A Few Goals

June 13, 2017

I have had my heart set on studying abroad, especially in Seville, ever since I took a short trip there in high school. I was in Seville for one day, but immediately knew that it was a city and a culture that I would want to immerse myself in. Additionally, learning Spanish has always been something important to me, but I don’t have time during the regular school year to be taking Spanish classes. So what’s better than an opportunity to simultaneously immerse myself in Seville’s culture and learn Spanish? Nothing, I don’t think!

I have a few goals for this experience: first, I would like to greatly increase my proficiency in Spanish, at least to the point where I can hold a basic conversation with a native speaker. Second, I would like to get a feel for the culture and the daily lives of the people in Seville. Lastly, since one half of my major is Music Composition & Technology, I am naturally pretty excited to experience the local music scene of Seville, of which I know very little (besides the stereotypical flamenco). I want to see what kids my age there are listening to, and where they go to see concerts or shows. I’m hoping to meet these goals by going out and talking to locals, meeting Spanish students who are studying in Seville, and asking them questions to get to know more about their daily lives and their interests.

My biggest fear is that an inability to communicate will cut me off from locals, rather than push me to learn the language more. I will need to continuously remind myself to try out my Spanish, rather than defaulting to English, because that is the only way to learn, even though at times I’m sure it will be embarrassing! What I’m looking forward to the most is getting to know the beautiful city of Seville and the surrounding area, meeting new people, and all the stories that I’m sure will come from this trip!

Written By

Kyle McCrosson

I wanted to do this particular program because I have always wanted to continue my education in Spanish and hopefully become fluent (or close at least) and just haven’t had room in my regularly scheduled semesters to take classes, so what better opportunity than living in Spain for almost 2 months? As a music major, I am especially excited to explore the musical culture of Seville and what new styles/dances/traditions that comes with. Another reason I’m studying abroad is that I’m hoping that the immersion will really help my Spanish out and hopefully push me a little more than just a traditional Spanish class in a classroom setting.