Adios...

I'm a little late posting this, but I feel like I haven't slowed down since I got back to the states. Being back home is bittersweet. I am happy to have some time to myself to relax, and, most importantly, I am happy to see my cat and my family, but I also miss being in Spain and going on a new adventure every day. While I don't miss the heat and the humidity, I was enjoying wandering the streets and exploring new parts of the city. In the last week of the program I felt my Spanish really started improving and my sense of direction and ability to navigate the city were getting better. I wish there were a few more weeks in the program so that I could feel fully comfortable in the city and practice my Spanish even more.
 Looking back on my time in Spain, I am so grateful for all that I learned and experienced while I was abroad. It amazes me how much I learned about the history and culture of Spain in just 5 weeks (I feel like I know Spain better than Boulder). The classes taught me so much and allowed us to see and experience Spain in a way that would never have been possible had I not been a part of the program. I am also so thankful for my host mom for bringing me into her home, and adding to my experiences of the culture. She made amazing food that I would never have tried and introduced us to many of her friends, which made the experience that much more special. I think the most important thing I gained from this experience is a new sense of confidence in myself that I was missing when the program began. A big influence in my new confidence were the people from the program. I have forged friendships that I hope will last me the rest of my life. I feel like the friendships I made were serendipitous in a way because I may never have met the people I did outside the program and even if I had, in different circumstances we may not have become friends the way that we have.