Our borders in the U.S. are so wide many people never make it more than a few states away from their birth place. We tend to only see the outside world from our seats in the living room.

Although we have a diverse culture, these are micro-cultures attempting to survive among American ideologies. Unless a person seeks out diversity, it is very difficult to become submerged in a culture outside of the one they are born into. Each of us is raised with different backgrounds that shape our future and tend to steer us towards the same paths as our peers or family members.

This is a natural movement in life but what if we made a point to challenge our realities and truly analyze our definition of home. With this in mind, I set out to fulfill my childhood dreams of moving to an exotic world. I decided I wanted to learn the purest form of Spanish in the heart of Spain specifically the gorgeous medieval city of Salamanca.

I have heard the most difficult part of going abroad is getting the plane ticket. However, as a 27-year-old undergrad student with a mountain of bills, the hardest part was setting myself free from materialistic possessions and paperwork, lots of paperwork. Getting overseas is not that easy; it takes hours of research and preparation.

Be prepared to fill out many forms especially if you will need financial aid or need to meet certain criteria for your degree. Information on study abroad programs can be found online or with the university’s study abroad department.

I chose a one-month intensive Spanish program at Salamanca University, which the Park University Global Education and Study Abroad program facilitated. Salamanca University began teaching students as early as the year 1130 and is among top four oldest universities in Europe.

Before I headed to Salamanca, I wanted to explore Madrid so I flew in a week early.

Once I packed my bags and made it through customs a new reality began to unfold and it was worth every moment of pre-planning stress. I never realized how much I depended on just naturally understanding my surroundings until I stepped off the plane in Madrid and attempted to hail a cab. In the first five minutes, I understood what it meant to feel alone and unable to communicate with the world around you.

My pre-determined fears started to creep into my mind. But almost in the same breathe, I told myself to keep calm and to focus on absorbing as much of this experience as I could.

These first couple of weeks have been exhilarating. There have been many highs, a few lows and most of all plenty time for introspection. My experience at the Way Hostel in Madrid connected me with people from all over the world. I bonded almost instantly with my bunkmates and in less than a day or two I had a group of friends whose lives fascinated me.

We spent Halloween roaming Madrid in our “Dia De Los Muertos” costumes. We visited the museums and reveled in the works of Picasso and traveled to Toledo to explore a beautiful medieval city. At the end of the week, we cooked a farewell dinner together and talked about the future. There is something intriguing and magical about a group of people brave enough to explore on their own. Each of them carried a self-fulfilling drive that was intoxicating and motivational. We ended our time together by planning to meet in Peru next year.

As I write this, I am in Salamanca where I will reside for a few more days. In this time, I have learned many things but perhaps the one I appreciate the most is the value of silence. Although I have made friends, language is still a barrier to proper communication. There are many times I cannot understand my teachers or my peers. I have a fear of speaking to the cashiers at the market when they ask me questions.

I have spent hours flailing my arms and doing awkward charades while trying to communicate very badly in Spanglish. I have gotten lost but mostly on purpose. Silence allows me the benefit of a clear mind and an ability to think objectively about my surroundings.

Although my knowledge has improved in just a few weeks, learning a new language takes time and a lot of focus. However, the more I allow myself to absorb, the more fluent this culture becomes.

As a visitor in this country I cannot help but put my lifestyle and the American culture under a microscope. If we spend our entire lives around the same culture typically our minds tend to create patterns and habits that coincide with that society. The U.S. is a young country with a history of rapid development and a survivalist mentality. We do everything fast – we eat fast, we walk fast, we work fast and we love and hate fast.

Spanish people come from and still live in a world of ancient memories. Maybe the idea that time is expansive has influenced their lifestyles. In my opinion their lifestyle, language, music and architecture is all one beautiful rhythm. This culture is irresistible.

I am thankful that I have had the opportunity to step outside my bubble and look inward. A challenging new endeavor was just what I needed to revamp my passions and focus on the future. Life is temporary, so please take a moment and don’t be afraid to challenge your reality. Go out and experience a new world. Your current world will be waiting for you when you get back.