A bumpy ride
My first week of being in Spain I truly felt like I was living my best life and that spiritually and mentally I was at my highest peak. I was adjusting well here and I loved everything about the Spanish culture the people, the food, the architecture. Everything felt like it would only get better and better. However, my second week has felt like an emotional roller coaster going up and downhill. All of a sudden, I got homesick I started to miss my family, friends and being in a familiar environment, it got to the point where I wanted to go back home. I realized I was moving out of my honeymoon phase and into a frustration stage. While I do love being in a foreign country I grew frustrated with only being able to communicate with my family and local friends via Wifi. The only places I can get Wifi are pretty much at home and school, most places don’t offer free Wifi. I have also begun to feel overwhelmed with my class schedule due to the lack of time I have in between my morning classes and evening class. It almost feels like the time is passing by way too fast and I’m starting to realize one month is not enough time to finish exploring the amazing city of Granada.
Coping
To cope with my homesickness, I decided to take a walk around the city and let myself be alone and reflect. While I was wondering around I walked up to the Albaicín which use to be the old Arab district. The streets of the Albaicín are very narrow and from a distance you can see the Alhambra. Watching the sunset from the Albaicín reminded me how beautiful Granada is and how fortunate I am to experience studying abroad in Spain.
Gaining momentum
After having some quiet time to reflect I slowly felt myself gaining momentum to continue this journey. Over the weekend I had the opportunity to take a trip to the small town of Frigiliana and Nerja which are on the coast of Malaga. First, I toured the Nerja Caves which were accidently found by 5 boys in 1959. Walking through the Caves was truly fascinating and it made me realize how amazing nature really is. Next, I went over to Frigiliana as I mentioned before it is a small town full of white houses and the view from the top is absolutely breathtaking. I have never seen a beach quite as mesmerizing as the one in Frigiliana with the clear blue waves crashing against the giant rocks while viewing the mountains. Exploring a new country and being in a different learning environment has been helping me become more independent and confident. Studying a new culture has also helped me gain a broader perspective of the world and is motivating me to understand different cultures around me. I am starting to readjust to the environment and this week it is my goal to fully embrace the Spanish culture!
