By stlake
Yesterday morning, I walked into the kitchen and Mama Dominga was standing over the fruit bowl, just shaking her head. She was upset because I didn’t eat any apples this week and now they were going “bad”. I put air quotes around that because in Spain, leftover culture really is frowned upon. Mama Dominga goes to the market and gets fresh bread almost every other day and fresh fruit about 3 days. But instead of getting defensive, I quickly thought of another creative idea; apple pie. So, I spent my Sunday afternoon, watching El Voz, the Spanish version of The Voice, and making pie. Mama Dominga, while I do get frustrated with her sometimes, is one of the most special people I have ever had the privilege of meeting, and we are actually quite similar. The similarity I realized yesterday was that we both cry when we hear good singers, especially if they can belt out a Motown classic. Then last night, the crew had dinner with Benjie’s parents, who are incredibly sweet. And per usual, the dinner was filled of stories and laughs and I left Sal y Pepe (home of homemade pizza and sangria) feeling a lot better than I’ve felt in a while.
Obviously, my Alicante adventure has been the absolute best and I'm having the time of my life. But I want to take the time to discuss the darker side of study abroad, homesickness. Besides this week, I really only had one other week of homesickness. It came around my 5th/6th week here, when the honeymoon stage faded away. I realized this wasn’t just a beach vacation, but I had schoolwork and other responsibilities. I felt sad and at times, slightly hopeless. Surprisingly, talking to friends and family at home only made things worse. I couldn’t believe I had to go another 3 months without seeing them. So you may ask, how did I got over it? I realized that all my friends here were in the same boat and all of us, sticking it out together and creating amazingly funny memories was the only way to make my experience.
This time it’s been a little different because I see the light at the end of the tunnel. I’m almost finished here and I know there isn’t much left. I have Thanksgiving weekend, one more trip to Morocco, exams and presentation and then I’m off for the Lake Family European Holiday to Barcelona and Paris. So now it’s more of a bittersweet feeling; I am close to all my friends here and don’t want to leave them but I’m still so excited to go home. I’m going be honest with you guys right now. I can’t believe I am admitting this to the entire internet but I’ve been listening to Taylor Swift because I just feel like she’s the only who gets my over-dramatic attitude right now. For those who know me, you must see the severity of this situation.
After my amazing Sunday, I woke up this Monday morning, with a new attitude. Taylor Swift has been set aside (I wish I could say thrown out but she has a time and place-god I can’t believe I’m having this epiphany right now and owning up to it). I’m back listening to my abroad anthem Roar by Katy Perry (try not to feel empowered when you listen to it, I dare you.) and eating the last piece of Madre’s and my apple pie. I’m feeling much better. For those students who are reading this post and thinking about going abroad, know this. There will be some days where you just want to be eating cheeseburgers with your best friends, and watching the Kardashians. But then you’ll book a weekend trip to Morocco and you’ll realize you need to get a grip.
One Month More, Another Day, Another Destiny.
(yes Les Miserable is pretty over-dramatic, but better than Tay-Tay Swift. It’s a classic.)