I’m sure every study abroad student says this, but I honestly can’t believe how quickly this semester went by. I feel like so much has happened in such a short amount of time, and if I could spend a whole year here, I would. Because I have been abroad for the past year, in Amsterdam before this Fall, it’s a bit difficult to identify how I changed personally from Granada alone. I think the most obvious changes have been in my confidence with speaking Spanish, as well as my overall confidence in my abilities to foster meaningful relationships and get to know a new city on my own.
These changes have also affected my professional and academic goals. Because my Spanish is at a really good place now, this will open up a lot of job opportunities where Spanish is needed. I also have more experience abroad, which helped me get accepted to a Dialogue of Civilizations in India for this coming Summer I, which I am incredibly excited about. While in Granada, I learned that I am a lot more capable than I thought. I was a pretty timid person before coming here, but now I have now learned that I can navigate cities by myself, can speak Spanish when I really try, and can make friends regardless of what country I’m in. This confidence I gained will stay with me and help me back in Boston and for the rest of my life.
I didn’t have many fears before studying abroad in Granada, besides the possible language barrier. I hadn’t taken a Spanish class in years, so starting all my courses in Spain in Spanish was a bit worrisome. I’ve just basically accepted that living in a new country means you have to be open and not hold any expectations for your experience. Yes, my courses were hard, and I had to consult my dictionary like 10 times during every class, but I could laugh at myself and my teachers and fellow students were completely understanding. You can only improve by trying and putting yourself out there.
Studying abroad in Granada helped me realize that although I absolutely love Spain and Europe in general, I’m ready to also explore parts of the world that I haven’t been to. This experience gave me the confidence to apply for a Dialogue in India, which I otherwise would have been too afraid to do. Going abroad has taught me that the world really is a small place, but it has so many diverse and beautiful places worth exploring. The geography differs, but people are people regardless of where they live. You can find similarities with students on whatever continent and I can’t wait to explore more.
For me, the single greatest benefit of studying abroad, is getting out of your comfort zone and realizing that the world expands further than just your college campus in the US. There is so much out there to explore and if you never leave your country, you miss out on this greater perspective. I don’t know how a student can expect to make a meaningful contribution to the world or even really fully understand politics or the economy when they are only seeing things from their own perspective.
It’s really difficult to pinpoint a favorite experience from this semester, but I think one of the most meaningful moments to me was having a Spaniard ask me for directions, and being able to give him perfect directions in Spanish and have a conversation without any miscommunications. This may seem unimportant, but to me it was really gratifying to feel like all this work I’ve put into learning a language has actually paid off.
Future students should go with the flow and learn to enjoy the spontaneous and seemingly random. I ran into a guy I met in Prague 3 years ago, who I hadn’t seen or spoken to since. This may seem like just a funny coincidence but to me it was proof that “el mundo es un pañuelo” ( or it’s a small world) and that you find these connections all over. What may seem random or impossible really isn’t, and new opportunities are constantly arising. You have to be open to these new experiences and possible life paths and can’t expect everything to go the way you thought it would.
I would absolutely study abroad again…and again… and again. I’m basically study abroad’s biggest fan. One of the reasons I chose Northeastern was because of it’s amazing study abroad programs. I have had so much support over the past few years to co-op and study abroad, and Dialogue. I am so grateful for the opportunities I have been given, even as a low-income student. I have never felt like I couldn’t go somewhere and have the same experiences as students who aren’t on financial aid. I am thrilled to be able to be going to India this summer, and explore a part of the world I have never been. If I wasn’t graduating next year, I would probably go abroad somewhere in Latin America, to continue my Spanish but also get to know a different culture.
