A few weeks ago, some of my friends and I traveled to Barcelona, Spain for the weekend. We had an unbelievable time-- saw amazing things, ate delicious food, went to incredible places, and met some unforgettable people.

We were in Spain for the weekend and spent both Friday night and Saturday night in the hostel. When we checked in, the receptionist was very eager to tell us about all the events the hostel had planned for the two nights we would be there. I listened to what he had to say, but never did I once consider participating in any of these events. I was staying here for the weekend with my friends; why would I want to take part in group activities with other people staying in the hostel?

This hostel had ten rooms, each room housing four people. Luckily, I traveled with three friends-- collectively, we were able to fill up an entire room. And while we still had to use a communal bathroom, at least I wasn't sleeping in a room full of strangers.

This hostel had a living-room type common space when you first entered it; it had a communal kitchen with a communal fridge where you could put your food and label what was yours (and even cook with other people in the hostel if you wanted to). All of this was rubbing me the wrong way-- there was little to no personal space and too much sharing of things that should be individual and separate and independent.

"Hostels are weird," my friend said. And she said what we were all thinking... Ok, we had to share a bathroom and shower. We knew we could manage (and we did). But that was the extent of my "community" towards these other people. I don't mean to sound cold, but I didn't want to interact with any of them: it made me uncomfortable. All I needed from this hostel was a place to sleep and a place to shower. I had no desire to bar-hop or cook a family-style meal with people who seemed way too comfortable to be there.

Before studying abroad, I had never stayed in a hostel. When I traveled, I would travel with my family, and we always stayed in a nice hotel. The idea of communal bathrooms and possibly sharing a room with a stranger was anything but appealing to me. I like my own bed, my own bathroom, my own family, my own space.

I am comfortable in a hotel, just as these people were comfortable in a hostel. I am comfortable in my own bed, my own bathroom, my own space, just as these people were comfortable with sharing space. I am comfortable traveling with my family, just as these people were comfortable with treating everyone who walked in as family-- maybe these people never had the luxury of having their own of things so sharing doesn't bother them as much as it bothers me; maybe they never really had people to call family, so they treat everyone as such in hopes to form a bond that could parallel.

I had nothing short of a memorable time in Spain. And yes, hostels are weird. But I can't help but think that these people are looking for the type of things that I find comfortable; and maybe these people are looking for the type of family that I take for granted.