Why going abroad may be just what you need

Posted by Megan Lillick on Sep 15, 2016 1:56:25 PM

I was 25. A quarter of a century old. Nausea set in every time I logged into Facebook to see a picture of a spoken-for ring finger, a chubby happy baby, or a house captioned “Congrats to the new homeowners!” Mind you, this is back when the newsfeed had only rudimentary filtering capabilities.

Was it jealousy? Was it fear of missing out on something? Or was I genuinely uninterested in these milestones at this point in my life?

After some soul searching, I realized that the uneasiness I got when witnessing friends settling into adulthood with their careers, marriages, mortgages, and pregnancies was a common symptom of something that affects nearly 75 percent of those aged between 26 and 30. I was experiencing what psychologists and the media alike were calling the quarter-life crisis. The less bald, slimmer waistline, “world is your oyster” version of the mid-life crisis.

It’s that existential dread when you start to ask questions like, “What am I doing with my life? What should I be doing?” “What do I really want to do?!” Sometimes simply just wondering, “Why?”

On the bright side, it’s a time that inspires us to not only look around, but also inward. To evaluate and ponder things.

A catalyst for change

My quarter-life crisis was a catalyst for a big change. It helped push me in the direction I knew I always wanted to go. Abroad. To Spain.

I knew some Spanish and always wanted to live in Spain. I wanted to be immersed in the culture where it was spoken natively. I wanted that elusive ‘fluent’ badge. I wanted to have the study abroad experience I never had in college.

So after saying my hasta luegos, off to Alicante I went. I left self doubt and any chance I had for my own suburban selfie pic behind. For me, there was still adventure to be had!

Older, wiser student

If I was going to get that badge, I had to get serious. I knew intensive Spanish courses would be the surefire way to go. So I ended up registering with the University of Alicante’s Centro Superior de Idiomas, taking classes five days a week, four hours a day.

I won’t lie. The thought of being one of, if not the oldest in class crossed my mind. But, I didn’t care. Having done prior research, I knew that an astounding amount of adults study abroad each year to better themselves linguistically and immerse in new cultures. Carolita Blythe did it, and so did she.

Having a couple years of the real world under my belt and a few years on my classmates actually gave me a unique perspective. I felt I was able to appreciate the art of learning more, doing the ‘college thing’ a second time. Also, since I was footing the bill this go-around, and not my parents, I arrived on time, never once with a resaca. I participated often and always did my homework. I wanted to be the best Spanish speaker that I could be.

That’s why I made sure to get out of my original living situation fast. For the first couple months I rented a studio apartment. I was lonely. And worst of all, I wasn’t practicing my Spanish at home like my younger classmates were doing with their host families.

Living with locals

I asked around to see if anyone knew of anyone renting a spare bedroom. A friend of a friend did, and a couple days later, I was living with four others also in their twenty somethings. All having come from different countries, Spanish was the common language.

We chatted constantly. About our studies, work, families and novios/as. My Spanish improved immensely. We cooked meals together. Sometimes we'd go all out and prepare a paella. Then we'd eat and indulge with a long sobremesa included. On the weekends, we went out until sunrise in el Barrio and found secluded beaches where we drank sangria and siesta-ed in the Spanish sol. We were friends. We still keep in touch. In fact, my best friend from Spanish courses and my Irish roommate fell in love. Now they’re married.

Vale la pena

Emerging into adulthood with all the stress and internal crisis that comes with it was, as the Spanish say, “Vale la pena!” It was gosh-darn worth it. I wouldn’t have chased a dream I always had, one I lost sight of in life’s post-college happenings. I wouldn’t have gone abroad with the sole purpose of becoming fluent in the language. I wouldn’t have learned so much.

Lessons learned

I learned more than just Spanish. I learned about Spain’s history, traditions, culture, delicious delicacies, and laid-back people. I learned one can drink sangria from a juice box and gazpacho out of a carton. I learned to better schedule my errands since stores closed for siesta midday. I learned to eat a merendar around six in the evening as dinner is always late. I learned that knowing another language makes you more marketable in the workforce. (I landed my dream job here at Abroadwith having done so.) Most importantly, though, I learned that friendships made abroad are tried and true. That going out of your comfort zone, is a humbling experience, opening the door to new possibilities you wouldn’t have considered before. That learning a new language is rewarding and fun. And anyone can do it (crisis or not).

Where have you always dreamed of going? What language have you always wanted to learn? My advice: Go for it! Go abroad. Learn a language. It might be just what you need.

You can go abroad to Alicante, too, and stay with July's featured host, Carlos. If interested, send him a booking request today!