Just yesterday, I returned home from a two-month-long journey through Europe, a truly life-changing experience that allowed me to bond with people in a way I had never anticipated. I spent a little over a month traveling through Europe by myself, and while rewarding in its own right, the real highlight was the three weeks I spent in León, Spain. The class was interesting and I learned a lot, but what made those weeks unforgettable were the friendships I made, not the things I learned. I came knowing nobody, and I left with nine people who feel like lifelong friends: people with whom I now feel comfortable sharing some of my deepest secrets.
I’ve always been a solo traveler, living by myself and choosing my own schedule each day, so living with a host family and coordinating tasks with other students seemed really daunting to me. Leading up to the trip, I was terrified that I would be forced to visit places I didn’t want to see with people I wouldn’t like. I had met the other students once or twice before during the pre-trip meetings, but we hadn’t spoken much, so I didn’t know what to expect from them. All I knew was that they were all CS majors or CS adjacent, and we all know the stereotypes of CS students: socially awkward, lacking hygiene, and stuck inside all day. I imagined having to explore Spain with 9 people like that, and I seriously considered ignoring them and just solo-travelling like I had previously done throughout Europe.
I saw the other students for the first time in the Palacio del Conde Luna, the place where I attended class every day for three weeks. Conversation during class was minimal, but I did learn everyone’s names and was surprised to hear that many others had also done some solo travelling in Spain or Europe before this trip, which helped dispel the stereotype that CS majors don’t touch grass. After class, I expected everyone to leave for their houses, but surprisingly, most people stayed after and expressed their desire to explore the city, so we set out together. In just that first day, we had lunch at a nice restaurant, visited the León Cathedral, walked through the city, went to a department store, and then went out for drinks and tapas, all while talking about our lives and learning more about each other. I went from having doubts about this trip to being genuinely excited to see everyone again the next day, all within the span of a few hours.
That first day felt so perfect to me; everyone got along so well, and we all generally wanted to see and do the same things. It felt like it was a one-off situation, that we would have fun that first day and then slowly split apart as time went on, but I was wrong. Every day was like that, and as time went on, we only became closer. We spent our days hunting down the best restaurants and bars, finding our favorite places to party, and sharing the most vulnerable moments of our lives. We hardly spent any time apart, often only returning to our houses for a quick meal or to change clothes before meeting up with each other again.
At the end of the first week, we took a train to Segovia, a city close to Madrid known for its beautiful aqueducts. We visited more cathedrals, a castle, and went on multiple different hikes outside the city together, and yes, we still found time for a drink or two at the end of the day. We threw parties in our hotel rooms and stayed awake into the early morning, sleeping only for an hour or two before starting it all over again. It really felt like something straight out of a movie.
By the second week, we had all grown really close and were making plans for our free weekend at the end of the week. We split into two main groups: one group that wanted to go to Barcelona to party and go clubbing, and the other group, which I was a part of, went north to Gijón, a port city in Asturias with beautiful beaches. We left for Gijón directly after class on Thursday, and after two hours, we had arrived in the city. It was breathtaking, with remnants of Roman architecture everywhere. The city was huge, and we couldn’t explore it all in the 3 days we had there; in fact, we hardly explored it at all because we spent so much time swimming and sunbathing at the beach. I’ve said it a lot in this blog, but this trip allowed me to bond even better with the other students who came with me. Going to class and exploring the city together is one thing, but sharing a home with others for three days allows you to understand them on a much deeper level.
The final week was bittersweet. We were making the most of our time by, you guessed it, getting drinks and tapas, but we all knew the trip was coming to an end. We visited the University of León during the last week, listened to a lecture about cryptography, and saw the regional supercomputer at SCAYLE. By this last week, the small amount of time we spent apart had become virtually nonexistent. We hardly ate food at home, going out as a group for nearly every meal, and we stayed out longer and longer into the night until all the bars we frequented had finally closed for the morning. We continued to survive on only an hour or two of sleep, and we wouldn’t have had it any other way.
I had always heard that study abroad experiences were life-changing, but I never believed it. I had done my fair share of travelling, and I always imagined it would be like any other vacation. If anything, I thought it would be worse than a typical vacation because I had to share my time with a bunch of strangers. I came expecting to travel alone, but I left with nine lifelong friends. That’s why I now understand when people say study abroad is life-changing, it really is. To those who have had reservations, who have considered studying abroad but have been unsure if it is the right choice for them, just do it. Find a program that interests you and sign up. Take the risk, make the gamble, because the payout is well worth it.
