Author: gwenmorgan323

Oh it is with a heavy heart I say my final goodbyes to the beautiful basque country.

I’m writing this my last night in Bilbao, feeling a flurry of emotions. I don’t think I can quite articulate what an impactful experience this has been. I’ve learned so much, saw so many new places, met so many new people.

I can not tell you how lucky I am to have gotten paired with the host family that I did, to have gotten such a great roommate. To get to see the Guggenheim everyday on my walk to school, to live in such a beautiful part of town like Casco Viejo.

I learned so much, learned how to navigate public transport (efficiently), how to travel alone. I learned that I can easily pack a backpack for three days (which is huge as a chronic over packer). I learned I love my alone time and my space, but I also adore my host kids and hanging out in the living room just to be in their presence.

I learned that being away from home in the beginning is hard, but it is so so worth it. I learned we actually don’t need as many things as we think we do, life is so much more than the material we put so much value on.

I got to visit my dream city, got to go on so many unexpected trips and meet so many incredibly impactful people I will remember for the rest of my life.

Bilbao, you were so wonderful to me. Here is my love letter to you. I love how quiet you are in the morning, how beautiful you are when you begin to wake up, when I get to watch the lights flicker on in peoples homes one by one.

I love your 2 euro coffee and wine, your pintxos, your wonderful assortment of seafood and of course tortilla de patata.

I love how you come alive at night, how the streets fill with people and the sound of clinking glasses and mindful chatter.

I felt so at home in this big, little city, I wouldn’t want to change a thing. To be able to study abroad in another country entirely is such a privilege, and to have traveled around while I did it even more so.

For all my future study abroad-ers out there, here’s some tips (for Spain peeps ofc):

Don’t overpack! Spain has great clothes and great skincare at excellent prices.

Speak. Spanish! Don’t be afraid to practice, practice, practice! Spaniards are so friendly, they want you to learn their language, so just making the effort is appreciated.

Be spontaneous! Go on a last minute trip, you never know what you might find.

Try new foods! You never know what you might come to love. I love seafood even more after eating so much fish in País Vasco.

Step out of your comfort zone. Bilbao was definitely not on my radar when it came time to choose my study abroad site, but I’m forever grateful the universe pushed it in my direction.

And with that, I bid you all my last agur. Thank you Bilbao for changing my life.

❤

To be able to study abroad is such an privilege, one I will be grateful for the rest of my life.

That being said, there is this sort of unspoken expectation to travel…all the time…every weekend.

Well, I might be a little dramatic, but sometimes it’s hard to separate what you would like to be doing versus what everyone else is doing in terms of “making the most of your study abroad”. I remember at the beginning of this all talking to a friend about avoiding being stuck in a state of comparison, and I feel that I have done my best, to prevent from falling into that state.

That being said, I traveled almost every weekend for the first two months of studying in Bilbao, and I have three main things to say on the matter. One: I feel I traveled more than enough and had some of the most fulfilling experiences of my life. Two: I feel as if I could have traveled more and planned out which places I wanted to hit a little better. And three: to travel as much as much as we have takes a certain toll on your body that I have never experienced before. Scientifically, it’s not good for our bodies to be constantly on the go (I should know as someone who gets sick quite often from stress).

I’ve had the privilege of traveling to my dream city, Paris, London, Portugal, Malága, Madrid, and so many more cities around Spain. Halfway through November I noticed I was more tired than usual, more irritable, I knew my body needed a break.

Now, as we are nearing the end of our program, I decided to stay in the Basque country the past four weekends. Though I felt a little regret for not leaving the country as much as my peers, I realize that you can easily make the most of your study abroad experience by staying right where you are. For me, the past four weekends have helped engrain that sentiment. I’ve kept myself busy, visiting little cities around Bilbao, working on my drawings and having my first cat-cafe experience. I volunteered to paint a room for a deaf children’s facility and attended my first Athletic Club game. (So fun!)

It doesn’t matter where you study abroad, or how long you did, I’m sure we all feel a sense of “did I do enough?” The answer is always yes. If you feel happy, if you feel accomplished, then you did more than enough, even if you only traveled out of the country once or twelve times.

I’ve learned so much about gratitude over these three months in the beautiful Basque Country. Gratitude, and the art of being happy where you are, knowing the universe gives us people and places for a reason, right when we need them.

What a beautiful life.

Agur!

-GM ❤