Follow Your Bliss:
When a biology major veered off her path she found the direction she needed for building a life and career in Spain
By Heidi Buffington
This article was printed in Abroad View magazine fall 2007
About nine years ago, when I was a junior in college, I took a semester off from studying
science for my major in biology in order to study the Spanish language and culture in Córdoba, Spain. This was the only international experience I’d had besides a one-week high school trip to Mexico. Without knowing it at the time, these four months abroad would eventually play a huge role in my decision to live and work in Spain.
I hadn’t planned to spend time in another country when I started college; it was just an opportunity that presented itself and I chose to go. While in Spain I often felt frustrated and foreign. I lived with a bohemian host family who frequently invited as many as 15 guests for lunch, and I frequently felt like I was at a verbal tennis match as I looked from one end of the table to the other trying to follow the rapid conversation. But, I also loved the challenge of everyday life.
When I returned to my home campus the following semester, besides missing the Spanish sun, I also missed the exhaustion I felt after long days of communicating in Spanish, the smell of jasmine in my host family’s garden, walking the irregular cobblestone streets, and the Spanish siesta. When faced with giving a departmental speech for my senior thesis, I actually thought: “I only have to give this in English. No problem.” I gained a confidence that I hadn't had before.
After graduating I felt ready to take on the world, but I didn’t know in what direction to head. I moved back home and took a job at a national bookstore chain while I figured out what I wanted to do next. The truth is that I didn’t know how to go about finding out what my true
calling was.
Some people know that they want to be doctors, for example, and their path is rather direct. Others, like myself and many graduates these days, have more curves and forks in their road. Working at the bookstore wasn’t personally fulfilling, and I found myself growing antsy. I would get excited to chat with customers about international travel and the Spanish language. My friend Kim gave me some good advice that helped me make a decision to leave the bookstore and pursue my interests. She said, “Do something, anything, but don’t stand still or you’ll move backwards.”
I thought that if I ever wanted to use my Spanish skills I should perfect them, so I enrolled in a language school in Spain and spent six months studying the language, doing an internship, and meeting people from all over the world.
After my second stint in Spain I returned to the United States with the desire to learn more about other countries and international issues. I found a master's degree program in International Studies offered in Madrid through the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and, after being admitted, I again packed my bags for Spain. I was the only American out of 53 students, and it was incredibly interesting to share a class each day with people from countries such as Syria, South Korea, Ghana, the Philippines, Brazil, Venezuela, and Afghanistan. I learned so much about the world through friendships and
personal conversations during the year of my graduate studies.
After this amazing experience I stayed in Madrid and found work as an Admissions Representative for Saint Louis University’s Madrid Campus, which has an international student body of around 700 students (180 study abroad students per semester). I promote foreign study and regularly visit U.S. universities to talk to
students, faculty, and staff, often targeting science and engineering majors who traditionally haven’t thought about studying abroad due to language difficulties or strict degree requirements. I enjoy helping prepare students to travel and love to see them going through the learning experience of living abroad just as I did.
Years ago, I never imagined myself living and working in Spain, but I’m here now and love it. I just pursued my interests and the path lead me to where I am today. Of course there were obstacles, detours, forks in the road, and times when I stopped to ask for directions. My advice is to heed the words of Antonio Machado: “Se hace camino al andar.” Just start walking and you’ll find your way. Follow your interests and you will get where you want to be.