I’ll start off by saying that Spanish was never my strong suit. I always received average grades in the class and couldn’t for the life of me remember all of the different tenses. Nobody, including myself, would have seen me being a part of a high school Spanish exchange program in a million years. I mean, it’s a terrifying thought; traveling to another country where the majority of people speak a language that you haven’t been able to learn in the 10 years that you’ve taken it in school. Although, through this experience, I did learn that you discover the most about yourself when you are put out of your comfort zone.

I remember hopping out of the bus in Barcelona, with the other eight students that accompanied me on this trip, and feeling my stomach drop to the floor, because I was so nervous. I just kept telling myself that it was only 10 days. 10 possibly wonderful, perhaps uncomfortable days. When I saw my host sister, Judith, I ran and gave her the biggest hug; and just like that, my nerves went away. Luckily, she knew English well enough that at this point, I felt that I could try to get out of speaking Spanish and she could just translate for me. I quickly figured out how unfair that was. I was in their country, the least I could do was try and speak their language. It wasn’t until the middle of the trip, that I actually started to try and become comfortable speaking Spanish. Learning to speak another language was so much more difficult for me when I was in America, but when I was in Spain, it felt easier, because I was surrounded by people who spoke it fluently, every day. They would correct me in ways that didn’t feel disrespectful.

When we left Spain after those 10 unforgettable days, I felt like I was leaving a piece of my heart behind. I cried for days after I returned home. Something about leaving people behind whom you have lived with, and began to love so much after only a short amount of time, hurts. I was depressed for a while, I felt like I was surrounded by people who didn’t understand and didn’t care to understand. I know what you’re thinking; but it was only 10 days. Trust me. Those 10 days felt like a lifetime. There’s a term that people use when they’re a part of exchange programs or study abroad, and it’s called reverse culture shock. Reverse culture shock is when you are so used to how they do things in that other country that when you return home, everything feels so different and it’s hard to readjust. Even after only those 10 days, I feel that I definitely experienced reverse culture shock.

I knew I would be seeing these beautiful people, that I considered family, in about a month, because now they would be coming to America to live with us for the same amount of time. I was so ready for them to just be here already, not realizing how fast their time here would go. When they arrived, it felt like the happiest day of my life. We were all together again, and my heart finally felt full.

When they left, that was when it really hit me that I may not see some of them ever again. That same piece of my heart that I left in Spain and regained when they came to America, went back to Spain with them. To this day, a piece of my heart is still missing.

These people were my family away from my family and I could not be more grateful.

Many exchange programs are long term, usually for a year, or half a year, but this one was only 20 days overall. I loved these people as if it had been a year, but I only had 20 days, and that’s the part that pains me, because now, the only thing I really want to do is go back and spend more time with them.

The point of this article is just to tell you that sometimes it’s a good thing to step outside of your comfort zone, even if it seems like the scariest thing at the time, because you’ll gain an amazing experience, and so many wonderful stories. You’ll also learn a lot about yourself.