Reflections: The Deans in Salamanca, one year later

It is hard to believe that is has been a whole year since we left for Spain as a family, our first trip to Europe together ever. Exactly one year ago today, we embarked on an eight-week adventure in Salamanca that would impact us forever as a family.

A little backstory: My hubby was selected to be the faculty member in residence for the summer abroad program in Salamanca, Spain. He was chosen a year and a half before the actual trip, and as a blessed plus, we were able to accompany him there…all five of us. We actually lived in Spain for just about 2 months, from May thru the end of June 2015..wow! {If you would like to read about some of our experiences, here are some the blog posts of our adventures as they unfolded: https://thedeansinsalamanca.wordpress.com}

Our trip to Salamanca has impacted each of us in such a profound way, and we are still processing the sights, emotions, sensory input, and bonding that took place. The bottom line is that God has used it to enrich our lives and open our eyes. We lived outside of the comforts and convenience of our home borders for a period of time as a family, and we learned some things – allow me to share:

Not having access to a car for almost 2 months is kinda cool. Salamanca is a walking city, and you can get everywhere you need to get to on foot. And we walked EVERYWHERE: to the store, to shop, to Art’s office, to sightsee and more. We didn’t miss riding in a vehicle, and in fact, when we returned to the States, we missed having the option to go grocery shopping on foot.

Being scared is ok, and it doesn’t have to stop you. I distinctly remembered getting off the 8 hour flight to Madrid (landing at 7 AM after flying ALL night) and thinking, “Oh, boy…we are in another country, away from home. What have I gotten myself into??” On the 2 hour ride from Madrid to Salamanca, I was just trying to take it all in (while making the 6 hour time adjustment, yikes). Here we were, with one child with a highly selective palate and another with a nut allergy. Were they going to be OK? Were they going to be able to eat and enjoy for eight weeks?? Were we going to be able to communicate in this immersion experience?

At that moment, it felt overwhelming. By the end of June, I was in a totally different place, by the grace of God. I saw His faithfulness in protecting us, we saw our kids trying new things to eat and enjoying mealtimes out and at the apartment. And our new friends in Spain understood us (yay!) and taught us more about their language and culture. We laughed, enjoyed everyday, and felt like we had a second home in Salamanca. I have a new confidence about traveling now that I would not have gotten any other way besides just stepping out and doing it.

We made collective lifetime memories. What a gift it was that we experienced this adventure together as a family! From Salamanca to Santander to Segovia to Granada to Madrid, we made memories in each city that we can (and do) relive over and over. Yes, we remember the cathedrals and castles and museums that we visited, and we love looking at the photos. Moreover, we remember the little everyday stuff, like shopping in the market and wheeling around our pink shopping carts. We reminisce about the freshness of the air in Salamanca, especially in light  of the fact that we dried our clothes outside all the time (and they always smelled sooooo good). We laugh about carrying our groceries in our backpacks as we walked home from the store, and how we looked forward to helado for our dessert almost every night after tapas (our dinner). We will always have Spain together, in our hearts and minds!

We embraced the new. We did something new for us in traveling overseas. We learned to navigate in another country, in a language other than our native English tongue. We tried some new culinary delights, and made some of our own. We saw things that we had never seen before, and  we met new people. We have friends for life now, just across the way in Spain.

Our lives have been enriched for having taken this trip at this time in our lives. I really feel like we won’t ever be the same for what we saw and experienced…and felt. I understand now when people say that they left a piece of their heart in this place or that place, I get it. A piece of my heart will always remain in Salamanca, and I am so grateful to the Lord for the time we had there. And…my heart is eager to travel a bit more: I have already let my hubby know that Scotland is on my radar big time 🙂

What about you? Do you have a place that you are yearning to visit? Or where have you already gone that made a lasting impact on your life? I’d love to hear about it…please drop me a comment below!

Here’s to eye (and soul)-opening travels,