Life Lessons, Learned in Spain

I've been thinking lately about what I've gained from studying abroad and choosing Spain. I used to worry because studying here is putting me back another semester at U of I, so I'll graduate in 4.5, if not 5 semesters (depending on how the Aerospace classes work.) But I figured out that what I've changed in ways that would not have changed if I had stayed in the USA. So, I came up with this list of ways I've grown.

The first thing is independence! Ohhhh my gosh, independence. If I thought I was independent at U of I, oh man was I wrong! I don't know if I can describe it correctly but, to me, Madrid, Spain is the real world. Not that college in the states isn't the real world, it's just so pre-structured for us. Right now, everything is up to me. I have to figure out which metro tickets I need, pay my bills, book my own hostels, figure out how to get to other cities I want to visit, and the list goes on and on. It's so hard to explain it, but I have so many more responsibilities here, and I'm okay with that :)

Courage. I didn't have a lot of courage when I came here. Actually, I was kind of scared of everything and I just didn't realize it until later. Two months ago, if I had seen a crowded Spanish bar with no free tables and only standing room at the bar, I wouldn't have gone in. But I've learned to just go stand up at the bar and order something. Some of the most delicious tapas I've ever had were at bars like that! I don't have to muster up the courage anymore; I just do it. And, it was really intimidating and scary at first to ask a store clerk something in Spanish, but now I've learned to swallow my pride and just ask in the best way I can. If I get confused about what they say, I can just ask and there's nothing lost. Overall I've just become a braver person. Haha, well, that's not to say I would go bungee-jumping off a bridge or something, (not exactly my cup of tea,) but I know I'm much, much more courageous.

Strength. Somedays, it feels like the world is out to get me, and it would be easy to just sit down and cry and whine. It's okay to cry sometimes, but then you wipe your tears and move on. Like, there will always be mean people that make me feel sad that I have to talk to on a daily basis, but I've grown to be a lot more resilient to the things they say. Now I'm a lot stronger when it comes to the things those people say, and I don't take it seriously or let it affect me anymore. I will just say very generally that this was a hard lesson to learn for me, and if we've been talking, you'll know what I mean. But, now that I'm getting stronger, it's so much easier to get over the sad, frustrating moments in life, and that makes me a lot happier.

The most important lesson I've learned is to be positive all the time. If something bad happens here, it's easy to let it ruin my day, but come on, I'm studying abroad in Europe! Nothing should be able to ruin my experience. So, I always think of something positive about the situation, no matter how bad it is. Actually, doing that always makes me feel a lot better, and then I forget about the bad things before I even know it! I'm definitely going to keep it up when I come back to U of I. It makes me feel like a whole new person sometimes.

So, those are the biggest lessons I've learned here! Sorry this was such a sappy self-discovery blog, but I mean, I hope someone reads this and reconsiders studying abroad if they weren't going to before. Like, not only have I had the coolest experience living, studying, and partying in Europe, but I've learned some really awesome life lessons too. I'm coming back a different person!