When you study abroad, there is an expectation to make the most of your time. I have, for a long time, struggled with the answer to “making the most” out of my time.
I believe Bilbao is one of the most beautiful hidden gems of a small city in the world. I wouldn’t believe if you had told me last year that I would be going abroad here. Why would I choose Bilbao over a more “vibrant” city like Madrid or Barcelona?
My choice of Spain was an easy one in general. Growing up in a Spanish-speaking family, I had been expected to take Spanish throughout all my schooling. I ultimately settled on Bilbao because I had already studied in Salamanca during high school, having visited other places like Madrid, Toledo, and Portugal during that time. I wanted something different, I wanted to feel inspired.
Upon my arrival in Bilbao, I was sweaty and sore and just a deflated balloon of an individual after a hectic travel day (I had a mix-up with finding my gate in the Madrid airport and have blisters on my heels to prove it). I had gotten in one day before my program, having booked a hotel for that night. After spending the next several hours forcing my body to stay awake, binge-watching Suits, and going in search of reasonably priced hotel food, I decided to go on a walk. The hotel was out of the city, near a lovely little park, and as I left the sun was beginning to set. I couldn’t stop my mind from racing with the constant question; “Did I choose the right city?” Not only that, “how am I supposed to make sure I make the most of my time here?”
I yearned for that ability to have those “life-changing experience” stories when I got back to America for me to give some sort of amazing advice to further generations of study abroad-ers.
I went to bed that night with nerves and excitement swimming in my gut, having no idea of what was to come.
After having spent my first full month in the city of Bilbao, I can firmly say that I made the right decision, because Bilbao has shifted the way I see the world.
I live in the “old town” of Bilbao, Casco Viejo. It is full of cluttered buildings, narrow cobblestone streets, and colorful shops. My specific homestay is close to one of my favorite features of the old town, Plaza Nueva. If you want to pintxo-hop, that is the place to do it. The architecture is also so unique and fun, and not just in the old town. Bilbao is such a perfect mix of that old and modern architecture. Casco Viejo is a neighborhood like no other, there’s the Bilboko Donejakue Katedrala, (a cathedral in the center of our area of town), a museum of archeology right next to our little homestay (of which I have yet to visit), and the Biblioteca de Bidebarrieta, an old library, right down the street. Not to mention, all of the beautiful cafés and fun shops, my personal favorite being a stand where they only sell french fries that you can get with a variety of sauces.
Every single morning, I walk to the Universidad de Deusto. A 30-minute walk that I am more than happy to wake up early for, early enough that I get to experience my beloved Bilbao waking up.
I relish in the calm of the morning, the ability to slow down.
I walk down the river, under two lovely bridges, past various shops and neighborhoods, and my favorite part: the Guggenheim. The Guggenheim is truly an architectural masterpiece, one that at first I was completely unsure of how to preserve once my time abroad was finished. Walking along the streets one afternoon I found an art shop and decided to buy a sketchbook. I grew up loving to draw more than anything, and after a year of failing to practice my craft, I decided what better souvenir than one filled with sketches of the Basque country. Each day after classes (if the weather is nice) I try to find a nice bench where I can sit and sketch for at least an hour. Right now, I am working on two different sketches of the Guggenheim from different angles. I am hoping that I can get as many as possible from a variety of angles. I truly never realized how much I had missed drawing. The renewed inspiration to explore my creative side like this is refreshing.
Like I said before, there’s so much pressure to just go, go, go when you’re abroad. “Travel here, explore this area, try this food.” Sometimes, you just need time to sit with yourself.
I recommend to everyone who is studying abroad, take a minute. Go to a nice park, find a bench, close your eyes and breathe.
Our lives are so long yet so short, if we move too fast we’re gonna miss it. Even now as I write this blog, I am staring out the window wistfully on a 4-hour bus to Madrid.
I think I’ve realized that for me, making the most of my time abroad means renewing my creativity, it means learning new things about myself, new skills and new ways to manage stressful situations.
I’m going on so many trips, I mean right now as I write this blog I’m sitting in a hotel in London! (Can you believe it?) I’m seeing so much of the world. The hustle and bustle can overwhelm you. I’m going to blink and study abroad will be over. I’ve been so engulfed in that inspiration. Taking a step back from the constant go, go, go that is American work culture has opened my eyes. I feel like I can breathe.
(Here is some joy from celebrating my 21st in the Basque Country!)
DU Abroad 