The Dam

It's 7:19 pm and the sun is still beaming like it's noon... it won't set for another few hours now...that's how it works here in Spain. The days seem to go on forever. It's been a wonderful weekend. I spent a few days in Amsterdam, Netherlands with a few of my classmates/friends and experienced the life of the city. Canal tours, Ann Frank's house, and exploration of famous landmarks portraying their culture was a part of a wonderful experience. A few of my friends and I stayed in a hostel in a small room with seven other strangers. It was hotter than the Arizona desert because of the lack of air conditioning or fans, a dirty bathroom was shared between the ten of us and ten small beds were squeezed into a room no bigger than my hotel room here at the Citadines in Barcelona.

At first I was extremely shocked and uncomfortable. My best friend and I shared the same feeling when walking into a room full of nomadic guys aged anywhere from twenty to thirty. The thought of sharing a bedroom with these strangers definitely made for a significant amount of apprehension. Sure enough, though, we got through it and it ended up being just the experience that I needed. It's not imperative to live in your full comfort zone all of the time. I am so used to such a zone, living in very affluent and sheltered areas at home, at school in Boston, and even here in Las Ramblas, Barcelona. Being pushed out of your comfort area is the most amazing part of being nomadic. And that is just how I felt this weekend.

Being away also made Barcelona feel like home. At times when I was feeling a bit uncomfortable, I felt nostalgic for the life I left in Spain. This was a surprise to me because it took me a while to get comfortable here in Spain, especially with the sense of American hatred I had felt by the locals. Sure enough, Spain has become something familiar, and it felt very close to the way my home does when I am away for a long period of time. It was an exciting feeling for me because I am becoming genuinely attached to the city. It's crazy how fast you can feel another place is equivalent to home.

It's quite a shame that I only have about 2 and a half weeks left... time is flying faster these days. I've known this for a while and my experience in Spain justifies my theory.

I suggest traveling to different places to anyone who studies for a long period of time in Europe. It is a beautiful feeling experiencing different languages, culture, and customs within a two hour plane ride away from Spain. I am not used to this feeling in the states. If i fly two to three hours I can land somewhere in Georgia or Florida, where languages and where customs (although a bit different) are extremely similar to mine. It is a great feeling here. You'll learn to, naturally, prefer some countries over another, as I did Spain over Amsterdam, but having the chance to live in it, even just for a few days, is truly an extraordinary opportunity.