Coming back to the US from Madrid was a mix of emotions. I felt grateful to return to my friends and family, but it was very hard to say goodbye to friends in Spain. During the last few days in Spain, I felt really nostalgic about everything. I was sad to ride the metro for the last time, sad to get my favorite coffee for the last time — everything felt meaningful and sad to leave behind. It took a lot of work to get everything in order to leave. After being in Spain for several months, I had accumulated a lot of stuff, and it took many hours to pack.
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Personally, I did feel happy to return to Oregon. I think that has a lot to do with my community here. Having strong friendships and relationships made me very excited to return home. Once I got back to the US, I was still very grateful for my experience in Spain, but I did not wish I could go back. I would say the transition from the US to Spain was more difficult.
My tips for returning home would be to give yourself time to rest and re-acclimate. I didn’t try to force a lot of interaction right when I got home. I gave myself time to unpack and settle in.
Throughout my study abroad experience, I was stretched out of my comfort zone in many ways. One of them was living in a situation that required a lot of adapting. I love to cook, and for two months, I did not have access to a kitchen. I appreciated the way this made me feel grateful for my kitchen at home and become comfortable with things not always going my way. Similarly, there were many times when we would be on excursions, and the group would want to do things that I wouldn’t have chosen. Going with the desires of the group and sometimes compromising my own preferences made me step outside my comfort zone and adjust to being more flexible. Overall, I am really grateful for this growth. Now, at work, I am more comfortable going with the flow. If a coworker wants to go on an adventure that I ordinarily wouldn’t choose, I feel more likely to set aside my desires in that moment. I find that this can lead to a lot of really enriching experiences.
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Regarding my identities, I feel so grateful to be back with a community that is affirming of my religious identity. I was able to connect with some people on this level in Spain, but it is totally different being back with my crew here in Oregon. It makes me feel so grateful to have a group of people I can relate to.
For someone who is on the fence about studying abroad, I would tell them you will most likely be able to connect with at least some people wherever you go. Even though I was happy to be home, I made some amazing, lifelong connections that I am so grateful for. There will be challenging times, but you will learn so much. I appreciate that this is something I will probably not get to experience again. Many people are not lucky enough to live in another country, and my mindset has changed a lot from observing another culture for so long.
By Emma Egbert, Diverse Ducks Ambassador