CEA CAPA Directory


Panayia Melistas (She/Her), Alumni Ambassador

Alumni Ambassadors

University of Michigan-Ann Arbor

Granada, Spain

Summer 2024

WHAT'S ONE STORY OR IMPORTANT ASPECT YOU ALWAYS TELL PEOPLE ABOUT YOUR TIME ABROAD?
No matter what your concerns about studying abroad are (dietary, physical, financial), they are much more manageable than you may think. That is coming from someone who was terrified I wouldn't be able to afford it, someone with 6 obscure (and I mean 𝘰𝘣𝘴𝘀𝘢𝘳𝘦) food allergies, and a herniated disk. They want you to go abroad, and they're not going to ship you abroad and say "Good luck". It really is a life changing experience that completely shifted my perspective on so many things. Also, I LOVE to rave about my host family and I talk about my experience living with them any chance I get.

 

HOW DID YOU ENGAGE WITH THE LOCAL COMMUNITY WHILE ABROAD?
I always made a point of trying a new restaurant, coffee shop, etc. at least once a week while I was abroad; I loved getting the to see the culture and also practice my Spanish skills. My favorite thing to do was probably going for an aimless walk around and just getting lost in the city. I think there are so many things you don't even know about in the first place, even with googling, to go out and seek those specific things; going out for these walks always introduced me to amazing places, stores, small bakeries, tiny shops, and beautiful sights I wouldn't have known existed otherwise.

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Panayia Melistas (She/Her),  Alumni Ambassador