Tomorrow morning I am headed back to Madrid to go back home and I cannot believe how quickly the trip went! I have had so many amazing experiences here and my Spanish has improved exponentially!

Before coming, I had a hard time comprehending others speaking Spanish so it was very challenging at the beginning, but now I can listen to Spanish speakers effortlessly! My grammar has also improved so much that it is hard to believe I didn’t know all of this three weeks ago!

All of the professors have been so helpful and encouraging that being successful in the course was never even a worry! The visits to the amazing sights of Salamanca and the weekend excursions to other amazing places in Spain have been the highlight of the course! The visits to places like 12th and 16th century cathedrals, an olive factory, and the royal castle El Alcazar in Segovia, and the universities have been experiences you will never find in America. I have also met amazing new friends that I have been able to share this experience with.

The house family was so nice and always excited to help me with whatever I needed and practice my Spanish with me!

Even the shopkeepers were eager to help me learn the culture and language!

I am so happy that I was able to go on this trip and though I am sad that it is over I am excited to go back home, share my experiences, and practice my new Spanish skills so that I continue towards my goal of fluency!

I want to finish this post with a thank you to Señora Levin for being such an incredible professor to have on this trip. She was so eager to make this trip everything we imagined and more. She was always willing to help out in every way whether inside the classroom or out and I could not have imagined being on this trip without her. Her passion for teaching as well as for the culture and sights of Spain was an invaluable gift that she shared with us and I will always be grateful to her for making this life changing experience everything that it was!

It is our fourth day here and Salamanca is exceeding anything the imagination could think up! The architecture is incredible, with every building having incredible detail and a beautiful gorgeous golden hue. I have enjoyed every moment we have spent here but by far my favorite was going up the towers of the old and “modern” cathedrals. The history of them was amazing and you could see it in every brick. The views at the top of both the close-up of the architecture and the breathtaking views of the entire city and empty rolling hills beyond.

Tonight was our first time going out for tapas which was such a great authentic Spanish experience. We finished it off with a trip to Valor for some of their famous chocolate! I cannot wait to explore more of the city and have more amazing experiences!