Submitted by Erin Bartenfelder on the 2017 spring semester program in Barcelona, Spain…
The new year is all about change. Usually that entails empty promises to exercise more or spend less time on our phones. This year, I went to a new city, in a new country, where they speak a different language, and I am going to live here for the next three months. This is a slightly bigger change than joining a gym which I will use for one maybe two months and then never go again.
It is a terrifying experience to leave your home country and move somewhere new. Underneath all the bravado and excitement, there is anxiety and fear. It is nearly impossible to not feel overwhelmed by the idea of leaving your home, your family, your friends and moving to a new continent. Anyone who says otherwise is lying. Like most things in life though, the most terrifying are the most rewarding. I am not ashamed to say that I was scared to come to Barcelona and live here. The journey over was filled with many trials and tribulations including a nearly missed flight connection, lost luggage and missed airport transportation. When I finally arrived in Barcelona, I was unsure how I could spend the next four months here because the previous 24 hours had been hell. Slowly, but surely, things got better. The cab ride from the airport was easy, my luggage was delivered the next day and I have been able to understand and respond in Spanish. There is a quote by Franklin D. Roosevelt that says, “Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the assessment that something else is more important than fear.” This past week has showed me that being afraid is okay. It is what makes us human. It is not an excuse to hide from life. Sometimes the hardest things are the most rewarding.