Hi everyone! This is Ava, updating you with my final blog post. Coming back to the US has been a mix of excitement and heaviness. I was so ready to see my family and friends again, but it honestly hurt to leave behind the people who became such a big part of my life in Spain: my friends, my host family, and all the people who had become constants in my life over the past three months. Saying goodbye to that version of my life felt a lot like the goodbyes I had to say when I leftIran. I’d get used to one world, and suddenly I’d be packing it up and stepping into another.
People always say studying abroad is life-changing, and I thought I understood whatthey meant. But living it was completely different. Exploring a new country, learning anew language, becoming part of a new family, and somehow becoming a new version of myself, even through the challenges, was one of the most real and meaningful experiences I have had.
Being abroad made me think a lot about who I am. It pushed me, it challenged what I believed, and it made me rethink the way I see myself in the world. This was the most independence I have ever had, which meant I had moments where I felt lost, not just in what I was doing, but in who I was becoming. The time difference and being so far from everyone I knew forced me to sit with myself in ways I never had before. Through this experience, I learned that I am not just one identity or one culture. I am not simplyIranian or simply American. Living in different places has shaped me, and I feel like I have grown into someone who belongs to all of those worlds in different ways.
Coming back to the US has also been kind of funny. The first few times I went out in public, I was actually startled hearing English everywhere again. And after months of being surrounded by chic Spanish style, seeing American fashion again was definitely a form of culture shock.
Overall, this experience changed how I see myself and the world around me. I learned that my identity is not fixed. It has grown with every place I’ve lived, every language I’ve learned, and every person who has entered my life. Studying abroad was truly transformative, and it has inspired me to continue traveling and to further pursue mySpanish language studies.
It has been nice updating you all!
Ava Momtazi, Spanish Language and Culture in Segovia