home sweet home and unpacking my life

After a long day of traveling, about 12 hours in flight, I've finally arrived back home in California. I've been home since Saturday and just been busy and tired since I've been back. I've finally found some downtime to write this last entry, its been three days since I landed in California. I am happy to be back, to see family and friends, sleep in my bed, and be in the comfort of my home. I've already started on my list of things to do, such as eating bagels, Mexican food, sushi and in-and-out which I have gone without for three months! So I've been enjoying eating the food that I have missed these past months. I have a bad sense of time here, because in Salamanca it doesn't get dark until around 10pm to almost 11. Here at home it still gets dark pretty early around 7 or 8 in the evening. I just drove today for the first time which felt very awkward at first. It's slowly coming back to me.

Apart from being happy to be home, as the days go on, I am getting quite nostalgic of my time in Spain. As I am unpacking my things I can't help but compare it to waking up from a dream. It is a surreal feeling that three exciting and eventful months of my life have passed already. It seems like there was so much time and talk building up to the moment I left for Spain, and now it seems to have ended so quickly. I am glad I have this blog to help me remember all the moments I have had while living in Europe. I have made valuable friends that will always have the same shared experience as me, living together in Salamanca. Our farewell dinner and last nights in Spain did feel reminiscent of a graduation: everyone is saying there goodbyes, celebrating a milestone, and at the end people begin to part in their own ways. I can't help but to feel an overwhelming feeling of mixed emotions, feeling bittersweet. In the end, I am thankful for the experiences I have learned from living abroad in Spain and I have made friends I will never forget. Writing here has really helped me to reflect on these valuable experiences. Hopefully this blog has been of interest to someone and you have enjoyed reading! Ciao!

-Christina

four days left in Spain

Que Triste.. How sad, the last days here in Salamanca. After a wonderful last weekend with my family in Sevilla and Toledo, I realize how short my time is here. I am counting down until this Saturday, four days left here in Spain. I feel like I still have a lot to take advantage of here. Even though I would like to spend more time living here in Salamanca, I am excited to go home. I think my stay here was just right. My family arrived last Wednesday in Madrid where I met them. It was a strange feeling going to see my parents whom I hadn't seen in 3 months, it was a new experience to me. Since they have been visiting and I have been taking them around I realize just how fast time has passed since I've been here. But I have been staying so busy here and experiencing so much in such a short time that it feels like I have been away for a long time. As I traveled with my family this weekend to Sevilla and Toledo, I realized just how much I have learned from living in Spain. They looked to me to explain to them why the Spanish do things the way they do. I was able to tell them what food to eat, buying practices, explain some Spanish history and explain the practice of siesta. I also realized just how much Spanish I am now able to speak since I could help them get around. I felt that I was more a part of the culture here.



I realize that this trip has changed me, and that when I go home I will not be the same person I was. I now appreciate things at home that I took for granted before. Especially things like having a car and being able to drive which I rely on at home so much. Here in Salamanca I had to get used to walking everywhere, taking more time to get to school. I realized how difficult it is to carry everything you need for the day when you are out on foot. I realize how much time driving saves. Driving is a convenience too often taken for granted. Clean public restrooms are also another thing I have come to appreciate. In most of Europe, public facilities are lower than U.S. standards. You are lucky to even have toilet paper in those bathrooms. Customer service in the states is better than in Spain and most of Europe. Here many people do not get paid adequate wages so they are less motivated to provide quality service. I think when I return home I will have a greater appreciation of people's efforts to provide good service.

My perception of the world has changed. I realize just how small and interrelated the world is. It seems that too often, us Americans get absorbed in our own bubble. We often do not hear about what is going on around the world and act as if it does not affect us at all. Here in Europe, people know about international news, and I feel that sometimes there are Europeans that know more about current events in the U.S. than many Americans know of. In Spanish news there is always international stories featured and they often discuss how it affects them. Another difference is that in Europe people know several different languages and they make an effort to speak other languages when they travel. Here in Europe I feel almost disabled because I am not fluent in another language. For many Americans, knowing a language other than English is a challenge. It is true that in Europe there is more variety of languages and more variety in cultures, but by learning several languages this shows that Europeans are aware of other cultures surrounding them. I know have a greater sense that the American way is not the only way in the world. Traveling to Morocco really broadened my global perspective to realize a whole other way of living that exists.

Finally I feel this experience living abroad has really built my confidence. I realize just what I am capable of since I have adjusted to living comfortably in a foreign country, in a different culture, away from the familiarities, comforts, and conveniences of home. I feel now that I am able to live almost anywhere and adjust. Now I know how to live with other roommates. After all, I managed to live with 5 other girls who I had never met before, in one apartment, in a new country. I will be moving to San Diego to attend UCSD this fall and I feel that I can easily adjust to living there after living abroad. It has not always been an easy adjustment living here, but that’s why I feel accomplished. I feel confident that I can take care of myself now when I am living away from home. From all the good times I have had to the mishaps of traveling, I have grown from my experience here. I am happy with how I have fulfilled my time here. I can't believe it all happened so fast and shortly I will be home!


Eating ice cream in the plaza.

back from Marruecos-Morocco

This weekend, a group of us students and my professor from my program went to Morocco. Before coming out to Spain I just learned about how close it was to Spain. I've been interested in traveling there because it is so close to have a different cultural experience. Morocco is only about an hour across the strait of Gibraltar from southern Spain. I was interested in experiencing a Muslim-Arab culture. I did expect to be culture shocked, and I did want that experience. I know some people were afraid to travel to Morocco and at one point I was advised to not go. We were lucky to gather a group of 12 students to go to Morocco on a group excursion. We took a weekend tour program of Morocco that was recommended to us. It turned out to be well worth it. It included our travel ferry to Morocco and bus in between cities, all meals, stay in a hotel, and tours. We went to places we would have never seen if we traveled on our own. Included in the program was a visit to the cities Tangier, Tétouan, and Chefchaouen. Even though the official language in Morocco is Arabic, and second French, this region of Morocco speaks a lot of Spanish because it is so close to Spain. The first day we walked the medina, city center, of Tétouan.





In this medina there was a large authentic Moroccan market squeezed into tiny walkways with mostly produce and meats. It was very different for us, because to our standards the market was dirty and unsanitary. The smells were not familiar and a bit foul. We saw live chickens in cages inside the tiny stands, right next to poultry products for sale. While passing by you would also see them killing the live chickens. I was curious to look but I would turn my head as it happened so I would not loose my appetite! People were staring at us as we crowded the alleys of the market, it is quite a crowded place to walk through. Our guide explained that we have to be careful as sometimes animals will pass through to deliver items to the market. We stopped to view the inside of a mosque but according to custom we are not allowed to enter. I think that if it were not for us being with a local, we would not have seen this place. Our guide explained to us that many people do not like it when photos are taken in the market. It seemed to be a very local-friendly place where outsiders are treated as strangers. Later in the day we had free time for shopping in Tangier where we experienced how the buying system works. It took a few times to get used to negotiating prices, but after getting good deals, it was exciting. I felt vulnerable not knowing the buying system, it is very different for me not knowing what things were worth. Using the money, Dirhams, was confusing because their numbers are so big. For example 10 dirhams is about 1 euro, and I was surprised to learn that the Dirham had a better exchange rate than the USD.
The next day we went to Chefchaouen, a small quaint Moroccan town situated in the mountains. This was my favorite town for the scenery. All the buildings in Chefchouen are painted white and blue, for religious significance. The town gets its water fresh from the mountainside where a waterfall runs through the side of town. In town there are community baths for the town residents. Many people do not have showers in their homes, so the community baths are reserved half the day for women to use, and half the day for men to use. Throughout the town there are fresh water fountains built into the town walls.
The meals included in our excursion were hearty and delicious. We got a taste of authentic Moroccan cuisine for breakfast lunch and dinner. I was quite impressed with the full meals and the quality of the food. I thought it was great the meals were included because we would not have known what to try. I feel this excursion really gave us an authentic experience for such a short time. It was not very touristy (except for riding camels!). Our guides literally referred to us as family, always making us feel welcome and a part of the culture. All in all it was totally worth the tremendous amount of time traveling, more than 12 hours one way between overnight bus from Salamanca and a ferry! I feel very fortunate to have had this experience and would recommend anyone looking for a fresh, authentic experience like this to try this excursion. I have definitely learned a lot from my experience traveling in Morocco. I can now say that I have traveled to Africa and I hope to return once again!