The Last of my Firsts

The last day of September, the last day of my first month on exchange. The most emotional, rewarding, awkward, and memorable twenty five days of my life. As September comes to an end, and October begins I should start my reflection process.

A few lessons learned over the weeks:

1. Don't get frustrated with your language skills. Since I had eleven years of Spanish, I thought for sure I would be able to understand most of what is going on. First of all, the Spanish people talk a lot faster than your Spanish teacher, no matter how fast you thought she talked. Also, speaking in front of a table of native Spanish speakers is a lot more pressure than speaking in front of a class of twenty tenth graders.

2. Be happy - Fake it till you make it. Absolutely. That was my mistake in the beginning, school was hard and I let it be known. And it is great to talk with your family about it after school, but during school hours you should be trying your best to stay positive. Smile uncontrollably. No one wants to befriend a grump, no matter what country you're from.

3. Don't compare your experience. I spent a lot of time on Facebook either talking to my friends at home or from AFS. I found myself comparing everything I did to one or the other. At one point my liaison Naty said, "Your experience will be different, that doesn't mean it will be any better or worse. Some kids end up in New York, and some kids in the middle of Kentucky. Some ride the subway, and some can say they learned how to churn butter. It is not better or worse, just different."

4. Go Shopping. This seems like a stupid lesson, but I spent the first two weeks of school wearing rainbows and shorts. Even if you go shopping before you leave, and buy "european things", it is still from America. With my red hear, I stick out like a sore thumb. I put off shopping for a few weeks, and I completely regret it. Oh and I totally tried to start the Ugg trend.... never again.

5. Try everything, no matter what it is. Yesterday, I ate Octopus. It wasn't my favorite, but it is a staple food in my province. I couldn't turn it down without at least trying it. Octopus is on the extreme side of things, but everything that is put in front of you, you should at least try. Believe me, there are a lot of things that just aren't as fresh in America. All of the fruits and vegetables that we eat, we grow in the back yard. Spanish cooking is the best their is, so don't be afraid to test a few new things!

6. Say "No". My host mom is very pushy when it comes to what I eat, most Spanish moms are. She expects me to eat as much as the other people at the table eat. In the beginning, I made the mistake of saying "yes", even when I wasn't hungry. Make sure your family knows your regular food intake level, because they are basing your first few weeks on the rest of the year.

I have definitely learned more than that, but those are the first ones that come to mind. In relation to number one, "don't get frustrated with your language skills", I am proud to announce that last night I went to the movie theatre with my friends, and watched an entire movie in Spanish. It took a lot of concentration but I understood about 90 percent. Of course the movie ended up being a chick flick with absolutely no point, but I walked out of that theatre with renewed confidence.

And since we are in the reflecting mood, look at how far I've come in just twenty five days. I went from the overly confident American, to the unsure-of-everything, friendless American, to the competent, friend having American who wears scarves to disguise herself as an European.