Two Worlds and One Experience

Already having spent 5 to 6 months in Malaga I have learned, with much effort, to not compare constantly my familiar surroundings in the USA with the Spanish experience here in the south of the country. Sometimes it has been really a difficult task because as soon as you get off that plane and realize that you are no longer ''at home'' the first thing I personally felt was fear of the unknown. I was unaware of what would be waiting for me on the other side of those glass baggage claim doors but I remember just closing my eyes for a few seconds and just taking a deep breath and realizing that its a new chapter in my life that I should fully take advantage of as much as I can. In the beginning everything evoked a sense of “aww” in me because mostly due to the difference of lifestyle and mentality that I was being exposed to. When I first arrived the first month was a constant comparison between the life I know very well and this life I was trying to get used to in Spain. In the last few months I no longer find myself comparing the two “worlds” but I do find myself missing things that I took for granted when I was at home. Being here has also allowed me to see the United States with a more critical eye, which I believe would have never happened if I had stayed in the USA. Hopefully when mid May comes around I will leave with pleasant memories and a lot of learned life lessons. As for now, I try to enjoy the time I have left in Malaga without thinking too much about when I go back home.