Six weeks out of 19 years of living really doesn't seem like a long time. However six weeks of being abroad in Spain was plenty of time for me to develop a completely new perspective on what it means to be an American, and how lucky I am to live in the country that I do.
Don't get me wrong. I LOVED being abroad. I loved the fact that I gained this new-found independence while I strutted the streets of Barcelona, doing my thing with my friends, staying out until 3 and 4 a.m. every night because that's what is considered socially acceptable. However there are a few caveats I specifically encountered when abroad that made me drop my bags in tears of happiness, nostalgia and relief when I landed back in America.
1. Ranch Dressing
I'm not even kidding, no one in Spain has even heard of the word "ranch." I didn't even know how much I loved ranch dressing until I didn't have the option to eat it for the entire summer. I honestly am not even sure there is a word for ranch there. With all of the potatoes they serve abroad, I unfortunately never came across the opportunity to try them with the real MVP: ranch dressing.
Now onto more serious things...
2. Keeping your guard up 24/7
In Spain, alongside many other big cities abroad, pick-pocketing is real. So real, that in my six week program, over 14 people experienced the frustration that comes with pick-pocketing. Laptops, credit cards, cell phones, you name it, they're after it. I will not miss having to look down, meanwhile attempting to watch my surroundings, clutching my bag for my life while simply going to get a coffee and a croissant in the morning
3. History
I've gained an extreme interest in and respect for history. America really isn't that old. In Barcelona, I was constantly submersed in this part historical/part modern world that made the whole experience so beautiful. Here in the States, we don't have the opportunity to see buildings that are hundreds and thousands of years old because we simply haven't been here that long.
4. Terrorism
The elephant in the room whenever people discuss studying abroad is definitely fear of terrorism. While America has definitely seen their fair share of tragedies and I am not here to take away from that, there is nothing like being on a continent where there are attacks weekly only a few borders away from you. Being abroad, I was always feeling anxious, waiting for something else to happen. It was horrible. I experienced Nice, I had a friend in Germany who experienced shootings, all the while there was a coup occurring in Turkey. Where in America, I look forward to hanging out at the airport, in Europe, I feared the physical task of being in an airport and getting on a plane.
5. Food
I suppose I have no room to complain about ranch when every day I was provided with food that was GMO free, and farm/ocean fresh every single day. Take out food in Europe is so hard to find because their ingredients are so fresh, it probably wouldn't last. I was absolutely spoiled with food. Everything from farmers market fruit to Illy coffee shops to rice paella. Their food doesn't even compare to American food because their cooking styles and ingredients focus more on flavor and health versus speed and preservation.
6. Taking one's time
I love to make lists and check things off. It's sort of one of my favorite things to do. Weird, right? Somewhere a Spaniard is rolling their eyes at me because it just sounds too productive. The Spanish culture really did teach me that not everything needs to be rushed to get done or is just an item on a checklist. In Spain, it takes hours to eat. Seriously, we allotted two hours per meal, maybe even three. As for work, forget it. If they open at 10, you're lucky to be in there at 10:30. If they take siesta at 2, don't expect to come back until 4 or 5. It's just the way of the world there. They take their time on things and live life day by day.
My views may seem conflicted, and that is the point. That is the whole purpose of traveling. It's gaining new experiences and cultural understanding. Travel allows people to pick up what aspects of certain places and people they enjoy and implement them into their own lives and own cultures. I loved Europe, I loved studying the streets of Barcelona, but boy do I love America and all the ranch dressing it comes with.
