I’m currently in the midst of studying for my three finals tomorrow, and just got done preparing a presentation for tomorrow night. I’ve been procrastinating beyond belief because I can’t accept the fact that it’s finals time because once they’re over, I’m going home. It’s hard to believe that it was just 4 months ago when I was arriving to my non air-conditioned “piso” in Madrid, Spain, being welcomed with hugs and kisses from my non-conventional host mother. I can’t say this has been easy, it’s been hard to be away from my family, not that I would see them that much more in the US, but just knowing that even if I did need them or want to see them, it wasn’t possible. — Thank God for skype. 🙂 — And it’s been even harder to be away from my friends. But even with the inevitable homesickness I sometimes faced, especially when I was sick or things weren’t going my way, the last fourth months have been the best months of my life. I lucked out with the two best roommates I could have ever imagined– our host mom cries sometimes when she talks about what a great dynamic we have– and a host mom who is all about encouraging us to be young and take advantage of life. One of my roommates is from Japan so I’ve had the privilege of learning not only about Spanish culture, but a little about Japanese culture as well. My other roommate is now one of my best friends. Not to mention, my experience has been completely different because of her. She goes to a vacation spot in the north of Spain every summer with her family, and already knew a few boys from Madrid. We started meeting up with them and their friends, and before I knew it, I had a group of 20 Spanish friends to go out with and go get coffee with and to practice my Spanish with. Though, to be honest, practicing my Spanish isn’t really an option, because most of them can’t speak English. All in all, I’m so happy I’ve had the opportunity to study abroad. I’ve gotten to travel all over Europe, try some delicious food, meet some of the coolest people, and fall in love…with Madrid. Every time I go on a trip, I’m always ready to get back, Madrid feels like home. It’s a city that almost never sleeps, except for siesta time, something I’m going to have a hard time not doing when I get back to the States. I’ve read the other blogs and it seems to me like the rest of you guys studying abroad are having a great time also, but how could we not? Studying abroad doesn’t feel like real life, it feels like a dream, a time to try and do whatever our hearts desire and experience things we never could in a semester at home. I hope you all agree. See you in January! 🙂
-Lucy Paez