From Spain Back to Ferrum and Onward

by Delana S., Panther Blogger

Whew!  It has been forever since I last blogged and things have been crazy.  Since my time in Spain, I returned back to the United States on December 20th.  Let me say that it felt so good to see my family in person; we did Skype all the time while I was in Spain, but it is vastly different.  From there, I prepared myself to come back to Ferrum and become reacquainted with speaking and hearing English again every day.  Coming back to the United States was not a huge adjustment for me, but that is only because I am used to moving and traveling around a lot.  In Spain, I learned a lot about myself and was able to be myself all the time.  I made lots of friends and I keep in touch with them regularly.

My friends Song and Sarah B.

My best friends in the program -
Felle and Sarah

My usual group of friends

My Alicatina friends

My host mom Andrea

Dinner with my classmates

Christmas celebrations

My co-worker and I
after my return home

Just thinking about it, I talked to a few of my friends a couple of days ago and they told me that some of the friends that I made had asked about me and that makes me happier than most people would think.  I made a home for myself over there and a family that I cannot wait to go see again.  I also talk to my host mom often and keep her updated with what's going on in my life.  Coming back to Ferrum was a bit strange for me because I am a different person and I grew up a little bit more, but knowing who I am makes all the difference.

New look for me

Since the start of this semester, I've had a lot to do and it has kept me really busy!  For starters, I am writing my senior thesis in Spanish about Flamenco, which I learned during my time abroad.  It is a fascinating and intriguing dance with a complicated history; I've had a lot of fun researching it, though at times, it is challenging.  In general, I've had 5 classes, with one being a half-semester science course, so now I have four classes including the thesis class.  It would seem that I should have some time to enjoy the rest of this semester with minimal work, but I am writing another thesis paper in Spanish focused on literature, and a small thesis paper for a history class.  It is a good thing that I like to write or that would be a struggle!  At this point, I am almost done with those papers, but I also have other events that I have to prepare for, such as "Put Cuffs on Cancer," Spring Fling, and a variety of events for seniors.  Graduation isn't that far away now, but at the same time, it is.  It's funny to think about how time has flown by so fast, but yet I still remember coming to Ferrum and beginning my freshman year.  Well there is more that I have to do until that point, but stay updated to read how it all ends here...though in reality, it is only the start of a new adventure!