My sister took part in the study abroad program to Spain the year before, so I had the unique advantage of hearing about the program through her personal experience. I remember going to one their meetings and being so caught up with excitement that I wished I was going with them.

For a year I tucked that desire away to experience Spain for myself. When it came time to apply again to study abroad in Spain my heart warred from a torrent of mixed emotions…excitement, fear, curiosity, anxiety… I am elated that the curious adventurer in me won the war. I accepted the challenge to travel to a foreign country where I didn’t speak the language with a group of strangers as crazy as I am……and because of it my life would never be the same.

One of my favorite experiences on this trip was getting to know my fellow travel mates in the Madrid airport. The common theme seemed to be that everyone was conquering a personal fear or challenge to hopefully encounter something new and amazing…and in that moment, I knew that I was in the company of my peers, and that everything was going to work out fine. I talked, laughed, nibbled on tapas but deep inside my heart I still pondered.

A few years ago, I was diagnosed with kidney failure and was kept alive by a dialysis machine. I was tethered to that machine and if someone told me then that in the year 2017 I would be standing under the bright lights of the Plaza Mayor in Salamanca Spain I would have looked at them square in the eyes, probably filled with tears and say, “please don’t lie to me!” Fortunately, I received a kidney transplant and vowed to myself that with this second chance in life I will live my life to the fullest in honor of my donor and to everyone that loves me and wants the best for me. This trip has been one of the reasons I was given more time…I have danced as the sun kissed my face near the Roman aqueducts in Segovia, looked up in amazement at the beautiful architecture that blankets the city of Salamanca, savored the food which brings the locals together, squealed with excitement as my parents in Spain applauded my efforts to speak to them in their native tongue and laughed till my stomach hurt from daily dialogues with friends.

I had the pleasure of talking with everyone taking this journey with me, and each person has enriched my life in their own unique way. Valerie Diaz my travel/roommate encouraged me daily to go beyond my comfort zone and experience life in a new way. Her zeal for life is contagious and our relationship strengthened as we did our nightly girl talk. Chase the cheerleader of the program inspired me to explore and look and life through a different lens.

Thu and Charae were always happy to do personal photo shoots as we sometimes got lost trying to get the perfect shot. Roy and Sonja always had me in stitches as we recapped the highlights of our Spanish classes. Jennifer always kept me alert in class and because of her enthusiastic participation I have learned a lot more Spanish than I anticipated.

Maryclare was, and will always be my pillar of encouragement, her heart is filled with love and it spills out every time she opens her mouth. I would share my joys and sorrows of the day with Maddie and April as we matched paces on our excursions. Anthony, Parker, Josh, Haile, Eytan, Griffin and Friderikas…all the guys at some point or the other had me doubled over with laughter. Scottie captured the magic of the little moments with her crazy photography skills and Jacquie with her cute smile was ready to have a good time. Isabella and Rebekah full of smiles fluttered through the city of Salamanca like butterflies. I enjoyed my thought provoking conversations with Joshua and found the coolest places to eat with Haile.

I will always cherish the moments Teresa’s nurturing superpower realized when I was not feeling well and she would stay close to me during excursions. I learned a lot about the culture of Spain and other distant lands from my long talks with Dorothy, my favorite salsa partner. The two people I give the most honor to is Professor Roxana and Osiris. Their encouragement, smiles, laughter, advice and desire for each student to enjoy their experience to the fullest made the Study Abroad Program to Spain one of the best experiences of my life. My advice to anyone reading this blog is to take that giant leap into the unknown and travel to that new place and don’t forget to taste that new dish, talk to that stranger, laugh till your stomach hurts, dance like no one’s watching for the present is the most precious gift life can give us.