Some psychologists say that the reasoning behind why time seems to move slower during childhood than adulthood is novelty. When you are a kid, everything is so new to you that your brain takes longer to process your surroundings, resulting in time being perceived more slowly. I suspect that this same reasoning is why, although I have only been here in Spain for less than two months, it feels like I have been here much longer.

Not only have I been traveling to new places, like Barcelona, Cuenca and Portugal, but my everyday life has become new to me. Things that were once simple and routine like buying something online or going to the post office have become unexpected adventures. Doing these things in a new language adds another dimension of difficulty. Studying abroad has exercised parts of my brain that I didn’t know existed and I would be lying if I said that at times it wasn’t mentally draining, but it is ultimately one of the most rewarding experiences. Not only is my Spanish improving quickly but my perspective is maturing. I have learned that the ability to adapt is one of the most valuable things a person can have. Although scrambling to master as many skills and languages as you can to be as prepared as possible seems like a good strategy, there will always be an infinite number of things that you haven’t prepared for. It is much more efficient to learn how to be comfortable around new things and adapt the best you can, even if it’s not perfect.

Beyond the more serious aspects of personal growth, I have had so much fun learning new things about the Spanish language and culture. One of the most obvious differences between Americans and Spaniards is our concept of time. Here in Spain, there is no rush. If you’re running late to class, the professor likely won’t bat an eye because he’s probably running late, too. After lunch, or as they would call it here la comida, there is a three-hour siesta where everybody takes a break from working to retire to their home and take a leisurely nap or watch TV. I had heard about siesta before coming to Spain, but my American brain could not comprehend that that was something everybody practiced. In America, abandoning your workflow to relax around the house would be perceived as lazy or uncommitted, but in Spain, people do not create the same pressure around themselves to always perform. Instead, they see life as something that must also be enjoyed. It is interesting to me that a Spanish person would be just as likely to see an American working determinedly from sunrise to sunset and think they are wasting their precious time, as an American would be to think a Spanish person enjoying their siesta is wasting theirs.