Being the youngest in a big family means I grew up watching my older sisters travel the world, leaving me behind, making me crave the taste of traveling and new cultures. But I knew from a young age that I would study abroad just like them, following in their footsteps. When I found out about this program, I jumped on the opportunity right away. And when we arrived in San Sebastían, I could finally take this weight off my shoulders of fulfilling my long-time goal of studying abroad because I finally made it.

When we first arrived here, I did not realize how different lifestyles are here compared to home. As someone who stresses the little things and likes an orderly schedule, like most Americans, I had to adjust to a calm mindset and go with the flow like the rest of society here. It is now Friday morning, almost a week since I left home and safe to say this whole trip thus far, I have become an expert at going with the flow.

Even though I’ve been more relaxed with schedules this trip, Thursday was more of an organized day for me. I enjoy a structured routine in the morning. Wake up, get ready, grab some breakfast, and bike to class. Normally I dread the wake up for class at home, but here I look forward to going to class. I get to see the beautiful views each morning as I pedal my way to Lacunza where I have met many people from all over the world like Germany, France and Switzerland, all trying to learn Spanish. The class is such a great environment and makes everyone want to engage and enhance their Spanish. On this day though, we took what we learned into the shops next door with our teacher and pointed out what each type of clothing we saw was like zapatillas, camisetas, y pantalones.

After class I headed straight to my pintxo tasting tour. Might be my new favorite food now. We first went to Antonio’s Bar who must have a high demand with a line out the door. And I can say that the wait is definitely worth it. I don’t even know how many pintxos we had, but everything just melted in my mouth so delectably. After hitting two more spots in Centro, including the oldest pintxo bar in San Sebastían, I was stuffed, but always have room for gelato. Everything was so fresh. I am used to eating a lot of seafood growing up on the jersey shore, so a lot of the food felt comfortable, especially eating with a large group of us, felt like home. But this seafood was on a whole new level I’ve never experienced before.

Pre-departure of coming here, we were required to read Marti Buckley’s two cookbooks about the Basque country and Pintxos. After the pintxos, we were able to meet her and talk to her about her life and learned more about the cuisine that this city brings along with beauty. I gained a newfound appreciation for the smallest details that go into making these bite sized meals. In America, we are able to eat anything at any time instead of waiting for the proper season. But here you must wait for that time of year for harvest. Like in August it is Squid season, but now it is produce season, and I was able to try their wonderful asparagus. That is another reason why the food here is so special because you can’t get it anywhere else or anytime you want, you must be patient and enjoy what fresh food you have in front of you while you can. Marti Buckely puts all of this and more in her books and describes the culture so preciously and even more so in person.

San Sebastían is a very walkable city, 20k steps a day more or less so far, so when I had to walk back to my bike afterwards, it felt short compared to day 1. As the days go on, I’m becoming more familiar with my surroundings. Usually at home I would be stressed out about wasting time walking, but here I soak in everything while I can, taking my time and being in the moment because I know it won’t last forever, just like the produce.

This beautiful place came with beautiful weather as well, so my friends and I decided to hit the beach even though it was already 6pm and our phones were all dead. This truly allowed us to be fully immersed in the moment. Watching the people lay around with their dogs and swimming in the clear blue water, I realized how the simplest things like the warmth of the sun can bring everyone together even when we are a language apart. These small things are what I am going to bring back home with me and look for everywhere I go, bringing a reminder of this place with me, making it more special than it already is.

If I have learned anything during my time here so far and will continue to learn all next week, it is how precious time is. If it’s waiting in line for pintxos or waiting for a whole season for some squid, be in the moment while you wait. Enjoy one’s company, get out of your comfort zone and stop stressing about a schedule. These small things are what makes a moment matter. This trip taught me more about myself and my independence than anything else ever did. Independence is a big thing in growing up, but I realized here that it does not have to be scary, instead just take everything one at a time, enjoying everything while you can before a new phase of life changes everything once again. And who knows, maybe that the next phase of life will lead me back here.