My desire to study abroad began long before college. As an eighth grader, I enrolled in a beginning Spanish class at school along with many of my peers and we experienced both fun and frustration while discovering a second language. Although a lot of my friends found the language to be challenging and only took the minimum number of Spanish classes to graduate, I learned that Spanish was a passion of mine and was something that came very easily to me. I began to consider the possibility of continuing to take Spanish courses in college and even working bilingually in my career one day. When I learned that as an ISU Presidential Scholar, I would be required to study abroad, my choice of destination was clear. I knew that I could have an experience in Spain that would enhance my Spanish knowledge exponentially and I couldn’t wait to get started.
Almost immediately upon my arrival in Granada, Spain, my Spanish was put to use. My American roommate and I were shoved into a taxi at the airport and left to communicate with the driver about where we were heading and how much the fare was. We met our host family, whom we would be living with for the next five months, and sat down to dinner. My first meal in Spain was a very cultural one because I arrived in the country on a religious holiday. It was January 6 and Spaniards across the country were celebrating Día de los Reyes Magos, meaning Three Kings Day. In the Christian faith, this day (also known as the Epiphany) is the day in which the three wise men arrived in Bethlehem, bringing gifts for baby Jesus. In the Spanish culture, children write letters to the three wise men in the days leading up to January 6, asking for presents. They then wake up to their gifts on Día de los Reyes Magos and celebrate at home with family, an expensive meal and a special dessert, called a Rosca de Reyes. The rosca is a sweet, ring-shaped bread decorated with candied fruits. Inside the bread are two plastic figures. Once the dessert is cut, if you receive a slice that contains a figure of a wise man, it means that you have to pay for the costs of the family party. However, if you receive the other figure, a baby Jesus, it means that you will have good luck. My host family upheld the traditions of Día de los Reyes Magos, therefore making my first meal in their home really interesting and a cool look at Spanish religion and culture. What made it even better was that I got the slice of rosca with the baby Jesus figure, supposedly giving me good luck!
As you can imagine, the rest of my time in Granada was also bursting with cultural experiences. I took classes at La Universidad de Granada at a campus in the city center for “foreign” students. I anticipated that it would be mostly American students studying there, but I was wrong. Many of the students in my Spanish classes were from other countries including Australia, China, Switzerland, Japan and England. It was so interesting to talk to students from all over the globe and it was especially fascinating to hear their perspectives on politics, economics and world news. Because our class time was much more limited than in the U.S., my friends and I had a lot of free time to explore the city and even travel outside of Spain. We often hung out at tapas bars, which offer a variety of small appetizers to sample. I quickly learned that the Spanish culture is much more laid back than our own and people love to spend hours and hours at a restaurant or bar, socializing and trying different foods. On the weekends and during school breaks, I tried to travel around Europe as much as I could. I saw so many fascinating places and met a lot of interesting people who opened up about life in Europe, giving me a new perspective on how people live throughout the world.
My semester studying abroad in Granada, Spain was simply unforgettable. I learned more than I ever thought possible about the Spanish culture through my firsthand experience, met a lot of people who expanded my world knowledge and grew immensely as a person. My Spanish drastically improved and I now feel completely confident that I could work as a bilingual Speech Pathologist. I am so glad that I took advantage of this opportunity because it has really enriched my college experience and I know that I will always keep with me the lessons I learned.
