Before studying abroad, I was terrified of change. I have always found comfort in familiarity…in my people, my routines, and the places that I know. The idea of leaving all of that behind to live in another country for an entire semester was exciting, but if I am being completely transparent, it was also incredibly scary. There were moments leading up to my semester in Seville when I
wasn’t even sure if studying abroad was something I wanted to do, but I did it and looking back, saying yes despite the anxiety, fear, and unknown was one of the best decisions I have ever made. Throughout my semester, I found myself coming back to a quote I had heard before leaving: “Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, and today is a gift.” Abroad, those words took on an entirely different meaning. I couldn’t spend every day worrying about how much I missed home or how quickly the semester was going to end. I had this incredible opportunity right in front of me, and I had to learn how to be present enough to experience it.
Seville did not feel like home overnight. It happened in little moments. It happened when the old Spanish home I lived in stopped feeling like temporary housing and became my safe place. It happened when navigating maps and public transportation went from intimidating to one of my favorite parts of living abroad. There was something freeing about figuring out where I was going on my own, slowing down, looking around, and having those moments of realizing, I’m actually doing this. It happened around the table, too. I quickly learned how important time around the table is to families in Spain. Food was about so much more than eating. Meals were time to slow down, talk, laugh, and be together. That appreciation for slowing down and being present with the people around me is something I hope I never lose. Some of the relationships I valued most were also ones I never expected to need so much. My professors became familiar faces and people I genuinely looked forward to seeing. My friendships with other students came naturally because, in many ways, we were all navigating the same unfamiliar experience together. At the same time, I learned how important it was to step outside of the “American bubble.” Meeting locals, asking questions, and building relationships with people who actually called Seville home allowed me to experience the city in ways I never could have by only visiting the recommended or touristy places.
One of the most meaningful parts of my semester was teaching English to 10-year-old students at a school in the historic city center. I had no idea when I arrived how important those relationships would become to me. On days when I needed a laugh the most, somehow my students always gave me one. They reminded me to be present, have fun, and appreciate exactly where I was. Sometimes I would look around that classroom and think about my own 10-year-old self. What would she think if I could tell her that one day she would be living in Spain, teaching students English in a classroom in Seville? I think she would be incredibly proud. There were difficult days, too. Studying abroad did not suddenly make my fear of change disappear. I experienced homesickness, anxiety, culture shock, and moments when I desperately wanted something familiar. I learned to lean on my friends and family back home because they were rooting for me and, in many ways, living the experience through me. But I also learned to become one of my own biggest supporters. Sometimes the hardest moments abroad grew into the most important ones. I learned to take the solo trip. I learned to find joy in slow and quiet moments. I learned to say yes, even when something made me nervous. I learned that getting lost is sometimes part of figuring out where you’re going. Most importantly, I learned that being uncomfortable does not always mean something is wrong. Sometimes, it means you’re growing.
Traveling only reinforced that lesson. Every new place I explored taught me something, but it also made returning to Seville increasingly feel like returning home. There was a comfort in recognizing the streets again, knowing my way around, walking back into my house, and returning to the routines I had slowly created for myself. Ironically, I don’t think I fully understood how much Seville had become home until I was on the plane leaving it. I had spent so much time before studying abroad worrying about how difficult it would be to leave home. Then, suddenly, I was sitting on a plane back to the United States realizing it was just as difficult to leave the home I had created in Seville. I had spent months wondering when I would finally feel settled, only to realize that somewhere along the way, without even noticing, I already had. And then came something I never expected: reverse culture shock. Returning to the place I had missed so much felt different because I was different. That was when I began to understand that home is forever. Loving somewhere new doesn’t take anything away from the home you already have. Instead, your idea of home gets bigger. If I could go back to the version of myself who was terrified to leave, I would tell her to go. Take the trip. Get on the plane. Ask questions. Meet the locals. Lean on the people who love you. Take that solo trip. Let yourself have hard days. Say yes. And when everything feels unfamiliar, breathe, look around, and remember how incredible it is that you are there. Because yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, and today is a gift.
Kate Jernigan
Community Education Studies (CES)
Spring semester 2026
Seville , Spain
CEA CAPA Seville Center, University of Seville
Arts and Sciences
