My Reflection Paper On My Whole Experience

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An Experience I Never Would Have Dreamed of Having, Come True

It all started with one unplanned surgery that messed up all of my best laid future plans. This one surgery forced me to reevaluate my life and to search for different ways that I could still achieve my ultimate goals of getting a great, well-rounded education and graduating with a college degree that would be a stepping stone to my future. But I never expected that my path would lead me in the way that it did.

In all of my life I had never been away from home and family for more than 2 weeks. Oh, I went to camp as a kid and I even left the country on a mission trip once to Honduras. However, on these trips I was always surrounded by my closest friends and people that I knew. When Jen Lile first suggested to me the idea of a study abroad for a quarter, I completely brushed it off. Why would I want to leave all of my friends and family for such a long time and more importantly, why would I want to go so far, all by myself not knowing anyone? Honestly, the whole idea scared me to death. But after more thought (and nagging from my mom), I began to realize the real merit of the idea. I could travel; I could expand upon my knowledge of a foreign language; I could gain great global experience that could help in my career in the future; and I could even get to step outside my comfort zone and grow and learn more about myself in the process. The more I thought about it and talked about it with other people, the more I began to see that this unplanned revision of my future plans was really an opportunity of a lifetime! And that is when this whole journey really began.

It may sound a little ridiculous, but throughout the process of this entire experience I have become very proud of myself for being able to “make it on my own” abroad and have a newfound confidence in my abilites. Yes, I have lived independently outside the home of my parents since I was 18 and I am for all intents and purposes an “adult.” However, I have always had them a close phone call away to help me if I needed it. In Spain I had no one. I didn’t know anyone else in the program and I honestly hardly knew the language at all. Simple everyday tasks, like going to the grocery store or talking to my landlord, were actually quite difficult at first. In fact, my first couple of weeks there I spent second guessing my decision and wondering why I ever decided to do a study abroad in the first place. But eventually things started to get easier. I started to learn about the culture and the language and I started to meet people and to gain a new confidence in myself that I never would have had without this experience.

Living in Spain in an area where English was not commonly known or spoken was a great way for me to learn the Spanish language. Not only did I have to understand it to be able to do normal day to day things, but I also had to be able to speak it. I quickly found out that there was no better way to do this than to be completely immersed in the language no matter how difficult it seemed. I learned so much more Spanish in my time there than I would have ever learned here at UC in years of Spanish class. There is just something about living out the language firsthand that you just don’t get learning it in the classroom.

Aside from the reading, writing and speaking Spanish with natives, I also learned how closely language can be connected to culture. While learning about Spanish culture and history, I became more and more aware of all of the different influences that have created Spain’s modern culture. I visited and wondered at the awe inspiring Roman aqueduct in Segovia. I witnessed Arab architecture at its best in huge Cathedrals all across Spain. I saw the wealth of the royalty through national monuments such as the Palacio Real in Madrid and the Castle in Segovia. In a way, through visiting these places, I felt like I was living out history itself. Even if I didn’t have all of the lessons in the classroom, I would still have felt educated and cultured just by visiting these historic sites. So with the combination of my classroom learning and my traveling, I feel that I was in a special way in tune with the Spanish culture by the end of my stay there.

Also, by living and taking classes in the Basque Country of Northern Spain, I was fortunate enough to not only immerse myself in the Spanish language and culture but also to learn about the Basque culture, one of the oldest cultures and languages in the world. Basque culture is it’s own separate and distinct “culture within a culture” in Spain. In this way, I received a duel education, which was more than I could ever have hoped for out of this experience. The majority of the general population in San Sebastian was bilingual in Spanish and Euskara (the non-latin based Basque language) and a majority of the street signs, everyday conversations, and music were in both languages. Consequently, I became well acquainted with some key Euskara terms such as Kaitxo (hello) and or Ongi Etorri (welcome). Besides learning some of the unique Basque language, my eyes were also opened to the rich and proud Basque culture that I had never even heard of before my trip. I saw their pride in Basque ancestry and history, which directly influenced their strong political viewpoints. I learned firsthand about the Basque separatist group ETA and came to understand both sides of the complicated and very sensitive ETA and anti-ETA conflict which still goes on today. Where I lived there were weekly protests in the street against the Spanish government and their arresting of Basque people. The conflict was always on the forefront of everyday life and thoughts which is exactly how the people there wanted to keep it. It was a very interesting position to be in and observe and I feel that I learned much more in those short four months about the Basque people and their culture than I ever would have in a class or from a textbook.

Through my study abroad experience I also had the chance to travel and learn more about other European countries besides Spain. I flew to Ireland and spent a week touring and learning all I could about their history and culture. It was a trip that I have always wanted to take since my family ancestry includes Irish and I absolutely loved everything about Ireland! I also had the chance to travel to Paris and see the Eifel Tower and the Louvre that I had heard of and dreamed about since I was a little girl. I saw architecture that you just don’t see here in the states and I also came to appreciate the histories of countries that are hundreds if not thousands of years old. Through these trips I have learned that I love traveling and learning about other cultures and histories and they have instilled in me a desire to travel more in my future. I am already planning my tour around Italy and my trips to Greece and Belgium. I just can’t wait to explore more of the world.

Finally, I also learned a lot about myself throughout this whole experience. I have gained a newfound confidence in my own abilities from having to live totally and completely on my own. It is a great feeling to know that if for some reason I am left completely alone in the world or have to start over making a life for myself in a new and unknown place, I am confident that I can make it and that I can capably handle making good decisions on my own. Also, I have learned a lot about my own beliefs and perspectives. While in Spain I was constantly surrounded by people with different opinions than me and this really forced me to self examine my own beliefs. It led me to have a firmer understanding of the way that I choose to view the world and it also led to growth and an new openness in my perspectives by being exposed to other people and their experiences. I learned people can still have a respect for each other’s beliefs and their reasons behind what they believe, even if they don’t necessarily agree with them. Some of my closest friends from the trip have almost complete opposite beliefs than me due to their own life experiences. But we still had respect for each other and could learn from each other. The dialogue about our similarities as well as our differences made us all the better for them.

In conclusion, what started out as a setback to my college plan and a dilemma for my future really turned into something very beneficial for me. I not only gained qualities and knowledge that will take me far in any career that I choose in the future, but I also gained a respect and appreciation for countries and cultures other than my own. I have come to love traveling and learning about different countries’ histories and way of life. And I now have plans in the future to travel to as many different places in the world as I possibly can. I would recommend to anyone searching for a new educational experience outside the books or wishing to learn more about themselves, other countries and cultures to study abroad. It has turned out to be one of the best decisions of my life.

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