What is your favorite place you visited while abroad?
My favorite place that I travelled to during the program was Segovia, Spain. There was a bus and walking tour that I went on as a part of the program where we toured the city and the Alcázar.
How do you think the intersections of your identities and values impacted your study abroad experience?
This program made me realize more about values I was not aware I held and rethink them based on experiencing the cultural difference in lifestyle compared to the United States, Spain, and Mexico. To any future students who wish to go on the same program (or to a European based program), I would encourage you to be persistent and have confidence in your language ability. The locals, knowing that you are not fluent, will often revert to English. If you wish to grow and practice in their language, do not be discouraged by such but keep pushing forward in your attempts despite what they do.
What is one goal you achieved while abroad?
One personal goal that I achieved was to expand my understanding of the Spanish language by focusing on the slang and terms that the locals often used and adapting those to my speech.
What is some advice for future study abroad students?
My advice would be for students to summon an air of confidence, even if they don't feel confident in their capabilities. By acting the part and confidently going forward in your endeavors, you will find that things become much easier, and you won't succumb as easily to the panic that naturally comes in these situations.
What is one thing you wish you knew before studying abroad?
One thing that I wish I knew before studying abroad was not to worry as much as I did. I will admit that I am naturally an up-tight person, and nearly every time I travelled while abroad I would be the cautious person of the group. I wish now that I would have let go of such feelings sooner, because for every mistake I could have made I would have been able to figure out a reasonable solution.
