I have been home for two months now. That is a crazy thing to say. Two months have come and gone in the blink of an eye. Truthfully, I am not sure I even had a phase where I eased back into reality. I flew back to UA, experienced no jet lag, moved out and then drove 40 hours to Oregon. I haven’t stopped since. There have been times I catch myself reminiscing, almost as if I was still in Barcelona. Then real life sets in. One thing in specific I have noticed is that when people say, “Wow that must have been amazing, how was it?”. I auto-pilot say, “It was amazing, one of the best experiences of my life”. However, when I answer this question and I try to think about those five months, I draw a blank. Everything kind of blends together and I forget specifics. There is so much to say, and no possible way to encapsulate my abroad experience in just a few sentences. Outside of this, there a few other things I have noticed. I am much more aware of the people around me. I am more empathetic, more intrigued by the stories and backgrounds of those I am surrounded by. I am quite independent. I walk through the city with confidence and love being on my own. I enjoy time to myself and the quiet it provides me. And now, as summer comes to a close and I start getting ready to head back to UA, it feels weird to think about not being in Barcelona. I became so accustomed to the lifestyle and social scene, adjusting to life at UA could be tough. However, I have not seen many of my friends since November. I can hardly wait to reconnect with many important people in my life, get back to work, and attend classes in familiar places. Most of all, it’s football season, the best of the US.
