Challenges I Faced

During my trip abroad I faced a couple of challenges that I will be talking about. Even though some of you will consider my points to be big/small challenges, being faced with them on your own and being so far away from your comfort zone made challenges seem very big at times. I do have to say that in hindsight, I have definitely learned to appreciate what I have at home and most importantly how much family means to me. 

Not knowing how to cook:
I've always been lucky enough to have my mommy cook for me. On top of that, during my college years so far, I have had food available to me all day. Even when I lived in the sorority house, we had a chef. Needless to say, I really never cooked before, or had to. I found cooking to be a huge challenge while studying abroad. Not only because of my cooking knowledge (or lack-thereof), but also because even when I went to the grocery store I really didn't know what to buy. Ultimately I bought simple things and things to make for the few things I did know how to cook. I did end up eating a lot of pasta, sandwiches, and fruits. 
 
No air conditioning:
During the summer months in Madrid it is about 100 degrees everyday. Add to that no air conditioning and it was miserable! The first thing I bought when arriving in Madrid was a fan. It became a habit of coming home sweating everyday and showering two times a day in the morning and before bed. You do get used to the weather a little bit, and you do find ways to manage your life with the heat, but I definitely learned to appreciate air conditioning a lot more. 
 
Catalan language:
Even though I speak Spanish I was fully aware before traveling to Spain that my Spanish was more slang than proper Spanish. I was prepared for those differences but not so much for the change in dialect. Spaniards speak what is known as the Catalan language. When my co-workers would speak to me it would usually take me a few seconds to catch onto what they were saying, but more times I would not catch what they said at all. It would be hard to understand because they speak Spanish faster than what I was used to and with a lisp. This made my initial training more challenging. Fortunately, my supervisor caught on that I did not understand most everyone before I was able to say something. After that he slowed down his speaking and so did everyone else. 
 
Homesickness:
Yes, I did get homesick. Back at home my family and I are really close, and there were many moments when I missed them. There’s not much to do about those times other than to find something to distract yourself with. I was fortunate that my brother, my boyfriend, and my cousin were able to visit me at different times during my stay here in Madrid. They were able to bring home to me, which did help in comforting me. Even if you are not that fortunate, know that those moments will pass. Also, that's a perfect time to reach out to friends and family.
 
Money:
Money, money, money. The exchange rate here in Madrid is high. $1 USD = .80 Euros. When I would exchange money I would get less than what I paid because of the rate so that’s something you have to prepare for. Budgeting as much as you can ahead of time will help you overall. This will save you from looking at your bank account and seeing your balance decrease. When I checked my bank account online all saw was “deduct”, “deduct”, “deduct”.  Also, back in the states, summertime is when I was able to work to save all my money for the school year. This summer since I was studying abroad, I obviously didn't get the chance to do that so it was a huge change for me and a challenge for me this coming school year. Being prepared and thinking ahead will save you grief and stress.