Studying Abroad in Spain
A Journey of Immersion
By: Avery Calvert
In July 2022, I spent a month in Spain on a study abroad trip with the Foreign Languages department. I am still amazed at the faith my professors had in me to learn Spanish. Just two semesters before, in August 2021, I started in Spanish 101, and during this semester, I went to a Spain study abroad meeting. I always knew I wanted to study abroad, but this experience surpassed my imagination.
Through this program, we learned Spanish at a language immersion school and participated in cultural and history tours. This unique experience of learning both the history of Spain and Spanish enabled me to see life through other people’s eyes. First, we went to school from 9 am to 1 pm Monday through Friday. School in Spain was different from school in the United States. Our teachers were very friendly and insisted that we call them by their first name; they did not mind if we did not do our homework and told us that it was up to us since it was our education. Next, we went on cultural tours after our siesta, which was from 2 pm to 4 pm every day and is one of my favorite parts of Spanish culture. The cultural tours encompassed many different themes, and I learned that Salamanca has a very rich history. We went to cathedrals, a bullfighting museum, the headquarters of the dictator Fransico Franco, and many more places. On the weekends, we went to different cities and explored the history and culture there. The first weekend we went to Madrid where we visited the Palacio Real and the Museum Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofïa. The second weekend we ventured to Segovia which is home to a Roman aqueduct! This was definitely an incredible site and it made me realize that I wanted to work as a historic site preserver. The third weekend we traveled to Bilbao which is a northwestern beach city. In Bilbao, we played at the beach as well as visited the famous Guggenheim Museum. My favorite excursion on this trip was Bilbao. Northern Spain is so different from Central and Southern Spain because historically they do not have as much Muslim influence.
Another favorite part of this trip was staying with my host mom. Staying with a host family is an incredible experience! My host mom did not speak English so I had to learn Spanish quickly, but she was always patient with me. She took time out of her day to talk to me as we ate as well as teach me new words. I am very grateful to have been placed with such a kind person!
Overall, studying abroad was such an amazing experience and it definitely made me want to travel more! If you have the chance to travel or study abroad, you should do it. It will be a great experience!
All Images: Courtesy of Avery Calvert
