Adios Amigos

It´s hard to believe that my 10th and final week in Spain has arrived. The time has gone by really fast with all of the excursions, classes, and fun activities that I´ve had. It´s definitely been a memorable experience that I´m really grateful for. For me the 10-week duration was just about perfect in order to feel like I´ve become fully integrated in the culture and become fluent in the Spanish language. At this point I can understand most conversations that I overhear between natives (as well as the priests during Mass!), I understand tv shows and newspaper articles, and listening to my professors during class is no longer taxing on my brain. I have improved by leaps and bounds and am excited to put my Spanish into action this fall when I volunteer in Decorah´s Free Clinic.

As much as I am looking forward to going home, I know that when I get there I will miss aspects of my life here in Spain. This is what I´ll miss most:
1. The great weather! It´s not humid, doesn´t rain, and is sunny 95% of the time!
2. The laid-back schedule. It´s still remarkable to me that my host mom doesn´t get up until after 8 AM each day after staying up until 2 AM watching telenovelas! The work day here starts later and then takes a 3 hour break for lunch and siesta- much different from our "Go, go, go" schedule in the U.S.
3. The ability to walk everywhere and always encounter friends in the parks or on the streets. I will definitely miss my daily strolls through the shaded parks and the plaza where I always manage to run into a friend from my classes or apartment.
4. Speaking Spanish!

It´s been a great time and I would definitely recommend this type of study-abroad to anyone who´s thinking of studying in Spain. Now it´s time to say, "Adios", and take the many lessons from this trip with me as I head into my junior year at Luther!