The Spring semester of my sophomore year, I studied at the Universidad de Sevilla. It was my first time spending more than a week out of the country and being away from my family and friends. I was lucky to be able to live with a great host family, Pilar and Felix, in their beautiful, 200-year-old home in the Triana neighborhood of Sevilla. The Andalucian way of life, which includes passing as much time as possible outside, eating and drinking with friends all night, and strong loyalty to their neighborhood or fútbol team.

It was such a great learning experience not only because I was able to meet and talk with many Spaniards, but also other American students from all over the country. I had the opportunity to travel to several other cities in Spain as well as Portugal, Italy, and Morocco and where I visited monuments, cathedrals, markets, and mosques.  I wouldn’t trade my study abroad experience for the world as it allowed me to build connections with another culture, make relationships with other people, broaden my worldview, and prepare me for future cross-cultural experiences.

I also had the opportunity to volunteer once a week in a Spanish elementary school. I went to two different classrooms and helped the teachers give English classes. I mainly helped with pronunciation and grading. It was great to see first had the culture of a different school and better understand how language instruction happens in Spanish schools.