Wrapping up Spain

So, that’s it.  My first semester of junior year, my semester spent living in Europe, has finished.  No more jamón.  No more Basa. No more café con leche (wayyyyy better than coffee or lattes here).  No more cobblestones. No more weekend travels to new cities and other countries. No more Country.

It’s definitely a mixed bag. It’s been nice to be home, to see my mom, my friends, and be in a familiar place.  I mean, when we’ve gone out to dinner, the waiters even bring us water before we ask for it. And it’s free! And then they refill it! What kind of place is this???

The whole “re-entry” process hasn’t really been that dramatic. Maybe because I’ve had no time to adjust to normal life, having spent literally 5 days in California (and they have been busy), but everything about home just seems very familiar, almost as if I hadn’t left. Of course, there are a few changes at home, but they’re all good (except for the absence of KT, who I keep expecting to see every time I go upstairs…) 

So, now that I’ve had almost three weeks since leaving Salamanca, I should be able to process my experience a little more thoroughly, right?  Hmm.  When I was talking with everyone in Salamanca just before we all left, I thought it was interesting how everyone had good experiences but seems to be leaving with different impressions of how the semester has affected them. For example, one friend of mine was talking about how she feels completely different, and she’s not sure how well she’ll be able to relate to people back home.  On the other hand, while I’ve had an amazing time, I still feel more or less like the same person.  And I don’t feel like either are a bad reaction to have; they’re both normal.  I wasn’t expecting to have some sort of transformation abroad, but it’s interesting to see how some people have.

However, things that I am bringing back with me:

·         Massively improved confidence in my Spanish skills (and improved skills for that matter.) I’m no longer intimidated by the prospect of speaking with native speakers outside of Spanish class.

·         An incessant desire to speak Spanish (particularly with anyone behind a desk or cash register)

·         Once-white clothing that now has a bluish tint to it (Thanks for doing my laundry for free, Basa)

·         Spanish boots! (still in love with them.)

·         A Spanish flag (which will probably clash with the Bavarian flag on my wall, but really, it’s for the sake of international relations!)

·         The castellano accent – not really that acceptable in Latin America. Oops. But the lisp is just so entertaining…

·         Friends in new places! Including a friend that I’m hoping to see this weekend in Washington!

·         Practically every little ticket, pamphlet, or paper that I received.

·         Memories.  Awwwwwwwwwwwwww.

·         Over 5 gigabytes of photos. Anyone surprised by this? Didn’t think so.