¡Hola todos! My name is Elizabeth Knox and I am a Spanish major visiting León, Spain for 6 months to study abroad. My goal after graduation is to work as a Spanish medical interpreter and go through graduate school. I am also a fine arts minor, and I hope to be creating art and posting it here as well. I was unable to post before I left for Spain, but I will summarize what I planned on posting and include my most recent experiences.
I have known for years that I wanted to study abroad, but I had never thought of a specific place. Now that I have learned so much Spanish I feel like Spain is the perfect place. The amazing thing about Spain is that it is so close to other countries, so you can visit a multitude of countries in a short amount of time. After taking Spanish history classes I fell in love with the rich history and culture of Spain.
I was very nervous about leaving home. I was back and forth about feeling excited and terrified. The worst part was leaving my family and friends behind. I was very excited to leave campus though because I knew that there were more opportunities out in the world for me. Before I left I had studied for nearly a year about Spain. I had the perception that they are friendly and touchy people. I also knew that Catholicism is deeply rooted in the culture.
I expected that the independence would be scary and that I probably would not understand the Spanish accents. In reality, I was way better prepared than I thought (in relation to the language and historical knowledge). I expected the university to be extremely challenging. While I am being challenged, I am also learning so many new things at an easier pace than at an American university. My main goal is to become fluent in Spanish. Although I know enough to get me around the country, I have a hard time keeping an entire conversation and understanding certain things. I want to learn more vocabulary so that I can speak without drawing a blank.
I arrived in Spain a few days ago. To say this has been a stressful experience is an understatement. I love it here, but this is the most intensive culture shock that I have ever experienced. I arrived here with my friend, which helps a lot. We had 2 days to prepare here before school started. We followed everything online and researched what we could, but we still were extremely confused about nearly everything. Finding a place to live was very hard. All of the dorms were completely full or would not email us back. I hardly ever got a reply from apartments… and everything is online, so you don’t know if you’re being scammed. The post office never updated the tracking information on my visa and passport. The consulate will not tell you the status of your visa. We both waited and waited to hear anything back. We assumed my passport was lost by the postal service. We applied for a lost or stolen passport and had to order an expedited passport. A process that cost hundreds of dollars. A few weeks later I received my visa… with a now invalid passport.
I also had a little mishap at the airport. My bags were 45 lbs over the limit. Make sure to weigh your bags before you leave, or you will have to get rid of them at the airport! When we arrived in Madrid, customs was extremely easy to get into…I don’t think they asked a single question. However, the process of getting a train was tricky. It is easy to buy the ticket, but very hard to find the actual train, where the train goes to, and what the train number is, and people are hesitant to help. Luckily an American woman saw us struggling and offered assistance. The trains also have security. They will take items from you that may have gone through airport security with no problem.
Luckily, the owners of our apartment met us at the train station and showed us around León. They were very nice and enjoyed helping us practice our Spanish. It is important to note that not everyone here is nice… We have had multiple encounters with people that aren’t accustomed to foreigners. It is very important to know the language before leaving if you want to fit in (at least in the northern regions of Spain). Many people seem to expect foreigners to assimilate immediately, so it is also important to understand the culture before coming.
There have been so many culture shocks that it would be hard to explain everything. However, I have had good experiences as well. The city is absolutely beautiful. There is so much to do here. The food and drinks are extremely cheap as well as all of the clothing. You can get coffee and a tapa for about $1.50. Our rent is also a very good price for what we are getting. Our apartment is in the middle of the city with a great view and an extra bedroom. It came fully furnished with a bunch of extra necessities. The price is about half the price of what you would pay in the United States. The only expensive part is buying the plane ticket to get here and phone services. Other than that they have free or cheap public transportation or everything is within walking distance. The area is extremely safe and surrounded by people at all hours of the day.
My school is beautiful and the professors and staff are very nice and understanding. My class is so much smaller than I thought, but I actually enjoy it because it was easy to make friends. I was worried that everyone would know more than I did, but everyone was at different levels. Even beginners are allowed, and you do not have to be a Spanish major to take the Spanish courses. If you are taking the courses apart from a university in the states, it costs less than 50 Euros… a year. Compared to the thousands of student loans we take out in the U.S., I’d say that’s a huge improvement. There is very cheap medical care as well. They are very progressive in certain things that are not accepted in the U.S., or in the south especially.
I think I am going to get used to all of the differences and soon grow to love them.
If you would like to read more, I will post every other week. I am going to speak about the ups and downs so that students interested in studying abroad can be fully prepared. Until next week!