Four continents, eleven countries, seventeen states. I am eighteen years old, and I have covered 4.5 percent of planet Earth in my travels. Just over two months ago I left my home state of Delaware to embark on one of the biggest moments of not only my travel career, but also of my life.
My name is Hailey Zirkle. I was born in South Carolina but moved north to Delaware during my childhood. At the age of fourteen I began working my first job at Amore Pizza, followed soon after with another job at Limestone Vet Hospital. Graduating from Conrad High School in June 2016, I made the brave decision to begin my college experience at the University of Delaware in another country: Spain.
Here are some cultural differences I noted within the first few hours of being in Spain.
- Walking is the main form of transportation. For this reason, the sky in Spain is the bluest I’ve ever seen.
- Printer paper is longer than at home. (8.5×12 vs 8.5×11)
- Everyone eats later. Natives don’t even think about dinner until 21:30.
- People stay out until 06:00. Every night.
- During conversations it is normal for natives to stand very close to one another.
And yet I find myself, in the midst of all of these cultural differences, loving every moment. Within the first week I realized just how much new there was surrounding me that it was easy to feel lost but also at home at the same time. As one could guess, travel is my favorite activity. Spain itself is incredible in that there are mountains, beaches, forests, and deserts all within a one hour flight of each other. So here’s the part where I tell you about the new that has been discovered, and the new that still remains.
Week 1-5: Spain Sightseeing
Monasterio de Piedra – Upon arrival to the Monastery I was left speechless. Upon departure, I was left with three words: waterfalls and vegetation. The monastery itself was used by Buddhist monks and built in the Romanesque period. In 1835, the monastery was confiscated by the Mendizabal decree and the monks were forced out.
