For years, I had been wanting to study abroad, but it was only a recurring bucket list item. Even the planning and preparation process seemed unreal. Until a month ago, I hugged my family goodbye before boarding the plane that was taking me across the world to fulfill my dream. I told my mom at a young age, “Don’t be sad when I leave to travel the world, I am letting you know now that it’s going to happen.” Safe to say, both my mom and I shed some tears in the airport as we hugged a little tighter this time.

A Bible verse that I have held close as I prepared and went through the worries of moving to a new country has been: “As surely as the sun rises, He will appear;” – Hosea 6:3. As I landed in Alicante, Spain, the breathtaking Spanish sunrise, pictured below, welcomed us into the city, a sunrise I get to see almost every day on the tram ride to school. No day will be perfect or without troubles, but God promises his presence and mercies anew. I have lived in the beauty of Alicante, Spain, and this verse from Hosea has truly come to life. With every day I am here, another blessing falls before me.

A month ago, I was studying abroad alone. I was scared to navigate not only a new country, a new school and a new language, but also to navigate these things on my own. But before I even got off the airplane, I met two girls in my program, and I was so grateful I had someone to make sure I was going where I was supposed to. However, I had no idea that within 24 hours, the three of us would be glued to the hip, feeling like we’d known each other for years. I am so blessed to have made so many more friends here from all over the world, making plans to travel, celebrating birthdays and cheering each other on through everything.

My heart was pounding so fast when I first met my host mom; I was so nervous and scared she wouldn’t like me. A month later, she feels like my mom — supportive in every way, a friend I can chat with at the kitchen table for hours, and a grandmother through her Spanish cooking lessons, spoiling me with more sweets than I need. I feel incredibly fortunate to have someone I already dread saying goodbye to.

The second week here, I got extremely ill. I caught the flu with a fever, cough and all the other ugly symptoms. I thought for sure that being sick across the world, away from my bed and away from doctors who spoke my language, I would want to catch the next flight home. However, having friends who helped me navigate the pharmacies here, a host mom who made me the most amazing soups and homemade remedies, and advisers who translated my symptoms to the doctor, I never felt stranded or homesick. I have been so blessed to be surrounded by such amazing people and in such a beautiful city.

These few instances barely scratch the surface of things I’m grateful for, have learned or of memories I will cherish forever. I am beyond grateful for the undeserving blessings that have come with every sunrise here in Alicante, Spain, for the past four weeks. To the reader, my family and my friends back home, I am sending tight hugs and a reminder that whether days are good or cause us to shed tears, each day the sun rises is a blessing.

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Learn more about this blogger’s study abroad program: ALI Abroad: University of Alicante