Going to Spain was a wonderful experience, the food was delicious and the sights were absolutely exhilarating. Being able to fully immerse myself by living with host families was such an incredible experience as making friends with the girl in my first host family was one of my favorite things to do. My roommates and I spent the entire last day with them playing just dance and just overall having a fun time. I grew closer to the people I was grouped with and we kinda bounced off of each other to be able to understand what was going on.
The sights were amazing, towering cathedrals with intricate paintings and sculptures all over the place, castles and palaces that were fit for no less than the royalty they housed. My personal favorite was the Alhambra Palace in Granada, Spain. Inside the palace you could tell how much different religions had an influence on the structure and how it was built in different sections as different nobility came and went.
Walking through the intricate gardens of the Alhambra was easily my favorite part. I saw so many different flower varieties and native bugs that looked so different from the insects we have in Wisconsin. Water was constantly flowing all over the palace, whether to water the garden using flood gate systems or in large fountains and ponds that depicted the different types of things the royals valued. In Segovia we were surrounded by the history of the country, even the roads and walkways were made of cobblestone that had been there for hundreds of years. The aqueduct that ran through the city was huge and a testament to how differently we build things today compared to the carpentry work from hundreds of years ago.
Trying traditional Spanish foods was interesting as well. The food was so unique and interesting. It was obvious how they valued different kinds of foods and their different dishes. I am a bit of a picky eater so I didn’t try everything but I did eat a lot more food than I had expected to. When we tried tapas I was surprised by how much variety was in the small dishes and how they all had their own unique taste. Sharing the tapas with the people at my table was fun as well due to us all trying something new. In the mornings, almost every day me and my roommates had hot chocolate with a morning bun, the hot chocolate was warm and the buns were really sweet. It helped me get a slice of daily life in Spain.
Meeting all sorts of people and our wonderful guides was great and really helped me break down the language barrier. While my difficulty understanding the quick wording is still very much there, I felt like I could catch more words and use the knowledge I already had to infer what new words meant.
If I ever had the chance to go back or go somewhere new I absolutely would. These experiences were so much fun and allowed me to get a better scope of how things operate in different areas. My first experience out of the country was a great opportunity and I hope to be able to go on more in the coming years and for others to get the chance to do it too.
