10. Moving to another country is really hard. It can be rewarding, but it’s not a walk in the park. And it’s not always glamorous. Knowing your “why” for moving to a new place needs to be your north star.

9. Food quality outside of the USA is life changing

8. Smiling at strangers that you pass on the sidewalk is often uniquely American and a lot of people don’t like that we do that

7. History actually really does matter and has major implications for the modern day

6. I don’t think that Americans understand or appreciate enough just how accustomed we are to diversity. One of the things I miss the most about living in the USA is the day today diversity  and the fact that you can be whoever you want and you don’t have to fit into a cookie cutter expectation

5. People love English movies and music, meanwhile I know very little about music or movie culture outside of the USA and I feel like a truly dumb American

4. There is nothing wrong with missing home. The Spanish culture highly emphasizes the value of homebase and the community that you have there, and I wish that more Americans could learn from that type of thinking.

3. I believe whole heartedly in exploring the world and learning from and about other cultures, but I am more and more convinced that to do this as an open, humble, and truly curious global citizen is very difficult for any person to truly do.

2. Some of the best advice I have been given that has seriously saved me a lot of headache and heartache is: you don’t always need to have an opinion. Sometimes the best thing that you can do for yourself is decide not to form an opinion about something.

1. I have learned just as much about my “culture” and worldview as I have about the Spanish culture. Moving to another culture and place is a really raw look in the mirror