Hello! This is Ava, updating you all with my last blog.
Returning to the U.S. cam with a mix of emotions. I was excited to come home, but at the same time I felt the grief of leaving behind the friends I had made, my host family, and all the people who had become constants in my life over the past three months. Letting go of the life I built abroad was heartbreaking. In many ways, it reminded me of the times I left Iran and the difficult goodbyes that came with it.
People often say that studying abroad is an experience unlike any other, and I thought I understood what they meant. Now that I have lived through it, I understand why on a whole new level. Exploring a new country, learning a new language, becoming part of a new family, and struggling, yet still falling in love with every part of the experience, was one of the most real and transformative things I have ever lived through.
Studying abroad reshaped the way I think about my identities. It challenged my values, my sense of self, and my understanding of my place in the world. This was the most freedom and distance I have ever had from my family and friends, which meant that I faced moments of feeling lost, not just in what I was doing, but in who I was becoming. The time difference and physical distance created a kind of isolation that made these introspective moments unavoidable. However, this isolation was ultimately good for me because it forced me to confront and question parts of myself that I might never have examined otherwise. Through these difficult moments, I realized that I am not just one thing. I am not only Iranian nor only American. I feel I have grown into a new identity: a transcultural person: someone whose identity is shaped not by a single culture but through movement across different cultural worlds, learning from each and belonging to all of them in different ways. For me, this comes from growing up Iranian, building a life in the U.S., and later living in Spain. Each environment has left an imprint on me, influencing how I think, communicate, and relate to people. My sense of self now exists in the spaces between cultures rather than within a single one.
On a lighter note, coming back to the U.S. has been surreal. The first few times I went to a grocery store or was simply around the general public, I was genuinely startled to hear English being spoken again. Event seeing how Americans dress after months of being surrounded by chic European style felt like culture shock.
Overall, this experience changed not only how I see the world but how I see myself. It taught me that identity is not fixed and that I am capable of growing, adapting, and redefining who I am through each place I inhabit. Studying abroad was truly transformative, and it has inspired me to continue traveling and to further pursue my Spanish language studies. I would strongly recommend studying abroad to anyone who has the opportunity to do so.
It has been nice updating you all on my experience abroad!
Ava Momtazi, Spanish Language and Culture in Segovia