This summer, I grew. But I didn’t get taller or fatter — I expanded mentally. No, I did not have some sort of spiritual awakening or take a million summer classes. I simply studied abroad in Alicante, Spain.

Ironically, aside from learning about the Spanish language and culture by living with a host family and taking classes, studying abroad was an experience that taught me as much or more about American culture as well.

I learned that as Americans, and more specifically, residents of Ames, Iowa we are very lucky. I already had an idea of this concept, but to know the value of what you have, it first must be taken away. The old adage, “you don’t know what you’ve got until its gone,” never rang so true.

As a person reliant on communication with the outside world, the absence of a readily available cell phone, Internet, and even regular telephones was a big shock. While sitting in our dorms, apartments, houses, etc., the majority of us have access to these instruments at arm’s reach, but I — a self-proclaimed cell phone addict — had no voice mail to check, text messages to write, or late-night calls to make. For the first couple of weeks, I actually thought I could hear my cell phone ring, and swore I felt it vibrating in my purse.

The bottom line is that communication was present, but wasn’t as advanced compared to in the United States. Instead of walking 10 feet to the phone in my house, I had to walk 10 minutes down the street to make that same call from a pay phone. It was a 20-minute walk to check my e-mail, since the Internet is virtually nonexistent in Spanish homes.

Another asset we take advantage of is our cars. Last night, my roommate and I drove to Jimmy John’s to eat. The problem? We live less than two blocks away. According to www.lsj.com/news/local, we as Americans have more cars per family than licensed drivers.

This is not the case in Spain — cars are likely to be owned by upper-middle-class families. One of my Spanish professors explained to us that even though she and her husband are both professors and could more than likely each finance their own car, they only own one car because anything else would be considered a waste.

My host mom did not own a car, nor did any of her family members. She was appalled to learn that I had been driving since I was 15 years old, and that every one of my family members owns a car.

To get around, she relies solely on public transportation, for everything from getting to work to getting groceries.

This leads me to the next item we easily overlook, especially in Ames, which is our proximity to places we want to go. Everything in Ames is relatively close, compared to Alicante. Never again will I whine about waiting at the bus stop for CyRide, the 15-minute ride to campus, and the packed buses. In Alicante, I would walk 15 minutes just to get to the bus stop, wait another 5 or 10 minutes, then finally board the bus and ride it for another 10 minutes. Total commute time: at least half an hour, one way.

Personal space and privacy is probably the biggest thing we take advantage of. This was also the hardest adjustment for me to make. I was used to a roomy apartment, so moving into a room the size of my parent’s bathroom was a big change. Most city-dwelling Spaniards live in tall apartment complexes on narrow streets, so quarters are much closer than they are here, even for the dorms.

There were also a few more minor things I missed sorely. Air conditioning, (it was 90 degrees and sunny every day, but I’m not complaining), cable TV, (although I gained plenty of knowledge about Spanish current events), and a clothes dryer top the list. The truth is I would give every one of these luxuries up to live in Spain again.

This summer, I learned that living without certain things can make you appreciate them even more when you get home. Studying abroad is an incredible experience, and I recommend anyone trying to develop themselves to try study abroad. You will learn more about yourself than you ever thought possible.