Vale

June 13, 2017

My orientation group had one very long miscommunication with our orientation leader, that could have ended pretty bad but luckily did not. She wanted to know if we had any allergies because she was taking us to dinner and ordering food for us and one kid said he was allergic to nuts. After dinner she got us ice cream bars and the one she gave to that kid said “Almond Bar” in big letters so we told our guide that he couldn’t eat that, but she was convinced he could. After a lot of confusion, we learned that in Spain when you say “nut” you are just talking about peanuts. Almonds and other tree nuts are considered dry fruit! Thankfully there were no incidents.
My favorite new Spanish word here is “vale”. It basically is the equivalent of saying “ok” so you can throw it around a lot while you’re talking to someone. This is a great way to sound a little more like a local when you’re making conversation.

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.