First Impressions of Salamanca

BY AMANDA MORSE
Studying abroad is everything that I was told it was going to be, and so much more. When my classmates and I first arrived and set our sights on Salamanca we were speechless. No words will ever be able to describe the beauty of this magical city; and as we begin to explore our new home the differences between Southern California and Salamanca are glaringly obvious.

To start off with, there is so much history all around us here. It is almost incomprehensible that the United States, as a country, is significantly younger than the majority of the buildings here. Every day as I walk to school, I walk on streets and past buildings that outdate me by centuries and will continue on long past my time. We simply do not have such an extensive history so present in California. 

The mood of the city has a calmer beat to it as well, and you can see this in the people here. Almost everyone observes siesta, which is a time in the afternoon when all stores and businesses close and everyone goes home to relax and enjoy lunch with their families before they return to work or school. You also see all kinds of people wandering around the city at any time during the day or night: older couples walking arm and arm or parents pushing their rosy-cheeked babies bundled up in strollers.  No one here is running around with their noses in their phones and everyone seems to have plenty of time for one another.

I always thought San Diego would be my only home, but no one can feel unwelcome in Salamanca.