Reflection Paper

I am submitting a paper to CIEE to try to win a cash prize by reflection on my time in Sevilla. Here goes:

Define: Home
As all twenty-something Americans encounter, leaving home for a foreign culture, language and home is nerve-racking. I was confident that I left less-confident than most American students on their way to Spain. So many questions flooded my mind… How can I leave the place where I’ve lived for the past twenty years? How can I say goodbye to family and friends for a seemingly eternal period of time? How can I leave home?
My time in Seville was a success through and through. After arriving and settling in my “home-away-from-home”, I realized that my Spanish was better than most, along with my confidence. I developed an immediate bond with my Spanish family, both the parents and two-year-old Thiago, often called “Gordito”. Although I was initially opposed to the idea, I was lucky enough to have an American roommate. Micah was great at Spanish, was eager to travel through Europe, and knew how to be a good roommate and friend. He became my best friend in Seville as we traveled together to Spanish cities including Barcelona, Madrid, Toledo, Ronda and Cordoba while also visiting Portugal, Morocco, Italy and Slovenia. We became a dynamic duo. Whenever Thiago would see me alone in the apartment, he would quickly ask “Y Micah?” Micah would get a similar question. I imagine you know what it would be.
Initially, I missed my bed and having the ability to return home. After I couple of bare-bone meals and hostel stays outside of Seville, I couldn’t wait to return to my home¬ in Seville. By early February, this is the one and only home I yearned for when traveling outside of Seville. One of my fondest, repeated memories is returning from trips outside of Spain and thinking, “ah, my hometown. I can once again speak the language, eat and catch up with my family and sleep in my own bed.”
My time in Seville is coming to an end. It’s now mid-May and my perspective has changed from that of pre-Seville January. I’ll leave you with my final thoughts:
How can I leave the place where I’ve lived for the past five months?
How can I say goodbye to my friends and family for a potentially eternal period of time?
How can I leave home?

Austin Savat