What are you looking forward to?

This is the most commonly asked question I have gotten from people since I made my decision. I'll give you my top 5...

1.) La gente...CLARO! The Spanish people are amazing. Of course I am pumped to see my friends who I met when I studied there, but I am also excited to meet new people. The Spanish people are very welcoming. They are passionate about their culture and value the relationships they have with their families and friends. They are sincere and the thing I like best about them is that they are not afraid to tell it as it is!

2.) The lifestyle. Walk...walk...walk. Don't expect to get to Sevilla and not have to walk. After the first few days, the legs ache and the feet hurt and you wonder how am I going to do this? The ancient cobblestone streets might wreck your shoes and they might even make you take a spill in public...especially if you are trying to make it in heels. And then you get used to it. You begin to wonder how you ever got in your car and went from place to place before. And then you end up back in the states. Don't worry...I love the U.S. but I HATE getting into my car to go everywhere! At school it wasn't so bad because as a student on a large university campus, I was able to walk everywhere. But after being home for a summer and having to get into my car to go everywhere, I have been dying to get back into a walking lifestyle. I also love how the Spanish people value time spent with family and friends. They meet on the streets to eat, drink and chat for hours. They are also not afraid to leave work, go home and have a lunch break that lasts for more than 30 minutes. They have a large meal in the afternoon and a siesta! Yes...people actually rest in the middle of the day...not work from 9-5 with maybe a 20 minute break for lunch. One saying the Spanish people have is "No pasa nada!" it's like the Spanish style "Hakuna Matata." When I am having a bad day (even though a bad day in Sevilla is a good day anywhere else) the words "No pasa nada, guapa!" are the best words I can hear. To sum it all up, I just cannot wait to get back to my "No Pasa Nada" lifestyle!


3.) The scenery. The Liberty Bell, the White House, Colonial Williamsburg, even places like the Brandywine Battlefield in my own hometown...there are lists of historical sites in the United States. When I used to walk around Penn State's campus, I would look at Old Main and say, "Wow! 1855! That's so old!" I used to marvel at Old Main when I walked past it each day with its white pillars and legendary bell tower. And then I arrived in Sevilla. I learned the easiest route from my apartment to class ran along side the Cathedral in Sevilla...tough life, right? Now I had something new to marvel at...the largest Gothic cathedral in the world and the third largest Cathedral in the world that just so happens to be the burial site of Christopher Columbus. So I went from passing something that was built in 1855 to passing a site with so much history! A site that was built in the 1100's as a mosque and reconstructed to become a cathedral once the Christians took over Spain and reconstructed time and time again to become the cathedral that so many tourists marvel at today. And yep, I passed that. Every single day for four months. Try to tell me that's not amazing. So yes, I guess I would say I am certainly looking forward to passing sites like these and living in a culture that are way older than my country.

4.) La comida! Many of my friends left Spain and couldn't wait to get back to bagels, bacon, eggs and pancakes for breakfast and pizza, french fries and burgers for lunch and dinner. The day I got home I had a hoagies and a Philly soft pretzel but the next day I woke up and made a Spanish tortilla for lunch. Something that is so easy to make took me forever because I tried and failed miserably when I tried to make it taste exactly like my Señora's. I scoured the grocery stores for Fanta Limon to perfect my tinto de verano but only found grape and orange flavors. And I'm sorry but Tinto naranja (orange) is just not as good limon. Of course there will be foods I will miss from the U.S. but I cannot wait to get back to the tortilla, gazpacho, solomillo, lentejas, paella, chorizo and of course CIEN MONTADITOS...because where else can you get a mug of tinto and 3 mini sandwiches for 5 euro?! 

5.) A new experience. Overall, I am excited for a new experience. Many people study abroad and have the time of their lives. I was one of them. But this time around, I am not trying to relive the same experience I had when I studied in Sevilla. That was an experience that I would never try to replace or relive. I will not have the same people, I will not have the same day-to-day lifestyle, I will not have classes in the university and I will not have a comfortable room in my Señora's apartment. But what I will have is a better understanding of the Spanish culture from the start. I will meet new people both American and Spanish who will change my life for the better. I will have a different day-to-day lifestyle that I know I will come to love. I will have a job and a classroom and students who I want to have an impact on. I will not be living with my Señora but I will see her and continue the friendship we formed a year ago. But overall, I will live and learn, I will get frustrated, I will laugh, I will cry, I will struggle and overcome obstacles and I will be a better person because I had this experience...an experience I could have never had if I didn't decide to take this chance. And I don't know about some people, but I would never be able to forgive myself if I didn't capture this opportunity.