Student Journal Rough Draft

On the AIFS website, students have submitted journal entries about their experiences abroad.  They're meant to serve as a reference for future study abroad students.  I remember reading those earlier this year when I was preparing to come to Salamanca.  I emailed our Resident Director about submitting an entry and she told me to go for it.  So here is what I've written so far.  I've pulled some of the ideas and material from previous blog posts so it might sound familiar.  I would love any feedback!  Un fuerte abrazo.

5 November 2011

It just dawned on me that I have been living in Salamanca, Spain for over two months.  It still does not seem real.  I walk through these streets every single day and it still hasn’t sunk in that I live here.  I live here.  How lucky am I?  I have never experienced that single moment of realization.  I have never had that epiphany.  Salamanca has gradually settled into my mind and body.  I love feeling the warm Spanish sun on my skin and the cool breeze in my hair.  I love hearing my Spanish family speaking to each other and Salmantinos conversing at a side street café.  Every day, I cross Paseo Canalejas, take Calle del Rosario to Gran Via, turn left onto San Justo and approach the Plaza Mayor.  I could take a more efficient route to class but I love walking this way.  It’s not that I don’t know another way to get to my classes in San Boal.  I just love seeing the Plaza in the glow of early morning.  I linger there for a moment, breathe slowly, and appreciate the amazing opportunity I have been given.  I have been dreaming of studying abroad for years.  And it was always Spain.  Spain was the only country in which I wanted to study.  Now I can’t imagine being in a city other than Salamanca.  It has surpassed my expectations and I know that it will be heart-wrenching to leave this place.  A few days ago, I received an email confirming my flight arrangements back to the States in December.  It feels too soon.  The time has flown by so quickly for all of us here.  El tiempo vuela.  Some people are ready to go home.  Some people never want to leave.  I’m somewhere in the middle.  I play this scenario over and over in my head:  It’s December 16^th, I haven’t slept because last night was Nochevieja Universitaria, and my plane is landing in Chicago.  All I can think about is seeing my folks and my best friend.  I picture myself hugging each of them for a solid five minutes.  I’m excited to go home because I know that I’ll be coming back for the spring semester.  There was never a doubt that I wanted to be an academic-year student with AIFS in Salamanca.  And I am fortunate enough to have supportive parents who have always encouraged me to do this.  What scares me is that the epiphany, that single moment of realization, won’t hit me until I’m leaving Salamanca next June.  I try not to take this place for granted.  Sometimes that’s hard because I feel so settled here.  It’s comfortable.  It’s normal.  I have a routine.  I have to remind myself that yes, I do live here and it is the best thing I ever could have done for myself.  When I think about that, my breath catches in my throat and I smile because I know how incredible this experience is and I know that it will influence the rest of my life.  I’ve been able to see so many beautiful places and have innumerable adventures in Europe, but I am always relieved to see the beautiful skyline of Salamanca in the distance.  It feels like coming home.  Salamanca will always have a grip on my soul and it will always be here to come back to.  Tranquila.  Lo esencial es invisible a los ojos.