For six weeks this summer, I took two Spanish classes at the Fundación José Ortega Y Gasset – Gregorio Marañón in Toledo, Spain. I had the opportunity to be fully immersed in the Spanish culture by living with a host family and traveling throughout the country.
My experience abroad changed my view of the world and inspired a deeper appreciation for my life. I had been to Europe before coming on this trip, so I had somewhat of an idea of what to expect. However, living with a host family for an extended period of time transformed my idea of what life was like outside of the US. I noticed that in Spain, everything is smaller. And by everything, I mean everything: elevators, portion sizes, cars, showers, streets, apartments, and maybe the hardest one for me to adjust to: cups of coffee. Although everything was smaller and people had less than many people in America, they seemed just as happy, if not happier. Living in Toledo allowed me to experience the relaxing, easygoing Spanish lifestyle. In bigger cities such as Madrid or Barcelona, this wasn’t always the case. It was plain to see the people of Toledo weren’t particularly stressed or in a rush, and I admired this. I noticed people had an appreciation for the little things in life and didn’t expect to always have the latest and greatest products. Life was simpler.
Not only did my outlook on the world change, but my outlook on my own life was impacted as well. My time living abroad was a humbling experience. I was able to understand how truly lucky I am to live in a house, receive an education, and other aspects of life that I take for granted. This trip reminded me of the importance of gratitude. I loved meeting my host parents’ family and friends and the experiences that came along with that. It was obvious that my host parents highly value their relationship with each other and with their family and friends. I can easily say that their relationships were the main source of their happiness. These experiences have inspired me to have a greater appreciation for the little things, and to put more emphasis on being grateful. Throughout the trip, I also developed more confidence in speaking Spanish. Neither of my host parents nor their family or friends spoke any English, so I had the perfect opportunity to improve my speaking skills, even though it was hard at first.
The biggest factor of this change in my outlook was my host family. I lived with host parents who are only 30 years old and don’t have any children. I was so surprised at first to have host parents who are so young, but I know now that it has was the best experience possible. Because we are only 10 years apart in age, we had similar interests and were able to relate more. The relationship I developed with my host parents is very strong; it wasn’t easy to say goodbye. We have continued to communicate and have already talked about the next time we will see each other!
One specific experience inspired me to have a greater appreciation for my country. While at dinner at my host mom’s uncle’s house on the Fourth of July, we started talking about American Independence Day and what that meant. This uncle mentioned that he likes the way of life in America. He admires how having pride in your country is considered a good thing in America, and people can wave the American flag with pride. I was surprised to hear this, as I hadn’t heard too many people openly say they truly admired the United States. He said he wished Spain was like that; in Spain, you can be judged for waving the flag. I thought this was very interesting and my pride in being American is something I will never take for granted.
I would be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous for my trip. The only information I had about my parents were their names, and I didn’t know any other students participating in the same program. But now reflecting on my experience reminds me how absolutely amazing it was. I realize that venturing into the unknown was impactful. I went from being out of my comfort zone to being completely comfortable. The first thing my host dad told me when he brought me home was “you’re in your house,” and it only took me a few days to truly feel that. Fully immersing myself in the culture meant meeting new people every week, seeing new sites, and learning something new every day. Meeting my host parents’ little nieces and nephews was a funny experience. I could feel them staring at me like I was some alien! They had to be very confused by my accent and why their aunt and uncle said they had an American daughter. This reminded me of how important it is for everyone in the world to experience each other’s cultures. It is very meaningful to open your eyes to all there is in the world.
My experience in Spain is one I will never forget and I will be forever changed. It has been an inspiration academically, professionally, and personally. I desire to incorporate Spanish into whatever career I have in the future, because this trip has strengthened the passion I have for the language. It has given me the confidence I need to reach my goal of being bilingual. Because of this experience, speaking Spanish is more important to me because of the joy it brings in being able to communicate with my new second family. My experience abroad has had an impact on who I am. The reminders I have been given of the value of relationships and importance of appreciating the smallest things in life are lessons I want to share with others. I am so grateful to have had the lifechanging experience that I had in Spain. I will never be the same because of it.
