As seems always to be the case upon returning home, my time in Valladolid exists to me now only in flashes of my experiences and the people with whom I shared my time. Almost intangible, these memories flicker through my mind, but catching hold of one long enough to relive it feels nearly impossible. What have I brought back with me? What from my study abroad experience is mine to keep?
I had initially thought that perhaps there is a paradox in studying abroad. To study abroad is first to receive a great bounty: of new experiences, connections, language skills, and perspectives. But then, far too quickly, to lose the things you inadvertently gained. I ache to think of familiar faces of people that I will likely never see again, routine walks from my house to the zócalo that I have made for the last time, lonchería horchatas that I will never again sip around a table filled with friends, and the relief of a cool cenote that I long for in these hazy Pennsylvania days.
The expected advice to anyone embarking on a study abroad program is to soak it all up and appreciate every moment because it will be over before you know it. I find this to be absolutely true, I could feel Valladolid slipping through my fingers even as the intense Mexican sun was still beating down on me. However, further advice I’d like to offer is to find ways to appreciate your study abroad experience even after returning home, elements of your time away that show up in day-to-day life.
As time has gone on, I find that maybe Mexico is not as far away as I had initially led myself to believe. Whereas before traveling to Valladolid, I found myself constantly switching out Spanish words for Portuguese ones, I find that now the opposite is true, and Spanish seeps itself into my Portuguese (my stronger second language), proof that my immersion experience led to an impactful degree of acquisition. Additionally, I gained valuable research experience and was surprised to learn that conducting interviews was my favorite part, even as an introvert, and even while speaking a foreign language. This self-discovery has opened my eyes to possibilities that I never would have considered before, and given me a much-needed boost of self-confidence in professionally geared interactions.
I also formed friendships that will follow me through my final year at Pitt, fellow students with whom I might grab a bite at Las Palmas, or stop to chat with in Schenley Plaza. But what of those new friends who stayed behind in Mexico, those who continue on with the life I got to try on for a short time? What was the point of forming connections if they were doomed to fail from the start? I quiet these thoughts with a text I received from my closest friend in Mexico, a fellow linguistics student who went to great lengths to help me with my research while I was in Valladolid. He reached out to tell me that he had been invited to study in Canada and work on his own language revitalization project there, just as I did in his hometown. He felt excited to share this life update with me, a piece of tangible evidence that my time in Valladolid does not exist in a vacuum. I brought so much back with me, and maybe I even left a little something behind too.
