Throughout my time in Málaga I have learned countless lessons that have changed my perspective on life in general and in my academic life as well. The different lifestyle that people live for in Spain and in Málaga demonstrated to me what my life could look like back in the US.
Most prominently, I learned that life does not need to be a fast-paced race to the finish. Rather, experiences, friendships, family, can all be experienced in the moment. While I was not in the rigorous classes I am typically in at school, I still had to initially work on living in the moment. Instead of countless assignments I had to complete, I had lots of places I wanted to visit, lots of activities to do, and lots of people to hang out with. It was in these experiences that I eventually realized that refocusing my mind to the present moment helped relieve the stress of what was to come next. I learned how to not take away from the present moment by thinking about what was next. While it is definitely easier to not worry while laying on the beach in Malaga, I think this foundation will help me live in the moment while at school.
Another lesson that applies to my academic life, as well as my future career, is establishing habits of a work-life balance. From my experience living in the US my whole life, this phrase “work-life balance” was always thrown around and blasted all over social media but I never really saw people who actually talked about a work-life balance. So, during my experience in Málaga I began to see what that really looked like.
What I noticed the most about a work-life balance was how much people poured into their familial relationships and their friendships. It was a part of daily life to see your family and your friends. Meals were shared, drinks were had, chatting lasting all evening. It was so evident how much the culture in Spain revolves around connection. Back home, to improve my work-school-life balance I want to make sure I am spending more intentional time with my friends and family. I want to incorporate doing fun and relaxing activities with my friends more often, rather than for just a long time on the weekend. This balance will then help me stay more focused when I have to complete assignments and study for work.
While outside the classroom, I learned that learning and knowledge can come from all sorts of places and resources. It doesn’t have to just be a classroom where learning takes place. Back in the US I want to connect with more people and learn through conversations with others. I met someone new from a different country everyday the first week I was in Malaga, and even more people when I visited other cities in Spain. The people I talked to from England, Sweden, Morocco, Namibia, Ireland all had different cultures and aspects of their lives to share, but also had similar values in common. Connection was what they all spoke about when commenting on their lifestyles; how important it is to see the world from a different perspective. Connecting with others about their cultures is something that can never be taught in a classroom. At Pitt and beyond I want to make it a priority in my life to hear and listen to others to broaden my knowledge and awareness of other cultures and the world.
I don’t think that the experience from a study abroad experience can be replicated anywhere else, but I do believe that it is so easy to implement lessons and the knowledge I learned while abroad back in my life at Pitt. I feel that my knowledge of the world and different cultures has expanded greatly which I can carry into the rest of my academic career and my future professional life.
Words cannot describe how grateful I am for this experience and I can’t wait for the opportunity to go back to Spain again!
