Nearly all study abroad students go through a phase of thinking “What am I even doing here?” Being dropped off thousands of miles from your family and friends, left without any semblance of your usual routine, and facing the added pressure of not speaking the language fluently can leave you more than a little overwhelmed. I spoke to many other students in my program who expressed this exact line of thinking when left to their own devices. I have reconciled these more depressing thoughts with the reminder that all of these experiences are impermanent, and that they are better experienced when I am not constantly thinking of the past or future. I would rather look back on my time in Spain knowing that I was present for it, rather than remembering how much I wanted to be home with my pets or with my university friends.

Aside from the more close-to-home emotions of the green study abroad student, I feel incredibly lucky to have chosen to live with a host family. My host family consists of a Spanish couple and my assigned roommate, and we lucked out in every way imaginable: our family, our location, our apartment complex — it’s all incredible. Choosing to live with a local family has definitely been the best decision for me. It helps with homesickness to have family figures here who can care for you and provide advice on everything from stores and restaurants to travel spots. It also helps in unexpected situations, such as this week, when I fell ill and my host mom brought me homemade chicken noodle soup and rice. Having someone here who makes an unfamiliar place feel a little more like home has made a huge difference.

Outside of home, one of the bigger adjustments has been, unsurprisingly, the language. My trusty classroom Spanish has gotten me pretty far, but nothing truly prepares you for the speed at which Andalusians speak. There is also the more comical situation of forgetting a pivotal word halfway through a conversation with a store owner or barista, then resorting to charades or the classic smile and nod. Safe to say, being a little lost in the language is nothing new to me now! Luckily, Granadinos are kind and patient, and are usually more than happy to help you puzzle out a word or explain an idea when you get stuck.

One of my biggest pieces of advice for anyone going abroad in a new city, wherever it may be, is to explore it. Because Granada is quite a safe city, I go for walks almost every night without a map or planned destination, simply to get to know the city better. Sometimes I bring a few friends along and we let ourselves get lost for a while, and sometimes I go alone. One night, I went out expecting to take a short paseo through the streets and happened to run into my host mom and her friend. We ended up walking to one of the highest parts of the city and having tapas together afterward. It was a true test of my Spanish comprehension: we walked for nearly four hours and spoke only Spanish the entire time. Somehow, I managed to keep up with the conversation, and more importantly, I had an amazing time.

That is probably what “finding my feet” in Granada has looked like so far. It’s been a collection of small steps from figuring out how to communicate when my Spanish fails me to becoming more willing to simply see where a day takes me. There are still plenty of moments when I think, “What am I even doing here?” but after a month in Granada, I am starting to realize that maybe not knowing exactly what I am doing is the point in going abroad.

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