It’s hard to believe that my time studying abroad in Spain has already come to an end, but I’m so grateful that I got to experience it! I participated in a month-long program where I studied at the University of Alcalá in a town near Madrid, Spain. One of my favorite aspects about my program was how much I learned about the country, culture, and language. My classes were taught in Spanish, and I lived with a host family, so almost all of my day-to-day interactions took place in Spanish. This immersion was incredible for helping me to improve my speaking skills in both formal and informal contexts. I also learned a lot about the history of the country as well as its traditions from the courses I took while studying there. Personally, I thought the subjects were fascinating, and I was thrilled at the level of breadth and depth that the classes had. I love learning about new perspectives, so it was great to learn about cultural history from a completely different point of view. Being in Spain itself allowed me to make connections from what I was learning in the classroom to what I was seeing in the real world, and it gave me a chance to experience the culture first-hand.
Another amazing part of my trip was how many cities I was able to visit on the weekends. Spain is a very diverse country, with each autonomous community having its own personality. Being able to visit these different regions made me feel like I had a much better understanding of the country as a whole. One of my favorite cities was Granada, which is in the South. I loved visiting the architectural masterpiece of the Alhambra, as well as other historical landmarks the city had. Valencia was another one of my favorites, as it had also had stunning architecture and lots of history.
The thing that surprised me most about the program was how at home I felt by the end of it. At the beginning of the program, I felt some homesickness and loneliness, but by the end, I felt like I had been living in Spain for months rather than weeks. It took some time, but I was surprised at how well my friends and I were able to adapt to living in a foreign country. With a little practice, it got easier to navigate public transportation and have conversations in Spanish. I settled into a new routine and truly felt at ease. I think the main reason for this was that I stayed with a host family. Living in a Spanish household was incredible for improving my language skills and learning more about how real Spaniards live their daily lives. My host family was extremely kind and thoughtful, and they really made me feel at home. This brings me to my piece of advice for students considering studying abroad. First, don’t be intimidated by living in a foreign country. Although it takes some adapting, it’s completely manageable and you can learn to live like a local in no time. My second piece of advice is to live with a host family if possible. It makes the experience so much more rewarding and enriching, so I would highly recommend it.
After having completed this program, I’m much more confident in myself and my abilities to live independently. I feel that my language skills have improved significantly and that I have a more nuanced perspective of foreign cultures. This experience has influenced my future goals in that living and working abroad is now a much higher priority for me. I’ve always wanted to travel, but now I’m much more certain that I’d like my career to have a global, international element. One of my biggest takeaways from my program is that the world is a much bigger, interesting, and diverse place than what I see in my small hometown. There are so many more lifestyles and perspectives out there, and I hope to experience as much of them as I can. So in conclusion, if you have any doubts about studying abroad, I say don’t hesitate– it’s well worth it!!
