Dear Sevilla (or insert city name),
You were my first home abroad. When I was first moving away to my college campus, I didn't think another place could feel just as much like home, as home did. But, eventually, it felt more and more like a safe haven. And after deciding to move to a foreign country as a part of the "college experience", I really wasn't sure that anywhere abroad could feel like anything more than a dreamy vacation spot. I was wrong.
Your streets that I walked down everyday quickly became a familiar route. After an unexpectedly short amount of time, the popular spots in town became places I grew to know and love. I could hold my own when people talked to me using local slang, and as time went on, I began to feel more like a resident and less like a tourist. When people tugging along suitcases pulled out their maps, I smiled to myself, and when they asked me for directions, I felt a sense of belonging to the city. No feeling in the world can compare to that.
Thank you for introducing me to people from not only another part of the world, but also from other American universities studying abroad. Thank you for teaching me your language in the most authentic manner. Thank you for opening my eyes to another culture that isn't my own. Thank you for making me realize that the world is so much bigger than I had ever known.
No one may ever be able to understand what we shared, and I may only be another insignificant visitor to you, but you were one of the most significant places that helped shape me for the real world. I'm forever a greater-minded person for having truly lived in a city abroad, instead of just visiting for a limited amount of days.
For anyone who has ever studied abroad, whether it was in London or Rome, Berlin or Beijing...this sentiment is one that is thought about constantly, but not typically talked about. It's a bittersweet nostalgia, and a distant memory clung onto.
My study abroad home, we may never meet again in the same situation as what we had before, but you better believe that I'll be back to visit you at some point in my life. Because one of the most unique experiences is living in a city, abroad, as a college student.
Sincerely,
Una estudiante muy agradecidos.
