Before heading to Alicante, Spain for a semester, I had been advised by a few classmates and friends that I needed to sign up for un intercambio, or a language partner, while abroad. They all told me that it was the best way to meet locals, especially when going abroad with many other Americans through a third party study abroad program. When my advisors in Alicante announced that we should go to their office to sign up for un intercambio, I went straight to them and put my name on the list. I requested a young woman my age. Shortly thereafter, I was assigned Paula. Continue reading →