It is hard to believe that next week will mark the one year anniversary since the day I left for Granada. I remember freshman year saying that I was going to study abroad during my time at Hope. Never did I think that the statement I made as a freshman would actually come true. I filled out the application sophomore year and things move from there. My professor turned in one of my recommendations late and so I played the waiting game a while longer, while I watched others around me get accepted to the program. Then finally the acceptance letter came and it all became real. The stress leading up to my departure, including filling out the looming VISA form and figuring out what I was actually going to pack, was overwhelming. The days and hours right before I left, I was postive that I needed to back out. There was no way that I could get on a plane and go to a foreign country all by myself. But the day came and I did it. I waved to my family with tears running down my face with an overwhelming sense of uncertainty of what I was getting myself into. After many hours on the plane, days of jet lag, a week without a computer, and little ability to speak Spanish with my host mom I began to get into a groove.
Over time things became easier. I went on trips pratically by myself. Flew more times in one week than I will ever fly for the rest of my life. I made the most wonderful friends. Took classes that inspired me in more ways than one. I immersed myself in the culture. My time in Granada changed my life. I became someone who is independent and more confident. I felt a greater sense of faith and a passion for life. My experience in Granada was like a pomegranate, with so many seeds of adventure packed into one small fruit that have left a stain on my heart and in my life. I truly believe that my time abroad has made a better person. As I graduate from college this year and move on to the next part of my life, I know that my Spain will feed into my life more than I could ever imagine.
Granada, mi amor, mi pasión, mi vida, mi aventura, mi fe. Te echo de menos.
