I am back! What a bittersweet feeling. I arrived to the states last Thursday and back on campus on Monday, so I have had little time to really sit and think, but that was what I wanted. If I would have had time to let the experience settle in, I probably would have been sadder than what I am right now.  As I reflect on my experience abroad I think of all the places I got to see, the amazing friends I made, and all that I learned about myself, and just thinking about it makes me really nostalgic.

The past semester went by flying and I can’t believe all that I got to do. I traveled to Rome, Paris, and Lisbon outside of Spain, and to Barcelona (5 times), Granada, Sevilla, Pamplona, San Sebastian, and Vigo within Spain. I also became an official pilgrim once I completed 110 km (68 miles) of The Way of Saint James. The traveling aspect of my trip was by far the best experience of my whole stay. I had the opportunity to visit cities and monuments within those cities that I had only seen on TV—seeing before my own eyes the history of the present. For example, the Roman Empire was a key player in the history of civilization, and when I visited Rome, I was able to explore key infrastructure of the empire such as the coliseum and the forums.  For me it was just a humbling experience in general to be on ground that was older than the United States itself.

The other component of my experience was the academic aspect. Fortunately I passed all of my classes, but much more than just passing, I learned very much in those classes about the material but most about myself. Since it was an unfamiliar environment, I had to adapt to hearing all of my lectures in Spanish, but also experiment with different techniques to help me study and do well; it was like I was a first year student all over again. In my Spanish Economic History class I learned about how the roots of the Spanish economy and how this is affecting the economy today. In my Sociology of the Family class, I learned about how the dynamic of the Spanish family has changed and been affected over time due to changes in laws and just the passing of time.  Academics were not my favorite part of the experience, but they were the reason why I was there, so I tried my best.

Food was also a big thing on my plate of my experience in Spain…get it! I loved everything that I had and loved the opportunity to try new, traditional foods. This is was favorite part of my trip to Portugal and Italy. In Italy it was the pasta, and boy was it good. I say I would just return to Rome for the food, and specifically one restaurant that I found on my last day there; it was DELICIOUS! How can I forget about my tortilla española (Spanish omelet), especially the one my host mom made! I loved it so much, I asked her for the recipe and it was the first meal I made back in the states. Food, besides the fact of tasting good, served as a big component of learning about the culture of the countries I visited. By far, food was a very important part of my whole experience.

Last but not least, my host family and time in la Coruña. My host family was great, now I see why they say the Coruña host families are the best. My experience without my host mom and sister would not have been the same. They were very welcoming and always of great help; plus she cooked very well. Coruña is an amazing city and one that I fell in love with. I had the beach within a five minute walk from my house and everything was just so historical and beautiful. I actually enjoyed my morning walks to the bus to get to school, and a little piece of amazing history- Hercules’s Tower– was right in my backyard. The weather probably is probably my only complaint, yet it was not that unbearable. In comparison to the winter in the States, I would take 100x the weather of la Coruña over the snow here in New England. The only issue was the rain.

Spain was an amazing experience and I would not trade it for anything else; I would not have spent my semester any other way. It was a great experience and I would recommend it to every single person. For now, I relish in the memories and in the hope of one day returning.

Ciao España, ya te hecho de menos (Bye Spain, I miss you already)

Monday was my first day of classes! It was a breeze in comparison to the arduous task of actually choosing my classes. The college-education system is very different here than it is back home. In Spain, a student must choose his/her career field in high school! In college they take the courses that will specifically prepare them for becoming an expert in that field. For example, as an accounting major, I would have decided during my last year in high school that I wanted to be an accountant, and once I started college, I would have only taken accounting/economics classes throughout my four years. Hence, the students here have their curriculum very set and strict.

At Holy Cross you have the ability to choose courses from different departments; the university that is hosting us has implemented the same method for us within the rigid structure of the Spanish system.   This was one challenge of choosing classes. The second challenge was getting these classes approved by our liaison here at the university. You proposed some courses that you wanted to take, and he would tell you whether or not you should take the course based on the professor, etc…..to put it this way, he was our real-life “Ratemyprofessor.com”.

Now to my first day. Very different from Holy Cross. Instead of a 5 minute walk from my residence hall to Stein, here I have to walk 10 minutes to the bus stop and from there take the bus- a 15 minute ride- to the university. Fortunately the whole process is not very confusing, and I enjoy the walk in the morning because it wakes me up.  So on my first day I had a 9am class. I arrive to the building (the campus is huge, and each department has its own building, except for a few). One thing they don’t tell you is what do you do when you first arrive to a class. I was very confused, do I go in or wait for the professor to come in?

It turns out classes were not the bad because it was just the first day; so all we did was go over the syllabus. In my last class of the day, I even got to get out one hour before the usual end of class! The professors were both very nice; they introduced themselves to me and made themselves available for whatever I needed.  Overall a good first week!

Lesson learned:

1. Bring your own printing paper! If you need to print something, the school asks that you buy your own paper. I think this is a brilliant idea because it discourages useless printing.

I am in my third week in Pamplona, and I am loving it. This city is amazing: full of life, history, and surrounded by beautiful landscapes.

Upon my arrival in Madrid, I was warmly welcomed by some family members. I spent that weekend in Madrid and then took off for Pamplona on Sunday afternoon. When I arrived in Pamplona, the day was cloudy and it was raining; big difference from the scorching heat in Madrid, but not for long. Still jet-lagged, the next day in Pamplona, I awoke to a bright and sunny sky. The temperature….the same as Madrid, and so much nicer than back home. That Monday we started with a tour of the beautiful campus of la Universidad de Navarra and went over what was to come in the next four weeks.

Here I am in the third week, and I can say that so far I have had the opportunity to explore and do some shopping in “el casco antiguo” (the old city), sun bathe in the beaches of San Sebastian, walk through the remains of two castles, have a crepe in Biarritz, France, and even run with the bulls of San Fermin (through a simulation).

I am absolutely in love with this city. Here are some pictures; the pictures do not suffice the beauty of being in the physical presence of these sites.

l-r: Royal Palace of Olite (a town in the outskirts of Pamplona); one of my two “runs” with the bulls; el Ayuntamiento de Pamplona (city hall); me in the Plaza de Castillos (downtown)

In just one more day, I will be leaving for Spain! I can’t believe how fast the summer flew by. It is just now that the reality of my departure has set in. Here are a couple of my mixed feelings.

I am nervous about how much I will miss home. I got married this past January, and this summer has been the longest amount of time I have lived with my husband Mikey since our wedding. So, obviously leaving him and my two puppies, Teddy and Cali, is going to be emotionally difficult. Not only is it tough because I will be leaving Mikey, but also, this is the longest time I have left my parents to go and live in an unfamiliar country. Here are some pictures of my family: