Devin Hall- May 28, 2014

Wow. Where do I even begin? Today is our last day in Valencia with our host families and we only have a few days left before we all go home and to our daily routine. This trip has been such an amazing experience and I think I speak for the whole group when I say we are all so blessed to have been apart of this beautiful adventure.

So far we have done so much in these short few weeks. We have taken a bike tour, participated in a movie night and discussion about Shakespeare in Spanish at the University of Valencia, a paella cooking demonstration, service learning projects, went to an aquarium, took a special trip to Barcelona, got make overs by Rosa, and so much more. Instead of focusing this blog on that aspect of this trip, I want to talk about our home stay experience.

For this study abroad trip we were all placed in family’s homes to stay and reside in for the next three weeks as opposed to staying in a hotel or something like that. At first I was a little nervous about the whole situation. I wasn’t sure what to expect at all. I didn’t know how I would feel or act going into someone’s home and living there for three weeks. Looking back now on how I felt then, I feel foolish.

This home stay experience has been something I will never forget for the rest of my life. I have made a wonderful, long-lasting connection with this family and with my roommate, too. The mother, Carmen, has made this whole study abroad trip so great. She has made being away from my mother a lot easier, and I truly thank her for that because I felt so horrible leaving my mother on Mother’s Day. She really treats Jessie and I like we are her own daughters. She has taken care of me when I woke up not once, but twice with a huge, swollen eye from the killer mosquitos here. She always took care of us and made sure we were fed any time we needed. Jessie and I DEFINITELY took advantage of that. We will be going back probably 20 pounds heavier! She was such a great cook, too. One night Jessie and I made dinner for the family to thank them for welcoming us into their home with open arms. Even though she didn’t speak much English at all and we weren’t really fluent in Spanish, we made a connection with her and created an incredible relationship.

This was such a great experience for me and I feel sad for anyone who studies abroad and doesn’t get to experience something this awesome. It is a bittersweet feeling leaving them tomorrow. I can’t wait to get home to my family and loved ones, but I will miss this. I’ll miss my “Valencianhome”.