What’s the
Deeper Meaning?
By
Tiffany T. Cole
I came to Spain for three reasons: I wanted
to get my last experiential credit and complete my foreign language courses in
a fun and creative way; I wanted to start traveling the world both because I’ve
dreamed of traveling since I was a kid and because I’m convinced that in order
to successfully run a business and be a leader, one needs to travel and get out
of their comfort zones; and I needed to go somewhere completely different
because I was having some personal conflicts and I figured that going to Spain
would help give me the distance I needed to better deal with these conflicts.
Now that I am back in America, it’s time to
start truly reflecting on my trip from the perspective that will come naturally
from thinking about it through the lens of distance and memory. So far, I’ve
felt extremely thankful and grateful for everything that makes me feel
cherished and loved here in America. By traveling to another country, I’ve
learned to appreciate what I do have. Further, I’ve returned with such a better
understanding of who I am as a person that I was finally able to overcome all
the conflicts I left behind. Now I’m starting anew. I’ve removed all the
elements of my life that I have allowed to hold me back for years now, and soon
I will be moving to another place where I can make new memories, better
memories, as the person I’ve become and not as the person I once was shadowing
me. I can absolutely guarantee that the month in Spain helped me make this
change.
In Spain, I had no phone service and could
only talk to people back in America when I had Wi-Fi. At first I was always
desperate to find Wi-Fi, but as the days went on, I found myself actually preferring
to keep my phone off during the day and only really engaging with people who
were here with me in Spain, delegating only a bit of time each day to talking
to people back home. In the past, I often wasted hours being so connected to my
phone I was neither here nor there. Forcing myself to be in the moment helped
me really think about myself and really experience the atmosphere I’m in.
I was so far away from the people that made
me feel bad that I couldn’t just give in and allow them to come over, like
before. Whenever I felt the urge that would lead to me doing or accepting
something I’d regret, I had to just deal with it and get to the bottom of those
urges, which has helped me immensely now that I’m back home.
Last, but certainly not least, I had to
learn how to be creative and consider all options in situations where I
couldn’t communicate very well and wasn’t really sure what to do. This is the
part of going to Spain that has helped me with my academic and professional
goals. As a leader and business person, it’s just as important, if not more
important, to know how to lead, stay calm, and figure out a solution in
confusing situations where others might otherwise panic or stop thinking
clearly altogether.