Out-N-About in Spain: A Nudge in the Right Direction

Let me start this little post off by saying, before I came here yes I was a believer in God, but not to the extent of most in my family and church family. I was more of the kind who questioned and challenged the validity of the bible and the right and wrong in every situation. HOWEVER, through my travels so far here in Spain I have, without a doubt, discovered God. The God who does in fact have a plan and purpose for my life. The God that has blessed me with so many wonderful people, experiences and love in my life. And the the God that will guide me safely back home to my family in June.When you are so incredibly far away from everything you have ever known and life seems impossible, this is how you truly find God.

Along those lines, today in school God sent me a message. I know it sounds cliche, but hear me out!

Today in English class a boy, about 19 or 20 years old came in to do a little presentation. Lets just say it was another sign / blessing that this presentation was in English! This guy, about a year or two ago, was just a regular high school student like anyone his age. One day, he decided he didn't want to waste his youth in a school and live the life of the ordinary so he simply stopped going to school. After some time of playing video games and sitting around thinking about what he wanted to do with his life he, literally, went out, bought a backpack and WALKED, alone, from one end of Spain to the other. When he returned he decided he wanted to do some more traveling, but didn't have the funds to do it. So he went off to a small country to the east of Italy, alone, and worked as a waiter for eight months to earn the money he needed. He then bought a bike, biked around some of Europe, hopped onto a boat and returned to his home in Spain for a second time.

As if this wasn't enough, the boy decided to do MORE but, again, needed the money to do so. So he did some research online, hoped onto a plane and worked as a nurse in Ghana, yes that is Ghana, Africa, for two months. Once he completed his nursing time there, he returned to Spain, bought a new bike cause some jerkface stole his, and rode from Spain to Germany then down to Greece and hoped another boat and arrived in Spain yet again. And this was all over the course of TWO YEARS!

Now I was feeling a bit down before this presentation today (cause that's just what happens when you are an exchange student, you have your ups and your downs) and as if I was ready for a break. Ready to crawl into bed and wait for a vacation or for the day to come that I would fly home and just continue my perfectly normal life in New York, but this guy made me realize how many people wish they could go on an exchange or do something extraordinary with their teenage years. He showed me that this time is truly the only time you have to do these crazy things before you get stuck in the routine of an ordinary life and wish you had done something like this in your youth, but I am doing it now. It took me awhile to realize it, but I am strong, brave, and I will NEVER regret this experience for as long as I live. In the future I will look back on this trip with such pride for completing something so few have actually done.

There will always be the questions, "Do you miss your family?", "Why are you living here when your are from New York?", and just why in general. Here are the answers to your "whys", plan and simple. I believe that through missing your family more than you ever imagined was possible will help you appreciate them and every little thing they do for you when you are finally reunited and once again in their arms. I believe it doesn't matter where you go, but the fact that you can prove to yourself, and others that you have the courage and the strength to just pick up and literally form a new life from scratch in a place that is new and uncomfortable to you, is an experience everyone should have the opportunity to witness. And I believe WHY to do this at all, is to be the change you want to see in the world. Be an inspiration to others and simply live life to the fullest!

Going into this post I didn't intend to transform into some motivational speaker, but ya know what that is what was on my mind and I just felt like sharing! Plus by not only experiencing my physical experiences vicariously through this blog, but also my mental experiences, just helps you understand on a deeper level what it is like to be an exchange student. Also, to appreciate the weight of the finish line when I finally cross it, out of that gate in the airport, and right back into the best thing I have ever known, my family.

Here are some pictures of the latest and greatest from Spain.