Kyndall Doughty is a student at the University of Oklahoma and an ISA Featured Blogger. She is currently studying abroad with ISA in Sevilla, Spain.
In my opinion, there are very few things to complain about studying abroad. Sure, you’ll get lost a lot, you’ll walk A LOT, and you’ll be forced to try new things (based solely on the fact you don’t know how to politely decline the offer). Those might have all started as complaints, but not soon after landing on Spanish soil I came to love all three of those things. There are some things that you don’t adapt to as quickly and things that you will miss.
We had been talked to over and over again about how normal it is to be homesick, but naïve, independent me didn’t see that happening anytime soon. I was in the full swing of things: classes, immersing myself into the culture, and traveling on weekends. When it hit me…
The MOTHER OF ALL COLDS, I was congested, coughing, and had a headache, but Mama didn’t raise no quitter. So, I went to my classes and continued my routine. That’s when everything caught up with me, and to make matters worse, I brought my roommate down with me.
We both curled up in our nearly identical beds, five ft. apart from each other, alternating between throwing the tissue box and cough drops from one bed to the other.
Was this it?? This was our demise?? Clearly, we would be bedridden for the rest of eternity (or approximately 3 days). And what does any person want as they lay on their deathbed? Oh nothing more than the sweet comforts of home… and for us that was the image of a mouthwatering, cheesy Domino’s Pizza.
After fantasizing for more than an hour about the possibilities of thin, normal, or pan crust pizza, I decided to take action. I looked it up, and believe it or not, Spain does have Domino’s Pizza!
The closest Domino’s was a 45-minute walk from our house. The possibility of making our fantasy a reality gave us enough energy to throw on some clothes and make the trek to the restaurant.
We ordered a large pepperoni pizza and as the waiter turned the corner I felt one single tear role down my cheek…okay, that didn’t happen, but needless to say I was really happy. My roommate and I barely got a word in as we devoured the entire pizza. (#Noregrets)
In total we walked an hour and a half just for some pizza, but at the moment it wasn’t just pizza, it was a slice of familiarity. It was a little piece of home that offered us comfort.
So, I guess I did succumb to homesickness, or as we joke DomeSICKness.
After my time abroad, I now consider Sevilla my home and I’m not quite ready to experience the homesickness that will accompany me once I leave, but until then I’ll count down the days and maybe order a pizza every now and again.
The world awaits…discover it.