Category Archives: Spain

Being a Respectful Outsider

For six weeks this summer, I lived two blocks away from the most popular surfing beach in Donostia-San Sebastián, la Zurriola. Most of my memories from Zurriola are positive: getting to know my roommates as we basked in the sun, diving through the waves before sunset, and watching intense matches of beach volleyball. However, there was one night at Zurriola that stuck with me more than any other and taught me the importance of demonstrating respect while studying abroad.

This night reminded me that, no matter what, I would always be an outsider in Donostia. I would always be American, not Spanish or Basque. Therein lies the point of studying abroad: to be an outsider, to learn what that means, to appreciate it, and to “do it” to the best of your ability so that you can effectively connect with the city and its people. Studying abroad means using a foreign language, trying foods you’ve never tried, celebrating holidays you haven’t heard of, gaining skills of independence while soaking up the history and culture of your host country. It should be uncomfortable in many ways, since so much of it is novel.

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A Christian Reflection on Study Abroad

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When people talk about their study abroad experiences, the most common topics are places to visit, to shop, to eat, and to have fun. A less common topic is religion and where you can find a community that shares your faith in a new country. One of my 2020 resolutions before setting off to Madrid was to get closer to God. Admittedly, I didn’t do my due diligence. I didn’t look up a single church or community in Madrid where I could practice my Christian faith. Instead, once I got to Spain, most of my time was spent with friends–eating, drinking, going clubbing on some weekends or in my bedroom. None of this helped me grow my faith. Instead I was heavily distracted, engaging in activities to fit in with others in my program and almost always feeling guilty afterward. To make matters worse academic life was being repeatedly disrupted by major depressive episodes. Many nights I fell asleep exhausted from sobbing, feeling the distance between me and God growing further and further. And like a plot straight from a horror movie, the virus quickly reached and took over Spain. A sense of great fear swept over everyone. Sanitizers and masks that were readily available just a week prior were sold out and merchants couldn’t tell us when they’d be back in stock. Ultimately, my time in Spain came to an abrupt halt and I left Spain in the same spiritual place I had been in before arriving. Most of my deepened faith journey happened after I got back home. However, that doesn’t have to be you. For this reason, I have compiled a short list of churches in the Madrid area that might be useful to anyone going abroad who wants to still be involved in a community of believers.

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My Year Abroad in Madrid, Spain teaching English

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This year 2021-2022, I am living and working in Madrid, Spain as an English Language Assistant and Cultural Ambassador. I live in the city center of Madrid and I work in a suburb in the south of the city, called Navalcarnero. I teach in a public bilingual secondary school, also known as high school, for ages ranging from the youngest being 11 years old to the oldest 19 years old. In Spain, high school is the American equivalent of 7th-12th grade. I was so nervous to get this placement because of how close in age I am to some of the kids. However, I am very happy and thankful to have this placement and to be at this school.

I applied at the end of January of 2021 through NALCAP, the Spanish Ministry program. This is a free program and is one of the biggest ones. It is competitive in the sense that it is first come, first serve regarding the number of available spots in the program, and getting your first choice region. There are many other English teaching programs in Spain, in all of Europe, and the world. The guidelines on how to apply are on the NALCAP website. When the application opens, you select the top three regions you want to be placed in, so you can’t choose the exact city. For example, I chose Madrid as my number one choice, knowing that my school would be anywhere in the Comunidad de Madrid, not just in the city. Then you choose what age level you want to teach, ranging from the equivalent to preschool level to high school. I chose primary school as my top choice, but got my last choice: high school.

My job as an “auxiliar de conversación”/ language assistant/ cultural ambassador, however you want to call it, is assisting in English/bilingual classes and exposing the students to a native speaker, and sharing American culture. With me, the students get a two for one: I share with them my Chinese American culture and perspective. In my classes, I’m either doing a presentation for a portion of the class of a topic the teacher tells me to do, doing speaking activities from the workbook with the students in pairs or just chatting with them to get them to practice in a “real world” example, or preparing the 4 ESO students for their Cambridge Language Exam.

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Spanish Exchange Trip – A Pivotal Experience

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When I was a senior in high school I got the opportunity to participate in an exchange program. I lived in San Sebastian, Spain for two weeks with a host family, and also hosted the student I lived with in Spain at my Massachusetts home for two weeks. Although my experience was in high school, I believe it can relate to UMass students who are nervous about going abroad – they may not want to miss a semester in Amherst, or spend time away from their college friends. However, I would encourage any student, especially Spanish and Portuguese majors, to study abroad and live with a host family if they have the opportunity to. I truly feel that it is the best way to immerse yourself in a different language and culture. Additionally, traveling abroad and living with a host family served as a pivotal moment in my life. I had planned to study abroad during my Sophomore year at UMass, however because of the Covid-19 pandemic I wasn’t able to. Below is an essay I wrote my freshman year at UMass that dives deeper into my experience.

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American Student Takes Classes in Spain

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I want to share with you my experience taking classes in Spain. In the summer of 2021 I had the opportunity to embark on a journey with other UMass students through the Salamanca Summer program. To provide some context I’ll start off by saying I was really excited to study abroad because this was my last summer before graduating. I would not have another opportunity to do so once the academic year started. Secondly I’d also like to share that although I am bilingual and familiar with the language, this was my first time travelling to Europe. I hope as you read my experience, you are encouraged to also participate in this beautiful adventure and get out of your comfort zone.

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Traveling in the Summer of 2021

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Studying abroad in the midst of a pandemic was a bold choice. I’ll admit, I didn’t believe I was actually going until I was sitting on the plane. Even then, I was hyper aware that the trip could be cut short in a moment’s notice and I’d be sent back home. I was keeping up to date with all of the restrictions and regulations of Spain and the United States every single day, hoping that with the rolling out of the vaccine and better management of cases I was safe to travel. Obviously, I was traveling to Spain out of pure indulgence and luxury. There wasn’t a need for me to go. I am so aware of the privilege I had to safely travel in the summer of 2021. For this, I was keen on following all mandates and regulations of the area.

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Go travel

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Before you read through this entire blog, this could be your sign, so do yourself a favor right now and go for it.

Go for what?

Go travel.

Before coming to UMass, all I would think about was traveling and studying abroad. I didn’t just want to go to Spain; I needed to go to Spain. For most people, studying abroad is something that is on the back burner. Many think they can just wait until Junior or Senior year. While this is a great way to plan, and I encourage you to plan like this as well, if the opportunity arises, and you feel within you that you should do it, do it.

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Studying in Salamanca

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My integrative experience involved studying abroad in Salamanca, Spain, where I took three Spanish classes at the University of Salamanca. When I think back to my time here, it doesn’t seem real. It seems like a dream, like I lived another life. It seems like I was placed into another world with a completely different culture, but somehow it became normal to me, until I was routinely living as though this was home to me. I miss the commotion at night in the Plaza Mayor, the home cooked meals by my host mother, and the way the sun glistens on the buildings of gold. There was so much beauty all around me, I hope others will take the opportunity to experience this as well.

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Reflecting on Studying Abroad in Granada

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Reflections and Advice for Studying Abroad

I was nervous about so many things before studying abroad. Will I make friends? Will my host family be creepy or weird? Will I be robbed? Am I packing enough clothes? Will the Spaniards make fun of my accent?

I wish so badly that someone told me to stop worrying about the future because you have no idea what is going to happen. Just focus on the excitement of a new experience.

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My abroad experience in Madrid, the virus epicenter, during the beginning of a global pandemic.

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I am writing this blog post a little more than a month before I would have been leaving for Madrid last school year, but still in 2020. Ah yes, I still think about it literally everyday. It is now nearly a year later: December 8, 2020 and I just ended my fall semester of my senior year of college. Such a weird semester. Weird, nostalgic, different, to say the least, but not entirely bad. This time last year I was prepping to go on the biggest trip and experience thus far in my life: I was so incredibly excited, ready, and nervous, too. I’ve been abroad before and to this city a handful of time, but this time was going to be different: it was abroad. I do think in some ways “studying abroad” can be too romanticized, because you picture young college students going abroad to a country that they know nothing of and just partying all the time, but obviously that’s not the case for everybody. As well as the concept of: “young student goes abroad to a foreign city and finds herself”, but there’s nothing wrong with that, because #mood, that is so relatable and I felt the same way. But the concept of studying abroad, at least my goals, were to broaden my horizons, meet new people, discover what I am capable of on my own, and soak in a culture, and that is why having my experience just cut short hurt so bad. Yes of course there will be plenty of time and opportunities in my life/our lives to travel, but there will never be a time where we are this young, wide eyed and hungry for fun and adventure, and literally have no responsibilities, but to see the world and have the time of our lives.

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