Celebrating festivities with the locals, daily dining with a host family, and an excursion to San Sebastian during study abroad in Spain.

– Joelle Brown, SPC Student, Spain Program, June 2019

I’ve always had an interest in learning different languages and about other cultures, seeing new and exciting places and trying new experiences. I have never attended a study abroad program, and I didn’t think I would ever be able to live abroad for an extended period of time, but the SPC study abroad program enabled me to get the immersion during the summer and I’m really enjoying the experience.

Everyone met at the Madrid Airport and traveled together to Salamanca, where we met our host families. We can stay in an individual room or have a roommate. We eat and sleep in our host family’s home, but we’re busy with classes and excursions for the majority of the day. The summer session offers the opportunity to celebrate festivities with the locals, enjoy the weather, and the program includes touring the area as well. I opted to take on an additional excursion to San Sebastian, a popular tourist destination, especially if you’re into fine dining.

Something you will not get from a book is the opportunity to experience the culture first hand as you learn the language. Yesterday, we visited two cathedrals, which were actually adjoining. To keep up with the needs of a growing population, they built the new one next to the old and were supposed to eventually replace it, but they didn’t. It allowed us to see the architectural differences in the Romantic Period and the Gothic Period in one structure.

The paintings and statues inside the cathedrals are amazing, but as beautiful as they are, the cathedral itself is breathtaking, interesting, and our modern buildings really seem to pale in comparison to the detail and grandiosity of these historical sites.

After dining with our host families, the class met for a night of fireworks. This week, Salamanca has four days of festivities. Shops were closed today, so that everyone could enjoy the celebrations. After class today, while walking home, we stopped by a pottery show. Many vendors displayed their wares, ranging from kitchenware, to garden pots, wall decorations, and jewelry. The prices were very reasonable, much less than they go for back home.

Shopping is a great experience. Items can be expensive, so window shop at first and look up appropriate phrases so you can find out how much something costs, or where you might be able to find something you need. Being a small town, Salamanca has many shops close to where we are staying. I’ve seen items four to five times as much as they are in another store that was only a few blocks away.

I can’t close without a note about the food. Every day, I’ve been taking pictures of menus and food display cases, especially if the menus have pictures or the displayed goods have the names and prices. Then I can go home, translate them and decide what I’d like to order another day. Our instructors also provide good recommendations. We even have tutoring at a café. Who says tutoring has to be boring?

Our host families provide our meals. This is where we can see how the various dishes are made and get the flavor of Spain. Meals are served later than we are accustomed to back home, and include more courses. If you have any dietary concerns, host families will try to accommodate with authentic foods as best as possible.

The experience has been wonderful, and I am already looking forward to my next trip abroad!

– Joelle Brown, SPC Student, Spain Program, June 2019

Thank you for sharing Joelle!

Questions? Don’t hesitate to contact us. We are here to help you!

blog.spcollege.edu/international | 727-341-4735 | studyabroad@spcollege.edu

Cover photo by xiquinhosilva, Wikimedia Commons [CC BY 2.0].