spanish classes. Yes, I finished my Spanish minor, but I also practiced the language, grew as a person and traveled a ton. Some people scoff at study abroad because you don't really study. But that's really not the point. As the world is more global and diverse, we are coming into contact with more cultures than ever before. For that reason, it is so important to understand other cultures. It took getting out of the United States for me to understand American culture (barbecues and Target, that's Americana right there). But now I also understand Spanish culture, and there are so many others that I now want to learn, so I can understand why people are the way they are. Our culture is very much a part of us, and it can sometimes blind us to other ways of life. If we could understand other cultures, our world would be able to integrate more easily than it is right now. This is a challenge that we are now facing in this modern and connected world, and one that needs to be worked on. So, if you get the chance, study abroad. Challenge yourself and go somewhere that's a little off the beaten path. I have changed, you will change, and I hope that we can remember and hold on to those experiences for our entire lives.

Alex, on the left, is my mom's friend from high school,
whom we stayed with at her home in Waterloo :)

The lovely Mannekin Pis in Brussels.
Also, my travel buddies for the last two and a half weeks!

Some of the Danish family!

More of the Danish family!

Thanks for reading my blog! This at times has been an outlet for me to get feelings off my chest, and at other times just to share my experiences. It was never a chore — something I more so looked forward to writing. I hope you enjoyed it. :)

Semana Santa: Paris, Nice, (Monaco) and Barcelona

The Monday after we returned from Semana Santa, I sent my large suitcase home with Melissa's family (who were visiting Granada) so I would only have to lug around my travel backpack on our post-semester Euro trip. In it, I put my laptop, hence this delay between blog posts. So here I sit at our hostel in Madrid, passing time before our overnight bus to Barcelona, and am writing about Semana Santa on Becca's laptop.

Semana Santa in Spain is the week leading up to Easter, and processions down the streets dominate the celebrations. Unfortunately and a little regretfully, I didn't see any of these processions. Becca, Melissa and I traveled to Paris, Nice and Barcelona for the entire week. I guess I'll just have to come back to Andalusia some other year. I'll take any excuse to come back. :)

Photo credit: lonelyplanet.com

Paris was my favorite city of the trip, so I'll focus on writing about the City of Light.

Now there's a lot of hype about Paris, so much that some people are soured toward it because of its popularity.

But in my opinion, it deserves all the attention it gets.

I was in Paris four years ago with my family, and I can tell you that traveling with family in Paris is very different than three girls traveling alone. (For instance, I definitely didn't get tipsy on champagne under the Eiffel Tower with my family.) On the other hand, it was different because four years ago I ate escargot, and this time I ate prepackaged couscous, using hunks of baguette as a spoon. 

Anyway. What I loved about Paris is that it was so affordable for us. European Union students under 25 can get into most museums and monuments for free. I didn't even realize I was considered an EU student until recently. (Yes, that shows you just how real school feels to me...) Paris has so many things to do and see that we would have broke the bank if we had to pay for everything, but we only ended up paying to get into the gardens of the Versailles Palace.

Sorry I couldn't rotate it...

Here are the highlights of what we saw: Notre Dame, the Louvre, Musee d'Orsay (which, to my delight, had a special exhibit on Van Gogh. I saw "Starry Night over the Rhone," which I had a print of hanging in my apartment at school. The exhibit didn't have "Starry Night," so I'll have to get to MoMa in New York to see that.), Musee de l'Orangerie (which is a very small art museum at the beginning of the Champs Élysées. It houses Monet's Nymphaes, or the lily pad paintings.),  the Arc de Triomphe, the Eiffel Tower, the Luxembourg Gardens and the Sacre Coeur Basilica.

Outside of Versailles Palace. Tip: Don't go in the morning/on the weekend! Extremely crowded.

Loving the Louvre.

One night, we rented bikes and rode along the Seine River. We also rode through the entrance area of the Louvre, with the big, glass pyramid. It felt so surreal to be biking through these absolutely gorgeous areas, and the feeling was amplified because it was night. All that was missing was an accordion soundtrack.

The best bike ride ever.

 Every night, we headed to the Eiffel Tower with a picnic and a bottle of champagne. There are lawns that spread out on one side of the tower, and many young people gather there to drink at night. Every hour starting at 9 p.m., there's a 5-minute light show on the tower, which is gorgeous. Men were constantly walking around, trying to sell beer and champagne, which we took them up on one night after haggling the price way down.

Cheap eats in front of Eiffel.

 We tried our airbnb for this trip, and ended up staying with a French couple in Malakoff, a town on the outskirts of Paris. I didn't know we'd actually be living with them, as opposed to a separate apartment they were renting out, so that was a surprise, but a good one. We got a little look into how the French live and were provided with fresh baguettes every morning for breakfast.

Great macaroons from Laduree. The blue/green one is called Marie Antoinette!

After Paris, we headed to Nice, a city on the French Riviera. I wasn't a fan of the city too much (a little too luxurious for me) but we stayed in a great hostel with really friendly people. A couple of the guys on the staff were from Madrid, so we had fun speaking a little Spanish. :)

Soaking up the sun in Nice.

One day, we took a day trip to Monaco, the second-smallest country in the world. It was just an hour bus ride from Nice. Monaco is an extremely luxurious country, so we felt out of place all day, but parts of it were pretty.

And this is Monaco.

Monte Carlo Casino.

After Melissa left to meet up with her family who was visiting Granada, Becca and I headed to Barcelona. It was interesting seeing the Catalan language (seemed like a mix of Castilian Spanish and French) and to see all the Catalan flags with the blue triangle and star on them, the sign of Catalan independence. I'm really interested to see what will happen in the next few years with these demands for independence from Spain.

The Catalan independence flag hangs from an apartment balcony.

 Toward the end of this trip, I was homesick for Granada, which was a different sensation for me. Granada has come to feel like my home, and I couldn't wait to maximize the little time we had left there.