Grateful!!!

I am back in the US! Saying goodbye was incredibly bittersweet. I’m sure I’ve felt the feelings that thousands of abroad students have felt before me, and surely thousands more have yet to feel next semester. I don’t really have adequate words to describe how the semester was, which is pretty ironic considering I signed up to write about precisely that. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve loved doing this for the past semester, but it can get a little awkward when I really do not know what else to write. 

One of the amazing IES Abroad Granada administrators, Vicky, just the best lady EVER, held a session in which she talked about readjusting to life at home. Sort of like culture shock, but in reverse. Here’s some things she spoke about that have really helped me in adjusting back to my life in the states!

1. It’s okay to not be able to describe exactly how you’re feeling.

I’ve been greeted with many questions since I have returned, but not the best answers. I’ve found that I stumble over my words a lot when asked about abroad, but I think that’s okay. How is someone supposed to be able to sum up 4 months in a succinct and not-annoying sentence?

2. Expect feelings to come in waves.

Sometimes I am just over the moon happy to be home, and other times I find myself really missing my life from abroad! Both are to be expected, and they can coexist. 

3. Keep in touch with your friends from abroad; they’re the only ones who REALLY get it.

I’m lucky enough to have friends from my program who live near me in the states, and seeing them and talking to them a lot has been super helpful for transitioning back to everyday life. Even those who live far away from me, I make an effort to keep texting, even if it’s not the same as it used to be. Those memories with everyone will exist forever. 

4. Integrate some cultural habits into your daily routine.

You better believe I will be incorporating siesta into my college life, as well as some tinto de verano, and the general work/life balance that Spaniards seem to have perfected. On a deeper level though, I think I’ll find myself embracing more Spanish traditions for the rest of my life.

5. Write about it!

Okay, maybe I don’t have much to say now, but sometimes little things come up and it’s important to get them out. They’ll be especially valuable when I’m old and grey and reminiscing on how lucky I was to spend that time in the south of Spain when I was just a young lady. 

I think sometime I will find sufficient words to thank IES Abroad Granada for such a wonderful, awe-inspiring, invaluable experience. As Kerouac says: “One day I will find the right words, and they will be simple.” Until then…

Hasta luego!!!

Lily