Ethaniel Kitchin

            As per program requirements for majoring in Spanish, I had to take a semester abroad to a country whose primary language was Spanish, as it is the language in which I am studying. I have had few experiences of leaving the country prior to this venture, and the times I did leave were for durations that were no more than a week. So to be gone in a foreign country whose culture and customs I wasn’t familiar with was quite a daunting endeavor. The country that I chose to study in was Spain. Being an enthusiast for history as well as being a History Major, I have gotten to learn much of Spain’s history over the years, and to be able to see first-hand the places that have had impacts both on the country and the world was too good of an opportunity to pass up. The program I chose was the 3rd party organization, University Studies Abroad Consortium’s Summer Sessions 1 and 2, and I chose Alicante as the city for my program, which was right on the coast to the Mediterranean Sea. I wasn’t sure how my experiences would turn out, but I left with several goals in mind. To immerse myself and experience a culture vastly different from my own, to throw myself into situations where I had to solely rely on my Spanish conversational abilities to get by, and to do things that took me out of my comfort zone.

              Upon arrival in Alicante, my experience differed from that of many of my peers. The homesickness that I was told I was expected to feel was not present for me. I was enthralled to be in a completely new place and to see what it had to offer. However, there was a good deal of unease as I was a stranger in an entirely new environment from what I was used to. But after the first few days of walking around town and checking out what the city had to offer, I was able to learn some very interesting things about Spanish culture, and how things were both different and the same as my own. One difference that was noticeable right when I arrived was the difference in transportation. In the United States, I am very much used to taking my car to places that are only a few minutes away by foot. But in Spain, it was commonplace to take half an hour to an hour-long hike to get to where you needed to go. Additionally, there were bus systems and tram systems that ran everywhere in the city. It seemed that there was a bus stop every 100 feet, with routes going all over the place. I utilized the tram extensively, as one of the lines took me directly to the university I was studying. These modes of transportation were much more popular than cars, as the routes and lines were so vast, they were able to take people exactly where they needed to go, which was very advantageous, as I have been told gasoline is relatively much more expensive there than in the U.S. These adjustments were quite enjoyable for me. Walking everywhere allowed me to take in the sights of the city more than in a car, and the streamlined nature of the buses and trams allowed me to ride with no worry about traffic or any sudden obstacles one faces while driving a car.

              Besides transportation, the way people in Spain lived their lives was drastically different from the United States. The most difficult adjustment for me during my entire time abroad was the differences in the time of day people operated at, and how they approached the same daily activities that we do in the United States. For one, breakfast is not a thing in Spain. What people will get at most is a small cup of coffee with a small pastry or the popularized half of a baguet roll with diced tomatoes and olive oil. This is usually done around 9 or 10 in the morning. Lunches were done later but were much more of an extravagant undertaking than in the United States. Whereas in the US, lunch is usually very quick, it consisting of a sandwich and no more than 30 minutes, Spain conducts lunch much differently. I had the privilege of staying over in Malaga, Spain, and spending time with a family there for three days, and their lunch operation was remarkable. The women of the family cooked around the clock throughout the day to prepare, and they made a wide assortment of different foods. From clams and anchovies to chicken and salads, the lunches we had were equivalent to a Thanksgiving feast, yet it was not a once-a-year thing, it was a daily occurrence. Everyone in the family was there. Grandmas and Grandpas, Uncles, Aunts, Sons, Daughters, Mothers, Fathers, and In-laws. Jokes and laughs flew around the table for hours. It was very different than in the United States where lunches are much smaller scale, and in my experience are usually done alone, or with a small group of friends. At night, it is around 9:00 that Spaniards usually have dinner, which remarkably was the same scale as lunch. Such a scope would be nearly impossible to do in the United States.

              Despite the appealing nature of how Spaniards conduct their day-to-day, their timing throughout the day was forever impossible for me to adjust to. I am a very early bird and am used to waking up at 5 in the morning to start my day, and winding down at 9. So to have dinner at 9 was quite difficult. What was even worse was the time of the nightlife. The United States approach is to begin at around 8:30, and the end of the night is non-negotiable at 2:00 in the morning. But in Spain, 2:00 is when people just get started going out. For me, this was very grueling. I am not quite adjusted to staying up very late, and to stay up all night until 5 or 6 in the morning was always an extremely daunting endeavor.

              Although the time adjustments were displeasing, the experience I had meeting new people was the complete opposite experience. I had a wonderful time meeting new people. The most memorable experiences I had were my encounters with people outside my program. What surprised me a lot about Alicante, and I suppose Europe in general, is just how connected internationally it was. I met people from all sorts of countries such as the Netherlands, Sweden, Finland, Italy, Britain, and even Australia. But the strangest encounter was meeting people who are from my hometown in the U.S.! But my favorite encounters were the conversations I had in Spanish with native Spaniards. Whether it be cracking jokes with one of the uncles in Malaga, talking about our hometowns and the different places in America with the professors, or even conversating with a lady at the pharmacy to find where the protein powder was, the ability to practice my Spanish in real-life conversations was a very delightful experience. Although there were times when I struggled to understand some things that were said, and got lost in the conversation, being able to figure it out in Spanish, without defaulting to English vastly improved my conversational abilities, and I was able to see at the end of my program just how much better my Spanish has gotten, and how much my confidence in it has increased.

              When it came to the people I met, I was at first a bit worried about how they would perceive me. I was fed all the stereotypes of how people in other countries thought Americans were loud, ignorant, and dumb. But when I began meeting people and talking to them, I realized that no one seemed to care. I suppose because of how internationally connected Alicante and Spain in general were, foreigners, including Americans, were just normal occurrences there. In fact, people had a bigger distaste for Britons than they did Americans! The only times my identity as an American was assaulted was when I would get into joke-hurling matches with other people. Other than those comedic moments, it really didn’t matter.

              Overall, my experiences studying abroad helped me grow significantly both as a student and as a person. The advanced classes I took and the everyday interactions I had with other people have greatly improved my writing, reading, comprehension, and speaking in Spanish to the point where I am supremely confident in my abilities, and am beyond comfortable utilizing them at any given moment if needs be. The ability to experience new cultures and meet new people gain a larger perspective of the world. My experiences helped me fully comprehend the fact that although we are all people, we each have vastly different lives and vastly different experiences. My time in Alicante was truly unforgettable, and it has been a tremendously enlightening experience.

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