The covid pandemic hit during the end of my freshman year where we were quickly rushed home. The following two semesters of my sophomore year were completely virtual, causing me to lose a full school year of being on campus. Studying abroad was always a dream of mine since high school, I love to travel and under normal circumstances I would’ve loved to have done a full semester abroad with my original plan being in Granada, Spain. The fall of my junior year was the first semester I was on campus since two years ago. I was creating so many new friendships and I was finally able to experience Umass. I was having such a fun semester that I decided to search for programs in the summer rather than the spring semester where I stumbled across the Study in Portugal Network.
I began studying Portuguese in the spring of my junior year and I knew the best way to develop language skills was to be immersed in the language. I discovered SiPN through the international programs office and decided it was a perfect fit. I convinced one of my friends to do the program with me and together we began the process of applying.
My summer in Lisbon was better than I could have imagined. I was in an intensive class which was 4 hours each day Monday through Friday and very immersive. During my time off, my friends and I traveled all around Portugal exploring cities from the north to the south. The beautiful bridges and delicious wine from Porto all the way to the hike along stunning cliff side beaches of the algarve will stay with me forever. My Portuguese skills also increased and I took the A2 language exam and passed at the end of the month.
Lisbon in the summer is unlike any other city. The coastal capital is full with international tourists traveling to explore the vibrant buildings and delicious food. The nightlife was incredible with the opportunity to enjoy multicultural dinners late at night and meet people from all over the globe. I will never forget the amount of bachelor parties I stumbled upon because they were infinite haha!
After my program finished, my friends flew down to visit and we took the time to explore along the southern coast of Portugal and into Andalucia Spain exploring Sevilla and Malaga. Although Covid took away my sophomore year, if it weren’t for the pandemic I wouldn’t have met the people I did and explore/live in the city I chose. I will forever cherish all the memories I made, leaving Lisbon in a special place in my heart.
