Breaking the Routine

By Kent Truckor - Guest blogger studying in Valencia, Spain

Today is Wednesday and I am in the middle of my sixth week. I have found a routine, which seems to make the days go quicker but I don't mind. In the mornings, I usually try to make mass, which is very short at the local church and then I check my email at school. After this I study or run errands until I have class at 1:30pm. I have class in the afternoons until 6:30pm and then I study for a little while and head back to the house where we have dinner at 8:30pm. The dinners are usually very good as Carmen is a good cook.

It is said that humans are creatures of habit and I would have to agree with this. I am aware that my time in Spain is limited so I am trying to get the most that I can out of my days here. I spoke with my girlfriend back home who voiced her nervousness about starting out new at a University in a couple of weeks. It made me think of how things were before and at the beginning of me coming here. I was nervous and somewhat apprehensive on the day I left. As this being my first real jaunt from everything I have known (college aside), it was something very large to me. The first couple days here were good and then the second and third weeks were a little more difficult because it had sunk in all around that I would not see my loved ones for a long time.

However, I found that being in a new place with new faces and things to do helped me stay busy which helped me through my wave of homesickness. At this point, I do not get nervous anymore and feel comfortable in the surroundings. It is normal for anyone to feel nervous before any big change because we all fear what we don't know. I feel pretty secure with my surroundings now and hope to take everything that I can from this experience. I figure other study abroad students have felt the same way I have.

If I could give any advice, it would be to pursue what you fear. This may sound kind of crazy, but what I mean is that if you continue to push yourself to try new things you will have lived a much richer life than those who failed to do this. To fear something is natural, but don't let that fear cripple you into not moving forward. I was nervous about coming to Spain, had second thoughts and probably would have looked for a way out had I not prepaid for the experience. However, I am glad that I held true to my plan and that I am here now. I think you will find out the same when you take a chance such as this.