Cambios

I feel like I have changed quite a bit this summer because of my trip to Spain. First and foremost, I feel a little bit more relaxed about my outlook on life. I have been less stressed here, and I go with the flow. I suppose this attitude may change when I go back to the U.S. and get demolished by my second year of college. Also, Spain gave me a sort of identity crisis (in a good way). Back in the U.S., I always knew my place in the world. However, now I have been exposed to an entire new world, and my outlook has changed. I feel much more confident with my abilities to make decisions and work with other people. I tackled the huge monster that is the Barcelona metro by myself, and I flew solo in a plane for the first time. It will be interesting to see my family, friends, and even my boyfriend when I return. I have two younger brothers, and they are always surprising me with how fast they are maturing. I am sure that when I get home I will have to catch up on their lives (and get over how fast they have grown in one month). When I get back, I almost expect that my parents will have to treat me more as an adult. I feel so accomplished after this trip, and I really feel like I have crossed some intangible line into a smarter and more confident self. Seeing my family is definitely a big plus for returning home, but there are several things in Spain that I am going to miss. Firstly, I am going to have increased amount of responsibilities when I return. Secondly, I think the not-so-healthy food and the lack of amazing public transportation will annoy me. I will probably miss speaking Spanish every day, and I am really going to miss the friends I have met here. I sincerely hope the bland American architecture does not drive me insane.

               One of the things I do not want to forget is when a little girl sat by me on the metro and told me about the plastic pig that she was carrying. She was absolutely the cutest thing I have ever seen. I don’t want to forget about the delicious pizza at the place in Bermeo, chilling with Patricia and her friends at the balon mano game, the unexpected music exhibition, the taxi drivers of Barcelona, the dulces from Extremadura, or the ridiculous amount of sneezing that happens after I swim in the ocean.

               I think the real test of how this trip has changed my life will occur on Saturday evening when I return to my life in America. I will have to see how this trip will affect my actions in the ‘real world’.

<--unexpected exhibition I don't want to forget

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