Go With the Flow

Written by: Maggie Neuman

Major: Business

Location: Burgos, Spain

After having been here in Spain for over a month, I can say with certainty that I am a different person than when I left the United States. If I’m honest that scares me a little bit but thankfully for the most part these changes in my thoughts and behavior have been good. If you’ve been following along with my previous blogs, you would know that I have a little bit of an unnecessary stress problem that I am working to resolve. Thankfully, living in Spain forces me to confront the stress I experience about completely unnecessary things every day. The thing about Spain that has forced me to confront my stress is that Spain has an extraordinarily laid-back culture. The Spanish classes I take have very little structure. The classes are based on what the instructors think will help us the most that day based on what we personally struggle with. It’s definitely an adjustment but it’s not worth stressing out that you don’t know what class will look like the next day, it’s worth having trust that your instructors will help you learn. With my program, we also receive very little information about upcoming events and when we do receive information, it is at the last minute. However, not receiving pertinent information until the last minute generally hasn’t caused problems for me or my classmates it’s just very different than what we’re used to in the United States. In the United States we usually receive information very far in advance and things are held to a much stricter schedule. I have watched my classmates agonize over the lack of structure in our program regarding upcoming events, but I have learned at this point that it really doesn’t matter if you decide it doesn’t. How is knowing where we will meet for our dance class tomorrow going to help me today? It won’t, so it doesn’t matter if I know it now or if I find out tomorrow. I highly suggest that everyone takes this mindset to heart when studying abroad because it is very likely that there will be less structure than you are accustomed to and there will be many more unknown variables than you have ever had before.

Now that you know that having a ‘go with the flow’ attitude will help you adjust when studying abroad, I have a more concrete suggestion for both traveling purposes and for daily life. Try living with less. Ideally you will be able to go to all the places that fill your wildest fantasies when studying abroad but unfortunately you will also have to pack for these locations. It is very easy to think that you need everything for a trip but unfortunately then you must carry everything with you. Carrying everything on your back for a weekend forces you to evaluate what you really ‘need’. In all reality I have found that it’s worth forgoing things like excess clothing (one bottom is enough!), beauty products like makeup or conditioner, and entertainment items like large books as it is unlikely that you will be in need of something to do when exploring a new place. Although there is one item that I can’t emphasize the value of having with you enough, a deck of cards! Playing cards with a friend is a wonderful way to pass some time and relax. I have seen many of my friends on this trip take snacks with them in order to save money as well, but I personally just can’t be bothered with carrying them around all the time. That and I am a foodie and food is another way to explore the new cultures that I am travelling to. For my upcoming ten-day vacation, I am only bringing my backpack and a small purse which I think will ultimately be less stressful than bringing a suitcase with me to all of the places I am visiting. Anything that I find I am in need of while I am away, I can always buy. In terms of living with less in my daily life, this concept is most apparent in my wardrobe which again has been an interesting adjustment as I was a bit of a maximal at home in the United States. Admittedly though I only brought a suitcase and a backpack when I came to Spain, I have purchased a few other items since being here just because I wanted to. However, it has been a very fun challenge to see how many different outfits I can make with the relatively small amount of clothing that I have here. Doing this has made me be much more creative in my outfits which I have found fun. Many of us on this trip are trying to keep in mind that any money we spend on clothes and other material things here could go towards travelling to exciting places which we value more as those are the memories that will stay with us forever. I’m sure you know that studying abroad will change you a little bit as a person but try not to be afraid of it! Just realize that your life in this new place will likely be very different from your life in the United States and that’s okay! Don’t stress out too much about the differences you experience and remember to go with the flow!

Categories: Adventures, Spain, Business Broncos, New Mindset