Words from the Wise (me)

Ok, so I don’t know if I am exactly “wise”, but if I could talk to someone who is thinking about studying abroad in Spain, this is what I would say: 

1. Live with a host family: but don’t expect to be buddy-buddy with them. That may or may not happen. Your family will probably not speak English and has probably been having students live with them for a long time, so you are nothing new. Try and sit in the living room with them instead of just going into your room and shutting the door. But get out of the house as much as possible. It is easy to get sucked into just staying on or skyping with people from home. Even if it is just for a midnight walk to the river, get out of the house as much as possible.

2. Don’t take academically challenging classes if you can help it. My work load was ridiculously light and that led to a stress free semester in the school department. A lot of my friends had papers, presentations, and projects all the time and were consumed by school work. You learn Spanish better outside the classroom, so don’t feel like you have to be in all the advanced classes. 

3. Get an Intercambio (language partner). Your program or university should provide you with the option to meet with a Spaniard who wants to learn English. They are such a help when trying to practice your Spanish. I only met with mine once, and that was a big regret. I wish I had invested more time into her.

4.The best place to meet Spaniards is at bars. You will probably not be meeting Spanish friends at your university or at coffee shops in the middle of the day. The best place to make Spanish friends is out at bars/lounges/discotecas when you are in smaller groups of Americans.

5. HAVE A PLAN (for your spiritual walk). Being a Christian who is studying abroad is NOT easy (if it IS easy, you need to examine how you are living). Most people view their time abroad as a “time out” from real life, thinking that they can do anything they want because they are in Europe and won’t have to be in touch with reality until later. This is an empty promise. I talked to so many people who said things like, “I don’t know why I did that. I never would have done that at home. I have never said yes before”. If you don’t have a plan for how you plan to not only “withstand temptation”, but how to actively GROW, it will not naturally happen. We are naturally inclined to grow closer to God. You have to put forth effort. Figure out how you are going to do that while you are there. Logistics you should figure out before you go: what will I be studying in the Bible? Who will be holding me accountable? Will I try and form a group of people that want to weekly get together to study the word? How much do I plan on drinking? How much do I plan on going out? How do I plan on acting around guys (or girls)? How much do I plan on talking to people from home? How much do I plan on sharing with people from home? Etc.

6. Seek out community: Christian community and non Christian community. You don’t want to live life alone in Spain. It is easier than you think to get sucked into just staying in your room or your house for far longer than you ever thought you would. You want to have experiences WITH people. You are going to meet people from all over the country (I have never met so many people from the north in my life!) who are so different from you. Different isn’t bad. I learned so much from my friends, whether they were walking with God or not. Above all, I think it is CRUCIAL to partner with other believers who want to pursue righteousness while you are there, but don’t be afraid to branch out and have friends that are polar opposite to you.

7. Don’t be surprised if you get homesick. I never thought I would, but the first two weeks were really hard for me. It’s like freshman year. You are meeting literally hundreds of people and trying to find your group and figure out what you want to be involved in or how you are going to live, and that can be overwhelming. It is one of those things where most people don’t like freshman year but they are too embarrassed to say anything out loud about it, even though a lot of people feel the same way. It’s ok if you get homesick. Expect it. It doesn’t mean you weren’t cut out for study abroad, or that your experience isn’t as good as other people’s. It’s ok to miss life at home.

8. Know at least one person before you go. I think especially as a believer, it is just wise to go with at least one person you know is walking with God and wants to do so while you are there. This doesn’t mean you have to go with your best friend. You can. Two of my best friends were studying in Italy together and loved it. But for me, I went knowing Mackenzie and a few other girls through random connections (even though I had never met them). Even if it is one of those “friend of a friend’s sister” kind of connections, make the effort to get together and establish connections with people you know right from the beginning. I think a lot of the danger of the “time-out” mentality (see #5) is that most people go not knowing a soul. And therefore, there is no one who knew them in the context of their life at home, so there is freedom to create a whole new persona without any previous expectations. So, find at least one person you semi-know who will be there.

9. Always remember that if you are a believer, people are watching you. If you are a Christian studying abroad, you are probably in the minority, and might even be the first Christian that some people have met. All eyes are on you. Figure out how you can love other people genuinely and with Christ’s love. Don’t view people as “projects” but as your friends, as people you care about and love and want to see know Christ. 1 Peter 3:15, “But in your hearts, honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect.”