Before you read through this entire blog, this could be your sign, so do yourself a favor right now and go for it.
Go for what?
Go travel.
Before coming to UMass, all I would think about was traveling and studying abroad. I didn’t just want to go to Spain; I needed to go to Spain. For most people, studying abroad is something that is on the back burner. Many think they can just wait until Junior or Senior year. While this is a great way to plan, and I encourage you to plan like this as well, if the opportunity arises, and you feel within you that you should do it, do it.
As a freshman, that was my plan too- to put studying abroad off until my later years of undergrad. But why? Of course, I was planning, my favorite thing to do. But that was until I got an email from Patricia Gubitosi saying that she would love for more students to come to Salamanca for the summer of 2019 and was willing to open the application back up. I read the email again. And then one more time. No way, I thought. The deadline passed and it’ll be way too much work to catch up with everyone else who is already enrolled in the program. But I couldn’t stop thinking about it- Spain; the place I’ve been dreaming of visiting since I said “hola” for the first time to my 7th grade Spanish teacher as I walked into class. Studying abroad was no longer on the back burner, in fact it was on the front burner, and it was on fire. Ugh, but the money, I thought, I’ll never be able to afford it. My hopes were on a roller coaster ride- from just one email.
I decided to talk to some family and friends for advice. My family had just gone through a rough patch and the challenges that came with it. It was a tough year for me. I ended up moving that year and I didn’t have a job secured for the summer, so money would be tight. However I had been saving from my job at UMass throughout the year. After I had talked it out (the same day I got that email…) I came to the conclusion that basically I needed to go, who was I kidding. Yes, money was a problem, and yes, I wasn’t at the best point of my life, but I needed to at least attempt to take this opportunity and work hard in order to make it happen. I connected with financial aid and IPO (International Programs Office) who helped to make sure I got as much help as possible in funding my excursion. In addition, I applied for any and all jobs that were hiring in my new town to earn my plane ticket money and spending money (eventually becoming a pretty decent barista). June 19th, 2019 came along, and I left the country alone for the first time. There was no turning back, nor did I even want to turn back.
Once I got to Spain, I was greeted by not only friendly and inclusive students from UMass, but the most amazing group of professors and tour guides. For the first time in my life, I was the most scared and excited I had ever been at the same time.
I lived in an apartment with a host mother and roomed with someone who became one of my best friends. We had 3 other roommates as well, two from Pennsylvania and one from Tunisia, giving me the chance to connect with a variety of people from around the world. I spoke solely Spanish with my host mother and ate only at times that she prepared food for us, which was definitely a cultural shock- eating at 9pm was difficult, especially when I was ready to go to bed. However, these mealtimes were so important to my host mother and eventually became important to me too. It was a time for us to share how our day went, to talk to one another and to truly enjoy each other’s company, something that we oftentimes overlook or forget to do in the United States.
It was the many lessons like this one that I kept with me after studying abroad. Not only did I get to travel to another country (which is so valuable in itself) but I learned more about myself, my morals and my values from this experience than I thought I could; I was able to practice the language that I fell in love with and immerse myself completely in the culture; I met the most amazing people that I not only called my friends, but felt as though they were my family, my support system, while living so far away from home. Traveling abroad doesn’t just mean going to explore another country, as many think. Traveling abroad gives you the opportunity to become a better you.
So, like I said, go for it.
