Homebound (I wrote this on the plane on Wednesday)

Right now, I am sitting on an airplane over the Atlantic Ocean. My study abroad experience has come to a close, and I’m in a state of shock. I never planned on studying abroad. I love living in the US, and frankly, going to another country to study seemed like a frivolous expense. Now, however, I’m on my way home and I’m not regretting my experience.

While there is a lot of work and stress involved (a lot a lot a lot) in study abroad, in some ways it is like a vacation from your real life. You are living in a climate that is probably warmer than your own, you are staying with a family who cooks, cleans, and does your laundry, and the whole experience is about you learning, you seeing new things. It’s definitely a situation you won’t find yourself in at any other time. In contrast, I feel that studying abroad promotes really selfish behavior because there is so much pressure to “make the most” out of your “once in a lifetime” experience.

So, all in all, study abroad is a pretty cool thing to do as a college student. But, right now I am still reeling over how much it cost and trying to console my weeping bank account. I will be the first one to tell you that there are other, cheaper things to do during your college experience that will give you life experiences and help you grow too.

The director of my study abroad program is a really neat lady. In one of our first days of orientation way back in February, she told us that study abroad doesn’t have to be the absolute best, most fun experience of our lives–even though for some people, it will be. And yesterday at our going away party at the Center, she said it again: study abroad doesn’t have to be the best experience ever. But it’s supposed to be an experience and we are supposed to learn.

I did learn. Of all the experiences I’ve had, I think I’ve gotten a bit smarter. I wasn’t dumb before, but now I have more of an idea of how the world works. I’ve always been opinionated, but now I’ll actually be able to back it up. I’ve learned things about myself and the world around me.

I’m a lot more comfortable speaking up for myself now: I let people know if they are standing too close to me or if I think they’re making me pay too much for something.
I learned how to take the metro in a city I’d never been to.
I got hopelessly lost in the middle of the night with friends in Portugal-a country in which we don’t speak the language-and didn’t panic.
I learned that no matter what, my irrational fear of airports will cause me to panic. Every. Single. Time.
I learned that you can’t always trust people just because they are an adult or have a uniform on.
Quickly figuring out that hot water is a really limited resource in Spain, I can now take super quick showers.
I learned that the best way to make a man leave you alone is to laugh in his face.
I can (sort of) walk in high heels on cobblestone now.
I saw firsthand the value of family across the world, in a culture very different than my own. And I learned at a very young age that I don’t do so well when I’m hours and hours away from my parents, aunts and uncles, and grandparents.
I planned trips all by myself.
I learned Spanish.
I saw what Spain is like.

Everywhere you go in the city of Seville, you can find a neat little symbol seemingly hidden on the buildings, sidewalks, and signs. It looks like this: NO8DO, and it is the motto of the city. So, what does it mean?

Well, that symbol that looks like a number 8 is supposed to be a skein of yarn. The Spanish word for skein of yarn is madeja. So, that considered, the fancy little NO8DO sounds like this when read aloud: no medeja do. For speakers of Spanish with an Andalusian accent, this little seemingly meaningless phrase turns into the Spanish sentence No me ha dejado, which, in English, means She has not abandoned me.

So I can guess what you’re thinking: this is cool and all, but why in the world is it the motto of Seville? Well, way back in the day, King Alfonso X faced utter betrayal and a bitter struggle for the throne of Spain at the hands of his very own son. When it seemed like the whole kingdom had left their king during his darkest hour, Seville stayed loyal and supportive. For this, the city was awarded the phrase by the grateful king at the end of the war, and to this day they are still proud of this 700 year old piece of praise. The symbol can be found all over the city: on doors, signs, sidewalks, flags, drain covers, etc., and I think it’s pretty cool. So, yesterday I went to a little boutique by my house that I’ve peeked in the window of every day, and bought a ring that looks like this.

In my head, the infinity symbol is the madeja, and now I have a little piece of Sevilla with me wherever I go.

While I don’t have any plans to pack up and move to Spain any time soon, I now have people in Sevilla that I care about and will deeply miss. This experience is going to stay with me forever. So with that, Adiós, Sevilla. No me ha dejado.