The Journey Ends

It seems as though I abruptly stopped posting, but this past week has truly been hectic! I finally have returned back to the United States, and even though I was sad to leave Salamanca, I was anxious to return back home as well. My flight was originally scheduled for 10:30am on December 18th, but due to some sort of pilot strike taking place in Spain (perfect timing, I know), I discovered that my flight time had been delayed for four hours! I was pretty bummed out, especially having just gone through a bag check-in fiasco because one of my suitcases was overweight, but I was just happy to still have had a flight back. 

As for my time in Salamanca, I wouldn't change much. I really did enjoy being able to be a part of another culture and immerse myself within another language. Also, traveling around Europe was such a learning experience. It is extremely multicultural and diverse, and being able to experience some of it firsthand is something I'll never forget. Of course there were times when I wished that my family were there to experience it with me (and drive me nuts), which sometimes resulted in going souvenir-crazy, (like when I was in Paris), but I know that there will be other times in the future when we will all be able to travel together. 

Volunteering at the elementary school was another facet of my trip that I really enjoyed. Seeing what schooling was like in another country was not only interesting, but fun at the same time. The students were always so enthusiastic and the teachers were so freaking nice. On my last day, they awarded me a volunteer certificate  as well as some cute parting gifts. I would tell anyone who is studying in another country to try something similar :) 

Before my arrival, the thought of studying in another country seemed so difficult. From the paperwork, to the cost, to living on my own in a country whose language I had not mastered, it just seemed extremely out of my reach. However, once I made it over those hurdles, I could only look forward to what was to come. I feel like one of the most important things to remember is to go in with an open mind, and in return new or foreign experiences will seem less weird and more interesting, I suppose.

Studying abroad is a life-altering thing and one that will hopefully bring anyone who does the same a sense of joy and fulfillment. I definitely look forward to seeing more of this huge world and maybe I'll even continue writing my blog. In the meantime, I just want to thank everyone who has taken the time to read what I have written, even if it was just a sentence, because I wrote with the hopes of aiding others on their own pursuits of studying abroad.

For anyone who has a question or would like to leave a comment about anything that I have included here, feel free to reach out to me. Thanks so much and I hope we'll meet again soon!

~Justine <3 

2011