Time out with the OLs: Sophie Payne on running a half-marathon abroad

Welcome to Time out with the OL’s, a new series to catch up with all your favorite orientation leaders. Be on the lookout and TO every Monday.

Coming off my summer as an Orientation Leader, leaving Boston felt harder than ever.

Over the course of my three months in the job, I had finally begun to feel like Boston College was a place that I belonged. Being surrounded with such passionate, engaged, talented, and genuinely kind and loving people left me feeling fulfilled and overwhelmingly grateful to be a part of such a unique group.

But just as soon as it ended – quite literally two hours after the seventh session came to a close – I hopped into a cab to jet off to my next adventure: my semester abroad.

Abroad had been something I had looked forward to since I discovered it’s existence freshman year of high school. I was born in Spain and always had a thirst to learn about new cultures, languages, and people. I had a permanent travel bug, and I thought my semester abroad would be my time to fully immerse in a new Spanish life. I would be studying in San Sebastian, a small, coastal surf town in the northern Basque region of Spain, not unlike my hometown in Northern California.

The goal was a full immersion, without a lot of English speaking or Americans in general. Though I knew it would be a challenge because of my innate social nature, I figured it would be a good challenge for me to fully learn the language, spend some time alone, and hopefully, to work on finding some comfort in solitude, rather than viewing is as a daunting challenge.

Leaving the most social and interactive summer of my life would inevitably add to this challenge.

As I had expected, my abroad experience was trying at times, but above all it was gift. Though at times it was tough to live such an independent lifestyle away from all friends and family, the amount I’ve learned about the world and about myself is unparalleled.

I traveled to new places, including Paris, London, Amsterdam, Rome, Florence, Munich, and all over Spain. I tried new things, including but not limited to: salsa classes, yoga classes in Spanish, staying out until the sun rises, cidra (alcoholic cider), and even pigeon breast at a Michelin-star restaurant.

But the feat I feel most proud of is the half marathon that I trained for and ran this past weekend. I wanted to accomplish something concrete while in Spain, and it seemed like the perfect fit.

I ran five days a week for three months, adding a mile every weekend until I had done twelve miles a weekend before the marathon. The feeling when I crossed that finish line is quite honestly the most euphoric I have ever felt.

And now, as more finish lines are approaching, including my last weekend here in San Sebastian, my last week of classes, and soon, my last few days, the gratitude I feel comes crashing into the forefront.

Studying abroad is truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and what each person takes from it is uniquely their own, regardless of your experience, I believe the lessons you learn and experiences you gain are endless.

For me, I learned the power of solitude, the capacity for language to transcend boundaries, the potential for running to bring people together, and most importantly, the empowerment that comes from stepping outside your comfort zone.