Alaina’s Adventures Abroad – Coming to an End :(

Hi everyone <3

How am I already writing my final blog??! It feels as if just yesterday I was writing my pre-departure blog a week before I left for this incredible semester. This week I have a full week of classes and exams the following half week. It is kind of odd to say we only have a week and a half left. Sarah and I were recalling when we were in London with our other study-abroad friends and David said, “I only have 2 weeks left.” We both remember at that moment saying how we could not imagine that feeling since we had “so much time left.” Well, it is safe to say, I am feeling all of the emotions of realizing my time in my beloved Madrid is almost up. 

 

With my last week and a half, I will be attending school and prepping for exams along with spending my other time in all of my favorite places in Madrid. A very close friend is visiting this week as well, so she will get to see many of my favorite places for the first time, as I am seeing them for the last. ): My family is also visiting me after my program finishes and we are going to travel in Spain. I am SO excited to give them the biggest hug and show them around this city and country that I love dearly.  

 

We were given a number of prompts to respond to, which I appreciate, otherwise, I would have written on and on about all of the blessings, lessons, and experiences of this semester. (Not always a bad thing…but for the sake of keeping this relatively short…) 

 

1. What are you most proud of? 

I am most proud of how I have learned to go with the flow and let things happen as they are intended to, within reason, of course. I am someone who plans ahead and likes to have a solid plan when I am traveling somewhere, or even for my day to day life. Sometimes when I do this, I stress my self out more than I think I realize in the moment.  It has been really nice to just see where the day takes me or what “plan” works best for our schedule and budget. I am also very proud of the time I have taken to spend alone. I am incredibly thankful for Emily and Sarah, but I did enjoy spending time with myself. This is something I think needs to be done more often because in my opinion, you can learn more about who you are as an individual. I have learned so much about myself here and I am so grateful for that.  

 

1. What would you do differently if you could?

I am really appreciative of the way this semester has gone, but if I were to do something differently, I would have not taken so much time the first couple weeks of the semester and before it even started, “planning” trips and everything I wanted to accomplish. I learned to just go with the flow here and be thankful for the plans that were made, even if they were very different than what I had expected months ago. I think I would’ve also made smaller goals in some areas. I have learned that when I set goals and do not meet them, I beat myself up about it a lot and instead of working towards the goal, I run further away because I feel like it is “too late.” I would have set smaller goals so I would feel more motivated that I could reach the goals. This is something I want to work on when I get home. If there was one travel thing I would have done differently is travel to the north of Spain. I was really hoping to get there, but I did not plan enough time. I will hopefully get there one day. 🙂 

 

1. What will you incorporate into your life back home? 

One habit I have really loved growing into is journaling. I have kept a daily journal and a prayer journal and have been consistent in writing in them. There was a time when I thought I lost my prayer journal, but it turned up! (I am so thankful it did.) I am so excited to finish my journals and to have them as a keepsake from this incredible time, as well as to look back at all of my answered prayers and unanswered prayers and praise God for how He has guided me and watched out for me during this time. I will also incorporate being more curious about what goes on in the world, but more specifically in my home town and state. It can be very easy to get into routine at home but there are so many places and things I have not experienced in my home town. I want to go to more markets and more events that are held around the area. I would love to try new restaurants and cafes. It is so easy to get comfortable going to my 2-3 places that I rely on and love, but being here has taught me that pushing myself out of my comfort zone and trying new things always brings unexpected blessings and meaningful experiences. 

 

1. What are you most grateful for? 

I am SO grateful for this opportunity to study abroad and to see this magnificent world that our God created. Truly, this experience of seeing parts of Europe and more of Spain has been a dream. 

God has blessed me with so many wonderful support systems and I am so thankful for them. My parents have encouraged me to go out and see the world, while studying the language I love, even though they had to send their “not-so-little-girl” away for 4 months!!!! That is a long time. (At least for me.) My parents are some of my biggest role models and truly, they are my best friends. They lead me to Christ daily and encourage me to go out into the world being a light for our loving God. I am so grateful for them.

 I also want to include how thankful I am for my boyfriend, Dylan. Dylan and I have been dating for about over 4 years and most of that time has been distanced. This study abroad time was a LONG time to go without seeing each other. We did have the one week in March and that was such a wonderful time and I am so grateful for the time we did have. Still, for us, this has been a long time of different time zones, communicating over the phone, and missing one another. Dylan has supported me and encouraged me throughout this entire process and I am so thankful to be loved by him and to love him.

 I also want to include how grateful I am for our “study abroad squad.” Mrs. Kassuelke has taught us over the last year through classes at MLC more about culture and more about ourselves as individuals. (We love you, Mrs. Kassuelke, you are the best!!) Included in these classes were David Fenske, Alison Foxen, Emily Wittig, Sarah Hoffe, and myself. Being with Emily and Sarah in Spain has been wonderful and I am so thankful to have them here and to share this beautiful experience with them. Even though Alison and David were living their study abroad experience in London and Ireland, I still felt close to them. Our friendships all grew over this last year and I am so grateful for the role they have all played and for an amazing support system.  I could go on and on about everything I am grateful for here, but the most important is that I am grateful for my God and how He has shown me the blessings of this season of my life. 

 

1. How have you seen God’s hand in your experience abroad? What unexpected blessings or provision have you seen? 

There have been many evident experiences during this semester where I have seen God’s hand. I would say one of the most obvious ones is all of the beauty I have seen. I have always been a small town girl at heart because it is all I’ve known, at least for living. Even though I still would consider myself a small town girl, I have a new found appreciation for big cities and have seen so much beauty here. When we have traveled around Spain and Europe, I have gotten to see more of the beauty of this creation. Some specific places that really had me saying, “Wow God”, were the cliffs at the furthest point in Europe in Portugal, the crystal clear waters in Tenerife and Mallorca, and the hiking trails and fishing villages in the Cinque Terre, Italy. Of course, there were many more of these moments in my other travels, but these are some that greatly stick out. I have also seen God’s hand in our travels when we were accidentally in unsafe areas or were barely making a couple flights and a layover. God has kept me safe and has gotten me where I had hoped without TOO much stress, which is an incredible blessing. I have seen God’s hand in the friendships I have, both here in Spain and back home. God has blessed me with such wonderful friends and I am so thankful. An unexpected blessing for me has been learning more about myself through many experiences this semester. I have learned more about who I am, what I appreciate in a friend, why I have the morals I do, what I need to work on, and where in my life I am so blessed. This time away has presented me with lots of time to think and reflect on who I am and why, and that has been a very unexpected blessing. 

 

1. What advice would you give future semester abroad students?

I am so proud of you for choosing to leave the life you are comfortable with and know well in order to experience something so beautifully different! It can be so scary sometimes to take a leap like this, but let me tell you that God is with you every step of the way! Take my advice when I say that everything does work out in the best way possible, according to God’s plan. I do think it is perfectly fine to look into the things you’d like to do and the places you would like to travel and everything you want to see, but keep in mind that those ideas and expectations may change and that is perfectly okay. You will love your abroad experience no matter what! 

Reach out to those around you that you do not know! Get to know others from different states and countries and ask, politely and with curiosity, about cultures you are not familiar with! I have had some of the most interesting conversations and have not regretted going outside my comfort zone to have them one bit. While you should 100% get to know others and reach out to new friends, remember to be true to who you are. There may be times that you feel a bit uncomfortable or that something isn’t for you, I have felt this way! Stay true to who you are and your morals, this in itself is shining your light for your Lord. 

Keep a journal!!!!! Some days it has felt like a task and some weeks I have even had to catch up on a couple entries because life does get busy here, but you will not regret this keepsake. I am so excited to keep my travel journal so I can look back at it when I am reminiscing about my abroad times and show those I love, perhaps even my own children one day. Write down your prayers! It has been so special to see all of my prayers and how God has answered them. 

Travel! I know traveling can be overwhelming and expensive, but please, take this opportunity while you are young to see this beautiful world! Every place I have been has never failed to leave me in some sort of wonder at the creativity of our God. Make sure to travel around your home country, and outside of it! Stay in your own city for some weekends! I have loved the weekends I have spent in Madrid. There is always so much to do and I love feeling like I actually live here. Give some love to your home (abroad) city. 

Do not be afraid to reach out to those who love you! You are not in this experience alone, even though sometimes it may feel like it because of the distance. It is completely normal to feel tired or homesick, let yourself feel these things and talk to God about it! 

Trust in the Lord with all your heart! He will get you through anything and has such greater plans than we could ever imagine. 

 

What a blessing it is to study in such a beautiful country with such beautiful people and culture. This world is so incredible and the last four months have continued to be a testament of how amazing our God is. 

 

Thank you so much for following along my study abroad journey! I appreciate all your love, prayers, and support. Please feel free to reach out with any questions you may have! 🙂 I would love to share more if anyone is interested. 

 

All my love, 

Alaina Wiedoff