Submitted by Isabel Berté on the 2019 summer session program in Granada, Spain sponsored by the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures…
I am officially done with my first week of living in Granada, Spain. I was weary to spend a month abroad, living with a new family, speaking a new language, eating new food, and stepping entirely outside my comfort zone. Now that I am here, I am sure a month will not be long enough. Every day, I learn about Spanish language and culture from my group, my host family, my professors, and guides. I genuinely love learning new things when I know that I can put them to use that very same day. I also appreciate that so far, every day has been different and we are constantly learning in new and different ways. To vary our conversation class and learn in a new way, our group had the amazing opportunity of taking part in a cultural exchange program. Our group visited a vocational school in the area where Spanish speaking students are currently taking English classes. We had the unique experience of having conversations with students our same age, who are similarly learning a new language, and allowing them to share with us more about their culture so that we could compare and contrast between the two. Both groups were nervous to begin talking, but once we did, we saw that we had more in common than we thought. This experience was a really great idea and I am grateful that the program has seamlessly incorporated activities into our classes to practice using Spanish in the real world and to meet other students in Granada.
