1. My “real life" is on pause. There is no other opportunity to literally take a break from your normal life and move to another country, go to a different school, make new friends, and live with a new family. Everything is so temporary here that it's given me a sense of freedom to try whatever I want. If my professor hates me or if I start to dislike the place I volunteer at, it won't matter anymore after the next few months. Very few things (except for all of the memories) will come back with me to the United States, and that's a really interesting feeling.

2. It's so wonderful to be away from the anxiety and pressure of college. I am honestly dreading going back to Vanderbilt and having to stress about my GPA, internships, grad schools, and resumes. It's a nice break to be thousands of miles away from all of that (especially since I only have class basically three days a week).

3. People in Spain actually take siestas. No explanation necessary.

4. I only have a suitcase worth of stuff with me, and it's made me realize how cluttered and clogged up my life is at home. Getting dressed is easy because I only have to choose between three pairs of pants and a few shirts. I only have one purse. I wear the same jacket every day. Everything is minimized and simple, and it makes every day so much easier. My room is consistently neat and tidy, which never happens at home because I just have so much useless stuff lying around. Putting your life into a suitcase makes you realize that you don't actually need most of what you have.

5. Studying abroad is an excuse to spend money on travel. It's pretty much just generally understood that you're going to book trips every weekend and you're going to splurge on food and souvenirs from every place you visit. It's the only time you get to travel literally every weekend and nobody thinks you're being ridiculous or wasteful.

6. It's also a free pass to splurge food-wise. I get a chocolate croissant every Monday and gelato every Wednesday, and I am totally fine with it. When else in my life will I be able to do that??

7. You realize what you really love about home. The most surprising things I've missed this semester include: having a printer in my room, college meal plans, Panera Bread, doing homework in my favorite library, Target, Ruffles chips, my Keurig, how comfortable/safe/small our college campus is, and free refills in restaurants. Home has so much more than I ever gave it credit for.