Asturias is one of the most isolated areas of Spain thanks to the mountain region (Picos de Europa) that separates it from the rest of Spain, and so it feels like these mountains have separated me from everything else in my life. And while this is scary, it is liberating as well: I now know what I want to do for sure in life, and that my original dream of teaching English in Spain has been achieved.
Four years ago, during my first trip to Barcelona, Spain took hold of me and refused to let go. It taught me to take things more slowly in life and that I should adopt a more "no pasa nada" kind of attitude to things that just don't work out. Now, during my fourth time back in the country, Spain continues to teach me new lessons. For example, it's okay to let go of a dream you had been holding onto for years, it's good to just talk even when you don't know every part of the sentence that you want to speak, and that it's okay to not love every second you are back in a country that was supposed to feel like a second home.
They say you leave a piece of yourself each place you travel to, but it should be that you take a piece of that country with you wherever you go. I've had the privilige of taking the lessons of three very different countries with me on my year abroad, and I've enjoyed watching it change me for the better. Travel is liberating and it really helps you see yourself in the best form that you can be. Just trust the lessons that are given to you from each place you go.
