Now that I am home I have a much better sense of myself than I did before I left for Spain. In Spain I took on challenges that I would not have faced here. I was able to communicate outside my native language with both my Spain family, professors and other people throughout the city. Before I left I did not like to talk in Spanish outside my classroom or to natives because I did not have the confidence to do so. That has changed since I returned. I also feel more confident about my ability to get around unfamiliar places because that was so common my first week of being abroad. Being home makes me appreciate everything about the culture in Spain from their friendliness to their remarkable love for life. I hope to return to Spain in a few years, even though my Spain family is asking me to visit sooner! Keeping in contact with them makes me feel so much better about the relationships I built over that month. I am also still in contact with one of my now best friends that I made while in Spain. Maggie and I continue to talk daily and love to reminisce about the good days in Spain. I am so grateful that I got the opportunity to go and study abroad and come back an even better person than I was before I left.

Vacation in Iowa. I spent as much time on a plane or in a different state or country than I did at home!