HOW DID YOU ENGAGE WITH THE LOCAL COMMUNITY WHILE ABROAD?
I got to engage with the local community through my internship which allowed me to meet locals, learn about their lifestyles, and work hand-in-hand with them to achieve a common goal. I was also lucky enough to get to be in Seville during feria, their April Festival. This huge celebration gave me the opportunity to learn about local tradition, meet loads of new people, and experience this exciting festival like a local.
WHAT'S ONE STORY OR IMPORTANT ASPECT YOU ALWAYS TELL PEOPLE ABOUT YOUR TIME ABROAD?
I like to tell people about the language barrier and how this presented such a fun challenge for me every single day I was living in Spain. Although I went into my semester abroad with a decent amount of Spanish language skill, I quickly learned that I was nowhere near fluent, and it was evident that I was going to have to work really hard to improve myself and feel comfortable speaking with locals and native speakers. Even as my Spanish got better, I was still presented with at least one challenge every day that required me to use vocabulary I wasn't comfortable with, ask questions, or push myself outside of my comfort zone. Although this made life significantly more intimidating, it was really great to be pushed in this way, and it helped me improve my Spanish speaking skills immensely.