When I arrived in Spain I was not sure of what to expect I’m not the type of person to take risk, leave the house without a good reason or fly across the world to make an “adventure”. I arrived in Madrid three days before and made all the mistakes any tourist would. I believed that I was in way over my head and I needed to go home. With twelve hours flying and thirty-six hours of no sleep the only energy I was running on was my built up anxiety.

I arrived in Salamanca with the SPC group and with my same thoughts of discomfort and doubt. Which surprisingly seemed to fade away within a night of walking through the old city. There’s something about these ancient sandstone buildings that’s forces you to realize there’s more to the world than just you and with that realization residing within my mind I made the second step to try something new. I intensively began to study the Spanish language and it’s history, I went on excursions that showed me how beautiful this country actually is and interacted with people from all over the world. From the mountain tops of Peña de Francia to the the golden beach of San Sebastian, I discovered more than a great spot to take pictures. I discovered a culture that has invoked feelings that I unfortunately don’t have the capability to explain.

On this trip I was able me to find a piece of myself that I never would have found if I had decided to stay home. This is the only time I would say that I have ever been so grateful to be thrown into an uncomfortable situation. Deciding to study abroad with SPC was hands down one of the biggest decision I have ever made and the best one as well. I have experienced more in two weeks than most people have experienced in their lifetime.

I know you may be nervous about studying abroad, but we all were. And you may not find the answers you are looking for here in Spain as I have, but my advice to you is that you should at least check for them. So just go.