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Spending the past few weeks in Spain has been very interesting. The first few weeks I was learning Spanish in an immersive environment, following a daily routine, and gradually building a sense of familiarity with the city and culture of Murcia. Now that I’m with my mom, I’m experiencing more of what the first few days of the program felt like when we were in Madrid, Toledo, and first arrived in Murcia, when we were tourists without any responsibilities (i.e. class). Now that I am not in class and living with Ana it feels even more like a vacation. My days now are a lot less structured. In Murcia, I had a steady routine of breakfast at 8, class at 9, comida, pool or an activity with the group, working out, cena, and homework. I was surrounded by Spanish, but I had a safety net. Ana, Maria, and my classmates helped make it an environment where it was okay to mess up, because we were there to learn. Now that I’m traveling with my mom our days aren’t scheduled the way they were in Mur...
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Blog Post 5: What I’ve Learned About Myself

Over the past few weeks in Spain, I’ve learned more about myself. I didn’t expect to because of the relatively short time we have been here, but I’ve realized that I’m much more capable, adaptable, and open-minded than I gave myself credit for. I was nervous going into this trip, mostly because of the language barrier and adjusting to an unfamiliar culture but also for smaller things like flying by myself, ordering food, and adjusting to a new bed. One of the biggest surprises though has been realizing that I’m not as bad at Spanish as I thought. Being immersed in the language every day in class, ordering food, or speaking with my host, helped to build my confidence in ways that studying in a classroom ever did before. Even when I made mistakes (which I definitely did [daily]), I saw that people appreciated the effort, and that made me less afraid to speak up. I’ve learned that communication isn’t about perfection it’s about connection. I also discovered how quickly I can adjust to...
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Location: Murcia, Spain
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Blog Post 4: Lifestyles and Values

     Although my host family is just Ana, I’ve learned a lot about Spanish lifestyle and values in the past two weeks. Living with her has made me reflect on both the similarities and differences between her way of life and that of my own family back home.      One of the most surprising similarities is our daily routines. Even though Ana is retired, her schedule is a lot like my family’s. She wakes up early, eats dinner late, stays up late, and enjoys cooking homemade meals. My dad is also an early riser who starts the day with a relaxed breakfast and reads the newspaper, just like Ana does with a game show playing in the background. It’s a nice reminder of home. My family has always eaten dinner late, partly due to my parents’ work schedules and partly because of my siblings’ and my practices. Here, we eat cena around 8:30 or 9, which is right in line with what I’m used to. After the gym, I come home, shower quickly, and eat dinner with Ana and my roomm...
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Blog Post 3: Challenges and Triumphs

These past two weeks have been filled with both challenges and triumphs. Adjusting to life in a new country with a different language and culture has been both rewarding and, at times, frustrating. One of my biggest ongoing challenges has been understanding people when they speak Spanish. Although my comprehension has definitely improved with the daily exposure, I still hover around 60-70% understanding. That percentage fluctuates, and it can be frustrating, especially when I’m concentrating hard and suddenly lose the thread of a conversation because I miss a word or get distracted. It’s disheartening to go from understanding everything to getting completely lost in what feels like just a minute. However, that being said I am getting better at recovering from moments like this by asking people to repeat themselves or by using context clues to piece things together. Still, it’s an imperfect system, and miscommunication happens sometimes. A specific example was when my host Ana was tel...
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Location: Murcia, Spain
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Blog post 2: Culture Shock

       Now that I have been in Spain for almost a week, I have definitely experienced some moments where I felt out of place/ out of my element. The first small ]moment of culture shock I experienced was the second I stepped off the plane and we went to Burger King for breakfast. When I tried to pull the cap off my soda it wouldn’t come off and that was an unexpected difference. Another example is while navigating Murcia for the scavenger hunt the street signs were on building walls sometimes, which was a little confusing. A third example is the heat! It is much hotter for much longer during the day compared to what I am used to in Maryland. While these are small things, I think it is the small things combining that create feelings of being out of place.      However, there have also been moments where I felt at home both in the city and with my host family. In the United States I visit Baltimore, Philadelphia, and D.C. often. I felt at ease in the c...
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Location: Murcia, Spain
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Blog Post 1: The definition of culture is the customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits of a racial, religious, or social group; also, the characteristic features of everyday existence (such as diversions or a way of life) shared by people in a place or time. In simpler words, culture is the collection of shared symbols and meanings that are learned and not inherited. These symbols and meanings aren’t static however, they evolve over time to suit the needs of the current people while simultaneously honoring the traditions of the past. La cultura es un sistema para existir como comunidad. La interaccion entre diferentes sociedades es lo que da forma a las diversas culturas de hoy. While I don’t know a lot about Spain and Spanish culture, I’ve learned a few things that have stuck with me. One of the most famous traditions I know about is the Running of the Bulls in Pamplona, which takes place each July during the San Fermín festival. It’s a thrilling (and also dangerous!) ...
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Location: Rockville, MD, USA
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