Study Abroad

This past summer, I was lucky enough to study abroad with the University of Arizona. This experience taught me so much about the world and I am so lucky to have experienced it! I studied in Spain and while I was there I took a photography course. In the photography course, we learned about taking photos to tell a story and how to take professional photographs on our phones. Our teacher was incredibly knowledgeable about the city of Madrid and it made going to class every day an adventure. The second class I took while I was abroad was a Spanish Dance class. My teacher didn't speak English very well and understanding each other was sometimes challenging but I learned that language isn't the most important thing. We developed our own way of communicating and I along with other students in the class supported one another to help communicate.

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Studying abroad was a chance for me to apply the 8 years of Spanish classes that I have been taking. Living in a foreign country for six weeks can sometimes be scary but knowing that I knew the language was great. Madrid gave me the confidence to speak to locals and further immerse myself in the culture. In most of my Spanish classes, I had such a large lack of confidence when it came to speaking in front of the class or in front of my professors. In Spain, it was almost like I was forced to not second guess myself because I really had to communicate. Learning to not second guess myself was one of the best things I could have learned and since I've been back home, it helped me have confidence in every aspect of my life.

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This opportunity also gave me the chance to meet students from other schools within the United States. I also met students from the University of Arizona that I would have never met if it wasn't for this program. From finding dinner spots every night and teaching each other how to use the metro, we got very close very fast. We explored the city together and created long lasting bonds. I loved getting to know my roommates and spending time with them. It was also nice to have a familliar face in such a large city where everything is different. Studying abroad taught me that getting to know people is never a bad idea, and now I have some new friends on campus!