The NO8DO Experience: A Lifestyle and a Legend

What do you do when your friends are tired of hearing you talk about something, but you just can’t stop? Perhaps you would talk to your parents or other family member? Maybe go see a counselor? The problem is, my family is tired of hearing about it and the problem doesn’t really warrant a free appointment at the Counseling Center. So what’s the problem? Studying abroad was hands down one of the best if not the best experience of my life thus far, and I yearn to go back more than anything. That isn’t to say that I’m not content with the here and the now. I am happy to be reunited home (William and Mary) and the people who have made it home (my friends and the W&M community), but there are a lot of things to miss and not a lot of people who can fully empathize. I know it doesn’t seem like a valid problem and may even seem like I’m whining about nothing-the rough life of a student given the privilege of studying abroad who loves her home university and experience just as much. It really is a problem wanting to do two things at the same time. I would go abroad again, but at the same time, I don’t think I could stand missing out on another semester at W&M. What I also realized after day dreaming about being back in Sevilla, paddle boating on the Guadalquivir River was that this experience was so unique and special that going abroad again would never be the same. I wouldn’t meet and make the same amazing friends, I wouldn’t go through the same challenges, and I wouldn’t go through the same kind of self growth and improvement. These three things are what really made my abroad experience, and I am so thankful for all of them.

The friends:

I never would have thought that I would make the kind of friends I did abroad. It’s funny how knowing you only have 4 months is a catalyst for friendships and almost forces you to find comrades instantaneously.  We all knew from the beginning that, to an extent, we were all each other had. At first we were just friends to go out and travel with, but it became so much more. We went through each little experience together from home stay mom troubles and riding a Sevici bike to learning an entirely new culture and seeing the Coliseum. Saying goodbye to my friends in Spain was like saying goodbye to a family, because that is what we’d become. In fact, we called ourselves the NO8DO family, NO8DO being the symbol of the Sevillan government. The friendships I formed I know will be lasting-it is not an out of sight, out of mind situation. I have a NO8DO group under my contacts so that I can mass text all of them with one click on my phone, and skype makes it so easy to connect to anyone around the world.  We’ve already had a reunion in New York, another coming up in Boston, and one planned for the fall at the USC v Alabama football game in Columbia, SC.  I have faith that reunions like this will continue for years to come because we shared such a specific experience in such a crossroads time period of our lives, a bond that is truly unique.

The Challenges:

Everyone faces their own set of challenges while abroad. At first, I struggled with not having any close friends who knew the true Cassandra in close proximity. Once that began to change, other obstacles came about. My house mother had a lot of detailed rules that at first I thought were cultural customs. I realized later on that she was overly strict and I was not in a “normal” household. I went to my program to voice my problems with Maria Jose, my host mother, and they put her on a “trial”. At this point, I was halfway through my program and I knew I wasn’t going to get to switch host families because Maria would coast through her trial period, and by the time that was up, there would only be a few weeks until the end of the semester. With only a few weeks to go, the option to switch families would no longer exist. I learned how to cope with Maria and spent a lot of time at one of my friend’s apartments in order to maintain my sanity. The language barrier was a never-ending challenge that naturally became easier over time. Staying focused on school work while trying to get the most out of the other aspects of being abroad was another challenge. I also struggled striking a balance between traveling Europe and taking the time to appreciate weekends in Sevilla.  I think my overarching obstacle was time. Toward the end of my time in Spain, I felt like I was racing against the clock. There were too many things on my abroad bucket list and too many last moments I desired to spend with friends for me to get it all done.

The Self Growth and Improvement:

Obviously the self growth and improvement were on an individual basis, but I wouldn’t have gotten to where I am now without the support of my friends from back home and abroad. I became more independent and more confident with who I was.  I learned more about what I want out of my life and future. I learned about being in the moment and appreciating life (basically the Spanish lifestyle). It was so strange being in a place where it wasn’t all about getting to the finish line or what the final outcome would be. In Spain people were much more focused on their journey to the finish line or the outcome, and I liked that.  Fast food or on-the-go food did not exist. People sat down and enjoyed their meals-they took that hour maybe even two hour lunch break. They sat and met people for a café con leche (coffee with milk) in the afternoon and had conversations with their local fruit vendor at the market. Parents don’t cut off their children at 18 or pray that they move out of the house, and if a student wants to move back home post-graduation to save some money or figure things out, society doesn’t suddenly see you in a negative light. Overall, I just felt like the Spanish had it right. Living there for 4 months put things in perspective and “enjoying life to the fullest” really took on a new meaning for me.

Overall, I wouldn’t take a second back I spent abroad. Does part of me wish that I could be like Hermione in Harry Potter and time travel back to mid January so I could have my semester here at W&M as well? Yes. But who doesn’t want the best of both worlds?