Today’s blog post comes to us from new API alumni, Josh Weaver! He just returned from spending a semester abroad with us in Seville, Spain.
With mixed emotions, I am back home in Darlington this week!
It has been a crazy past week of goodbyes and traveling a few thousand miles over a period of 27 hours to get from my “secondary home” in Seville to actual home in Darlington. I always find it interesting how time is so subjective to our situation. Whenever we want time to go by it feels like forever, but when we need it to slow down and have a few extra moments, the time passes by faster than ever which of course happened to me the last few days in Seville. Sunday was an intense day of studying and packing while Monday and Tuesday were studying, final packing, exams, and the hardest part-goodbyes.
It’s difficult to leave the comfort of what you are accustomed to, so it was quite difficult to walk out of my flat, down my street, past the university, river, and other iconic landmarks of Seville for the last time.
Worse still was saying goodbye to all the wonderful people that have come into life. During my time abroad, I have been incredibly blessed to learn in another language and education system, travel to some of the famous places in the world, try new foods, experience Semana Santa and Feria-all of which were amazing, but the most important part of my semester in Seville were the people that came into my life and have become some of my best friends. Not knowing when I will have the opportunity to see them is difficult to think about, though we are already planning for when we will be able to meet up again in the future.
Though I was very sad to leave Seville and still miss it, I was also overjoyed to see my family and friends here again.
As a true Wisconsinite, our first stop on the way home was of course Culver’s to have my favorite chicken strip basket and real Wisconsin cheese curds! It was an odd feeling to come into Darlington and drive down Main Street and feel like nothing had changed, as if I had only been gone for a few days. It was certainly comforting to smell the distinct smell of my house, have a pantry full of food at my disposal, and sleep in my bed again. As much as I loved the culture and food in Spain, I thrilled to have more than just toast and Nutella for breakfast again! I have already had some of my favorite breakfast foods that include, waffles, pancakes, an omelet, and french toast and bacon.
Thankfully adjusting to the time change has not been as brutal as when I went to Spain. Instead of losing a night’s sleep, I got to go back in time. Nonetheless, it has affected me as I find myself going to sleep by 10:00 P.M. and waking up anywhere between 5:00 and 6:30 A.M. After the intense last couple of weeks I had in Seville, it’s been more than a little strange not having much to do these past few days. I am already anxious to jump into my summer internship and a fixed internship again. As I noted in one of my first blogs, I couldn’t wait to start my classes, so I could get into a routine again. As life-changing as my semester has been, I guess personality traits are a little harder to change.
To bring it all back around, change is hard.
I am sad I had to leave Seville, happy that I am home with my friends and family again, and experiencing a little bit of reverse culture shock. I think knowing it would be difficult to come back has actually made it a little easier coming back as strange it sounds. This time instead of being homesick, I am a little “Seville sick.”
