AnnaInSpain

It’s the eve of December 22nd and the time has come to return to the US. I say the US and not home because as much as the US is my home, Spain has been my home for the past three months. I think it’s near impossible to put into words how much this experience in Spain has meant to me. It’s 10 pm in Granada and I’ve feeling a multitude of mixed emotions, happiness, sadness, disbelief, fulfillment, etc… any student that has studied abroad I’m sure can relate. The people and experiences I’ve met living in Spain and traveling have changed my life forever and I couldn’t be more thankful for my time here. It’s truly been the greatest three months of my life.

I feel returning to the US a more well-rounded, knowledgeable individual, and confident in who I am. Studying abroad has presented me opportunities that have made me go outside my comfort zone and shown me what I am capable of in versatile situations, some good some bad and some horrible. Studying abroad I thrived and, in many ways, became the best version of myself.

Reflecting on my time here I wouldn’t change any of it. In many ways I wish I was staying longer but at the same time I do believe that a significant part of the experience is the people. My three months here with the friends I’ve made and experiences I’ve had are a well written book that I feel content with the ending. Some stories only need one book.

What have you missed most about the United States? What will you miss about your host country when your return?

The most ironic part about studying abroad is there will be times when all you can think about is what you miss about your home country. Now that it’s the eve of returning to the US all I can think about is what I will miss about Spain. What I miss most about the US is most definitely my family and animals. Distance from those that I love does make you reflect on how much people and animals mean to you. It gives you a greater appreciation for being in their life in person. Then there are simple things in the US that you take for granted that you don’t realize how much you miss them until you no longer have them at your disposal. Living in the residencia I didn’t cook, and I missed making my own food. WIFI in Spain can be a bit slow at times so I will be happy to return to my speedy WIFI. Now what will I miss about Spain, well this could take a while. I will miss the socializing culture, going out for drinks and tapas with friends. In Granada I walked every day and there are so many shops, stores, and restaurants all close by. I will miss eating lunch and dinner with my friends at the residencia with Antonio’s food. I will miss saying hi to the empanada guy (Claudio). I could go on and on about what I will miss about Spain.

Do you think you’ll experience reverse culture shock when you return? Do you have a plan for how you can immerse back into home campus life and share your experience with family and friends?

I already know I will experience reverse culture shock when I return home. I know it will be worse than coming to Spain if I am being completely honest. Leaving Spain is one of the hardest things I have had to do in my life. Spain isn’t just a country but now my second home, the people, connections, and places I’ve gone will hold a special place in my heart forever. Since living in Spain my perspective of the world, the US, and almost everything in general has been altered. I am eager to share my experience with my friends and family. I think in many ways I am also almost scared at the same time because living abroad is an experience that is near impossible to relate to if you haven’t experienced it. My job as a peer advisor in the study abroad department I think will provide me some structure because I can spend more time reflecting on my experience and help other students study abroad and hopefully come back and be able to tell me it was the best three months or year of their life. Besides my job I plan to focus on my studies.

How do you plan to keep your study abroad experience as a key factor in your life; maintaining friendships, language skills, staying internationally engaged?

Study abroad has shaped who I am going forward in life. The knowledge, connections, etc… have opened up so many doors. I can say that the person that left the US is different than the one returning but in so many positive ways. I feel more of a well-rounded individual, more knowledgeable culturally, and confident in who I am. The friends I have made ranging from other Americans all from different states to Spaniards from every part of Spain and international students from other countries means more perspectives and connections. In the future I would like to work in an embassy or consulate preferably a Spanish speaking country and my time in Spain has been invaluable to improving my language skills.

Here are a few tips and pieces of advice from my study abroad in Granada, Spain. I hope that this advice is useful and future study abroad students can relate to this from experience.

1. Slow Down the Money Spending– Once you get abroad it can be easy to find yourself spending money going out to eat, going to bars or clubs, buying souvenirs, and traveling. In my case I spent double what I intended to spend the first month in Spain unintentionally. I recommend if you are studying abroad for longer than three months to take the time once or twice a month to briefly look at where you stand financially. Studying abroad for three months like myself I was less money conscientious because I knew I would be returning in three months but at the end of the second month I wished I had paced my finances a little more. Make sure to have fun and travel though!
2. Class Absences– My study abroad program CEA had 80% mandatory class policy which meant up to 4 absences were allowed for each class. Five absences or more means that you are unable to take the final exam and will fail the class. This policy meant that I used my absences wisely for future trips and I made sure to leave an absence for a sick day or if for some reason I couldn’t attend class for another reason.
3. Planning Classes- My class schedule was morning classes 8:30-12:30 with an occasional evening class from 6-8 pm on Monday’s and Wednesday’s. We often didn’t have class on Friday’s unless we had makeup days for holidays in order to meet the mandatory curriculum hours. We had around 4-5 Friday classes throughout the entire semester abroad for the three months. Finishing class at 12:30 on Thursdays was amazing because it meant that I could have essentially a three-and-a-half-day weekend which is perfect for traveling. Flights are often cheaper on Thursdays as well. I recommend early classes on Thursday’s if possible.
4. Cheap Transportation– In Spain a few popular airlines or sites used by students for cheap flights were Ryanair, Vueling, and Skyscanner. Trying different combinations to get to a destination is often worth the time. Different combinations include direct flights, multiple stops, round trips, booking legs separately on a journey, booking legs as one, or using multiple different airlines. Don’t forget about alternatives like buses or trains. In Spain I used the Omio app for long distance bus trips to other cities and it was often very cheap. Sometimes it’s more economical to take a bus to another city and catch a flight from that city instead of the city you are studying in.
5. Research the weather- Before I arrived to Granada, I researched the weather, and this was essential in helping me pack for my time abroad. Don’t pack inessential clothing that takes up space and weight. The first month it was extremely hot but instead I found I wore only long pants. The last two months has been bitter cold weather and requires winter clothing. If there was any clothing that I really needed I was able to buy it in Spain.
6. Record Your Time Abroad- Whether it’s taking pictures, writing in a journal, or blogging take the time to record your time abroad. It’s easy for the days to blend together and to forget certain moments. Looking back, you will be grateful to have written down what happened on a certain day or look at that photo which was one of the best days of your life.
7. Lack of Contacting Home– This was one piece of advice that I wish I had been given before coming to Spain and that is the lack of contact you will have with people back home in your country. I thought before coming to Spain that I would be facetiming my friends every few weeks, but this wasn’t the case. I didn’t end up facetiming some of my friends until the start of my last month in Spain. The time difference of nine hours for me and being busy with my new life abroad made it extremely difficult. Before going abroad let your friends know that your friendship or relationship will most likely look different while you are abroad. But just remember it’s only for a few months or a year. While you are abroad you will meet so many new people and the people from home will be there when you return.
8. Making Friends– There are often hundreds of students studying abroad at the same time. This means so many opportunities to meet new people and form connections. It can be easy to get attached to one friend group but don’t forget about the other people that exist and could change your life if you opened up a little more. Invite that person who eats alone to eat with you and your friends or go sit with them, go out for a drink with the classmate that sits next to you every day… if you don’t ask you never know what could happen. Remember studying abroad you are already outside of your comfort zone and so are all the students around you who are probably feeling the same.
9. Go Outside Your Comfort Zone- Sing Karaoke in an Irish Pub, stay out until 5 am with your friends, Drink tinto de verano and eat carbonara in a plaza by yourself. Do all the things you didn’t dare to do back home because you were scared of being judged by the people you know. This is a unique experience and make the most of it. (Be safe and smart)
10. Don’t Study Abroad with a Friend from Home- Studying abroad is a time to grow, meet new people, and learn more about yourself. By going abroad with a friend from home you are already putting yourself in a comfort zone and limiting yourself. Maybe there are activities you want to do but the fear of judgment or if you don’t have that same friend at the event with you then you won’t go. Leave your friends at home because they will be there when you return and experience a solo journey for a few months or year.

2 Months in Granada, Spain

In order to mark my two months in Spain I wanted to talk about some of the harsher realities of studying abroad that I have personally encountered and noticed. Studying abroad is often portrayed as a paradise and only the best aspects are shown and talked about. I know for a fact and strongly feel it one of the best choices I have ever made and for the most part gone exactly the way I imagined it. I participate in the night life, travel on the weekends to different countries, and it has been the best two months of my life. The connections, memories, and life experience I have gained are invaluable.

However, what people tend to neglect to talk about or show on social media is the homesickness at certain times that eventually does come from being away from family, friends, and animals back in your country. I consider myself an individual who is very independent and I can handle most situations quite well including being away from my loved ones for long periods of time. I had a year being away at college which gave me time to practice being away from my parents for long periods of time. However, being in a different country can add another layer of distance and loneliness that we don’t always anticipate once the excitement of a new country wears off. This is normal though and I wouldn’t change being abroad for anything in the world. I find that being around people or getting outside often helps and brightens up my mood. I did an exchange to Costa Rica in 2018 for a month in the summer and the first day I was feeling very homesick, but I reminded myself that a month would fly by fast, and I would be wishing I could stay and true enough that’s how it went. It’s a similar feeling now in Spain two months later. Thank goodness for facetime and calls. Studying abroad is the time to enjoy life and make the most of my time in a different country

Another aspect of studying abroad that I didn’t anticipate was burnout and the feeling of needing to go, go, go. The first month in Spain up until the second week of the second month was spent traveling every weekend. Whether it be to a different country, solo trips on my own to different cities or with friends, or excursions with my program. I quickly felt very burnt out from traveling each weekend with generally only one day of rest before starting the week again. I often think many students studying abroad especially Americans feel this internalized need to constantly be productive and make the most of our time abroad. Which yes, I want to make the most of my time but also taking care of myself physically and my mental health is important. Traveling takes a toll on the body and mentally even if we don’t realize it, especially consecutive weeks of travel. In a way I am happy that I did travel a lot my first month because now I plan to stay in Granada and get to know the city. It’s easy to get caught up in visiting other countries because being in Europe means it’s so easy to hop on a flight or bus and be in another country in a matter of hours. But the city that I’m studying in has so much to offer and I want to feel like I got to know the city by the time I leave and not look back and ask myself why I didn’t spend more time there. Traveling will always be available, but realistically will I probably be studying in a different country for a long period of time in the future, probably not.

A very common fear students have and I myself had when studying abroad was that I wouldn’t make friends. This fear was dispelled easily when I arrived. I made friends with people in my program and living in the residencia made it even easier to bond with people and form connections. Even if I didn’t live in a residencia but in a host family or in an apartment I would meet people at school and have the opportunity to get to know my classmates. For individuals who are introverts or slightly timid like me often it can be hard to go outside of your comfort zone. But make that first move and ask someone to go grab a coffee or go get tapas because the friendships you could gain will change your life. This is how I met one of my good friends from Sweden in Spain. In my personal opinion I recommend not studying abroad with a friend from home because I think it often prevents us from meeting new people and going outside of our comfort zone sometimes. As a person with social anxiety, I often like to go to social events or try new things without a companion. One dream I had was I always wanted to have dinner by myself in another country and feel like the main character in a movie or show, which I have fulfilled. One night I had dinner in a Spanish plaza by myself surrounded by other people with a beautiful view of a fountain, eating my carbonara and drinking my tinto de verano. This was a core memory.

Overall, a few pieces of advice would be to…

1. Remind yourself it’s not a competition to see how many countries you can travel to when abroad or how many cities.
2. It’s okay to take a day to rest and do nothing, you don’t need to be productive 24/7
3. If you have a few days of travel leave yourself a day of rest back in your city before the week starts. Trust me you will be thankful for it.
4. Do a solo trip even if it’s just a day trip. You never know what you can do yourself and the unique experiences you might have.
5. Go outside of your comfort zone and be the main character, eat dinner by yourself in a plaza, sing karaoke in an Irish Pub, do those activities that you didn’t have the confidence to do back home (Keeping safety in mind and being reasonable)
6. Your time abroad is a unique experience, and you can’t do it wrong. Go at your own pace.

Note: A scene from Star Wars was filmed here

Note: The water gardens of Dorne from Game of Thrones is filmed in El Alcazar in Sevilla

(28/10/22-31/10/22)

Fun Fact:

Population of Spain: 47,000,000

Number of Tourists in 2019: 83,000,000

Barcelona! One of the most popular destinations in the world to visit and receives millions of tourists every year. The number of tourists that visited Spain in 2019 is almost double the population of Spain.

I started my journey to Barcelona on Friday October 28th in the morning taking a taxi to the Granada-Jaen airport and then had an hour and a half flight to the Barcelona airport. Then from the airport I took a taxi to my hostel located in center of Barcelona. I stayed at the TOC hostel which is a chain in Spain, and it was a very pleasant experience, and I would highly recommend it to anyone staying in a location that has one. After I arrived, I couldn’t check in until three, but they let you keep your luggage there and in a safe spot. Of course, the most logical plan of action afterwards was to start exploring Barcelona. Since I didn’t want to spend money taking a taxi around the city, I did my best to visit the locations within walking distance. I started off my tour of Barcelona walking to the cathedral. In each city of Spain there is generally a main cathedral. My next destination was the Arc de Triompf, there are a few of these arcs located in different cities around the world the most famous one being in France. Then afterwards I headed toward a museum to take a picture of the beautiful exterior and walked back towards the hostel to check in and relax a bit. My last destination was La Sagrada Familia, and I can now happily cross it off of my travel bucket list. I enjoyed Barcelona a lot and I’ve heard that you either prefer Madrid or Barcelona. In this case I prefer Barcelona, however it varies depending on the person. I also felt extremely safe in Barcelona. I have discovered though that I prefer smaller cities as a personal preference.

I was very excited for the evening to have dinner with one of my friends Jessie who is studying in Barcelona for the entirety of her degree. We met in Costa Rica in 2019 when I returned to visit my host family and she was doing an exchange through 4-H the same program I had done the summer before in 2018. We met at school randomly when I spotted a fellow group of Americans and spent time with them throughout the month at school, Jessie being one of them. Despite not having a full conversation for three years we both ended up studying in Spain and knew we had to meet up. We had three years of life to catch up over dinner but luckily that wasn’t the end of our time together. We spent the evening together walking around Barcelona and Jessie last minute was able to spend the weekend with me in Andorra and we were able to make more memories together. One of my favorite things about our friendship is the spontaneity of it, everything about our friendship has been spontaneous from the moment we met to Andorra. Our friendship has also taught me that not all friendships require constant communication and certain friendships you can pick up where you left off even years later.

We had many interesting conversations over the course of our three days together. One interesting conversation being the dominance of the Catalan language in Catalonia. In many cases from my understanding the order of languages people prefer to speak in first goes Catalan, English, and lastly Spanish. I knew prior going to Spain that I wanted to be in a location where I could practice my Spanish and for this reason, I’m grateful I picked Granada. There is a strong international population in Barcelona and Madrid and language learning being one of my top priorities this makes a difference.

Side Note: I must say the public transportation system in the areas of Spain I have visited have been amazing. Every time I have exited an airport there is a line of taxi’s waiting and it’s very easy to flag one down when walking. To visit close cities booking a bus or train ticket on the Omio app is very simple and is my primary way of getting to cities if it’s within a reasonable distance.

Andorra

Epiphany: I’m currently a 19-year-old young adult by myself on a bus riding through the Catalonian countryside to Andorra, my 8th country. I’m living my dreams and making them reality. I wasn’t sure before arriving if English was spoken there so I would be communicating using Spanish primarily. If you asked me in eighth grade if I thought, I would ever be able to communicate in Spanish with natives I’d tell you that would never happen. The Pyrenees are truly incredible and being surrounded by these mountains made me realize just how big the world is and how much of it I have left to explore. The minute I left my little town I grew up in to go to Costa Rica in 2018 my world changed and so did the trajectory of my life. All it takes is that one step to go outside your comfort zone.

Andorra is one of those countries that takes your breath away. A small country located between Spain and France with a population of around 85,000. The official language is Catalan, but Spanish, French, Portuguese, and English commonly spoken there. If I had to describe Andorra in one word, I would say “underrated.” Many of the small countries are often overlooked but sometimes they end up becoming one of your favorite countries. Andorra contains some of the most beautiful sights that I’ve ever seen, and the nature is incredible. If you enjoy the outdoors, hiking, and beautiful views Andorra is the country to visit. Even if you don’t particularly enjoy the first two it’s worth visiting. The bus system is very efficient and goes to each city on a 15-minute schedule. You can buy passes for single use passes, 10 swipes or more and multi day passes from the bus drivers using cash.

I started off my trip to Andorra waking up early Saturday morning and taking the metro to Estacion de Nord in Barcelona (I’m proud to say I have navigated the metro in Barcelona a few times). Then I took a bus to La Vella, Andorra that lasted four hours. Jessie and I were supposed to travel to Andorra together but due to a complication we ended up taking different buses. The bus ride was a pleasant ride through the Catalonian countryside and various small towns. When I was around halfway through the journey and on the bus in between the Pyrenees mountains I had my epiphany (first paragraph). I arrived to Andorra around mid-day and thanks to my mom I knew I could buy a bus ticket straight to La Massana where my hostel was located. Since I have a Spanish SIM card my data didn’t work in Andorra, so I had to rely on the kindness of people for a little help. A nice Columbian guy who lived in Florida for a few years helped me buy a 10-swipe bus ticket and told me which stop to get off and another couple helped direct me to the street my hostel was on. Eventually I ended up walking in circles and went to a hotel to ask, it turns out I was too far up the street and had passed it. I did end up making it to the hostel. All in all, the people of Andorra were very kind and helpful.

I arrived at the hostel, and it turns out I had three Argentinian roommates. Jessie ended up arriving a few hours later and we spent the rest of the day exploring La Massana and relaxing. Sunday, we woke up around 8 am and didn’t have any specific plans for the day. My goal for the trip was to be spontaneous and not have plans but instead to enjoy living in the moment. Since neither of us had data however we had to take photos of the bus lines and maps and navigate the old-fashioned way. It was actually quite fun, and I learned to trust our instincts. Apparently, we looked like we knew what we were doing because we got asked by other tourists how to get to the center at one of the bus stations. We ended up taking the bus to Ordino a city near La Massana. One shock factor about Andorra was the size of the country and our perception of size. To get from the south end to the north of Andorra realistically in car would probably only take four hours if not less. We spent the morning exploring Ordino and climbing a few hills to some incredible views. Then we took the bus to La Vella and enjoyed a nice lunch. At first, we planned to go to another city and get lunch there and explore that city but instead we found ourselves tired. Instead of pushing ourselves we decided to just chill out in La Vella and walk around the city and ended up at an outdoor/indoor mall for a few hours.

Then we headed back to the hostel and ended up spending the evening with two of my Argentinian roommates. It’s quite funny because we made a joke that Jessie and I basically didn’t travel together because we arrived and left Andorra separate, and we didn’t even end up staying in the same room because she arrived later than me. We had dinner with Leo and Nicolas, and they taught us an Argentinian card game called “Truco” and we played “Taboo” in Spanish. Jessie and I learned a little about Argentina, practiced our Argentinian Spanish listening skills, and had a fun time. One of my favorite parts about traveling is meeting new people and making connections with people from different countries. Spanish truly changed my life and expanded the amount of people I can get to know on another level. Monday eventually arrived and Jessie and I said our goodbyes. I took the bus back to Barcelona and flew back to Granada.

This trip represents a multitude of new discoveries/life experience for me

• Independence
• A newfound inner confidence
• Inspiration to continue traveling and to places that are not as popular
• Trust my instincts
• Live in the moment/present
• Spontaneity

Morocco (10/21/22-1-/23/22)

I can now say I have been to the continent of Africa and that I have visited three cities in Morocco. Each city more beautiful than the last, Tangier, Tetuan, and Chefchaouen.  We started off our journey to Morocco taking a bus very early Friday morning from Granada to Tarifa which was around a four-hour bus ride with a thirty-minute break in between at a rest stop. The rest stops in Spain are a different level of nice compared to the US I will say. After we arrived to Tarifa in the afternoon we went through customs and took a ferry from Tarifa, Spain to Tangier, Morocco which lasted around an hour. We then met our tour guide for the entirety of the trip a native Moroccan who grew up in Chefchaouen, a city famous for its blue walls and one of the cities we visited. We walked around the city of Tangier and learned about the Moroccan culture and historical significance of some buildings.

There were two pieces of knowledge told to us that I found interesting. The first being that doors to houses in Morocco have a sigil on each of the doors at the top right and each sigil represents the families’ origins or connections. A few of these sigils included the pomegranate which represents Granada, and a horseshoe represents Sevilla another city in Andalusia. The north of Morocco specifically has strong connections with southern Spain. The second piece of information that I found interesting was that in Arabic or at least in Morocco the family name shows what the families craft is, for example carpentry or metal working.

After we received a tour of Tangier, we rode camels on the beach and went to our hotel in Tetuan and ate dinner and relaxed for the night. Saturday, we started our day eating breakfast at the hotel. Breakfast in Morocco at the hotel was a buffet style but instead of traditional American foods like eggs, sausage, bacon, pancakes, etc… it was pastries, breads, a spread similar to cream cheese, olive oil, and a few more items. After we received a tour of Tetuan from our guide and headed to Chefchaouen.

Chefchaouen is a city that you see photos online and think to yourself it has to be edited right? Well….Chefchaouen is just as blue in real life. It turns out the city is painted blue three times a year. The city is located in the mountains and to access the city you also get a beautiful sightseeing journey of the countryside. We received a tour when we arrived and then and we had a wonderful surprise for lunch. We were put into groups and were eating lunch with a local family, students from the city. The student I was put with was a very generous host and it was a wonderful experience to be welcomed into his home. Moroccan food is delicious and some of the most flavorful food I have tried. The students mother cooked us a meal and we sat around and talked for a while. I had the opportunity to learn more about the Moroccan culture, the student, and vice versa. After lunch we said our goodbyes to the student and shopped until we regrouped. After we regrouped, we watched a concert put on by a band who played Andalusian and Arabe music. Then we enjoyed another Moroccan meal and headed back to Tetuan. The next was spent traveling back to Spain.

I think in my blogs it’s also important to talk about the culture shock aspect and the not so beautiful parts. Overall, my experience in Morocco was very positive and I would recommend visiting it to anyone if they have the opportunity. I think having an experienced tour guide and a group to go with is important though especially with the language barrier. The signs were in French and Arabic with those also being the primarily spoken languages. The students we were with however spoke incredible English. Even though I have traveled to seven countries not including Morocco and they have been spread out across the globe it was a culture shock to go to a Muslim country even considering the Spanish and French influences. There were areas of Morocco that would be considered the equivalent of the slums and the level of sanitation is a different level. It can be a jolting experience to see poverty if you have never been exposed to it before and it certainly makes you reflect on a lot of things. I wouldn’t categorize this as a culture shock either because that would imply it’s unique to that culture, instead poverty is poverty no matter where you are. It’s important to note you don’t even have to leave to leave the country necessarily to see poverty because we can find it within the US in so many areas. However, one of the major cultural differences I did note is picking up certain foods on a shared public platter with the hands which we wouldn’t typically do in the US or Spain. In addition, it is quite common to hear prayers echoing from the mosques as you walk throughout the city and the call to prayer five times a day.

This experience is one of those moments that continued to make me realize just how big the world is and really demonstrated the fact that multiple cultures exist outside of the US that are completely different. I feel as though this journey opened another door that I have barely scratched the surface. Culture shocks are to be expected and every time I have one it demonstrates just how much more I have to learn, and I welcome each and every one because it’s an opportunity to learn. Going outside of my comfort zone has only revealed more to me about what I value, my thoughts and behavior, and areas I want to learn more about.