My Story

I can recall the cold, the whiteness of my knuckles as I tighten my hands, shoving them further into my too-shallow pockets. It is clear Barcelona’s fall weather has arrived, even though just a month passed since we woke up to warm summer days. I can only hear my own boots hitting the pavement since the sun and people had yet to rise. I admired the flowers printed on the street and as I rounded the corner, I lock eyes with the Sagrada Familia, which never ceases to give me the chills. I pass straight through a cloud of someone’s cigarette smoke and my own cloud of breath as I approach the cue which has quickly taken shape outside the Nativity facade. As I waited in line, a sweet couple from Mexico and a woman ahead of me introduced themselves and we got to talking. When the conversation fizzled, I felt an urge to practice my Spanish and keep talking with the woman by my side. Her name was Laura and she had also just moved from Argentina to Barcelona for her master's in nursing. We talked through the whole line and since we had both gone alone, we ended up going to mass together. We sat next to each other, took turns going forward for communion, and at the end of it all, I stumbled through my Spanish to exchange numbers before we split in opposite directions. In the coming days, I would realize I witnessed a real miracle that morning, one which altered my study abroad's path.

My encounter with Laura made me feel so excited about meeting new people from all around the world, something I continue to love about Barcelona. However, I didn’t put much thought into the encounter until I got an unexpected call from my discipleship leader from Cal Poly. She studied in Madrid two years prior and supported me throughout my pre and post-departure processes. I confided about my struggles with the social dynamics I had at the time in my program. I felt isolated many times and regretted trying to be friends with everyone and not yet had the chance to dive deeper. She validated and reminded me about her experiences. I told her regrettably I hadn’t found a faithful community, besides going to one mass at Sagrada the morning before. Then everything aligned. I interrupted our conversation’s direction and exclaimed, “I’m only putting this together now, but I wonder if the girl I met was not by chance? Could that have been God’s hand in my life?” I may have been in a new country, culture, language, city, but these are factors surpassing the power of chance. I had a testimony and laughed, shocked at the obvious matter at hand. I believe Laura is a graced gift, a lesson put in front of me to remind me not to question my self-worth or waver in self-confidence. What I needed in time he would provide. Throughout the next few months, I would meet Laura for lunch, yoga on the beach, or tapas. We would talk about her program, my travels, and our contrasting cultural lives.

I have learned one of the most powerful cultural traits of the Spanish is being present. Without intention, I practiced and fulfilled my presence by consciously self-reflecting and adapting my path while I lived abroad. Originally. I came to Spain without knowing a single person in the city. I knew only a few concrete things: I am a hard-working, face-paced, and busy do-er. There are many things I learned from spending a lot of time with myself this semester. I know I have a solid home within myself. I don’t stand for chasing people with my love, who do not pour love back into my life and I don’t allow myself to be defined by the actions of others. This is something I am deeply proud of retaining during study abroad, a time of change in a new culture and environment. I stayed true to myself, I continued working hard in my classes, participating, and finding new ways to meet people. Transparently, there have been many times where I felt very alone. On the other hand, my experiences forced me to realize how evidently independent, capable, and self-sufficient I am. Too close to the end, I did find my people and I will deeply miss them. I will always have my answered prayer, Laura, who taught me: in time what is meant to be will be. As I approach the end of my four months in Barcelona, Spain I am confident people are what make the feeling of home, not places, nor things.