I've been home in the US for just over a week now and it's been strange, to say the least! At first it was pleasantly overwhelming to see my family and friends again after 5 months apart, but now the novelty of being home is wearing off and I'm working my way back into a normal routine. Maybe it's just because I miss Argentina so much, but I've been thinking a lot recently about everyone I met and everything I experienced last semester. I've always heard that study abroad is a life-changing experience, but before I went I assumed everyone was exaggerating – how could just a few months have such a profound impact? Looking back on it though, I think they're right – so many things have changed, from my professional goals to my general attitude, and it's now impossible for me to imagine my college experience without this semester in Buenos Aires. As you can probably tell, I could go on forever about how awesome Argentina and study abroad are, but I've narrowed it down and I think these are the five biggest things I've learned:
- I have to go back to Latin America. Though I traveled to nearly every region of Argentina and got to know Buenos Aires extremely well, I still have so much exploring to do. One of the first things I did when I got home was make a "travel bucket list" (Rio de Janeiro is on the top of the list, in case you were wondering!), and I think it's safe to say that I'll be doing everything I can to get to Central and South America in the future.
- I'm better at Spanish than I thought, but I still have a long way to go. More than anything, living in a Spanish-speaking country really reaffirmed my goal of becoming fluent someday!
- Dulce de Leche is delicious. It's like caramel, but better because it has a paste-like consistency so you can spread it on anything and everything. I brought back 6 jars in my suitcase. I'm hoping at least one of them makes it to Rochester in August 🙂
- You know that saying that in college, out of sleep, good grades, and a social life, you can choose two? So completely true. Guess which one I nixed this semester (sometimes literally entirely!)? Café con leche and I formed a very close relationship, and I plan on using the next month to catch up on rest before going back to UR.
- Life after Rochester isn't so intimidating anymore. Though I'm so sad that I only have one year left at UR, I'm much more confident about facing whatever comes next. If I can make it in a foreign country where I literally didn't know anyone before arriving, I can figure things out and be happy anywhere!
Overall, now that junior year is officially over I can say that it was the greatest of my life! Both semesters were amazing in their own way, and I can't wait to get senior year started in a few weeks!