Bridget studied in our Salamanca Summer Program and then planned a semester-long study abroad in Santiago (Chile). Learn more about what she discovered in both experiences.
On Not Being the “U.S. American Tourist” (and Other Important Realizations)
I have been lucky enough to have studied at not one but two foreign universities in Spain and Chile. In the grand scheme of things, four months is not a very long time, and one month is even less. But the connections one makes with “unlikely” people last longer than those few short months you spent with them, and this should be evident to, I hope, every single person that took a semester or two to study or travel abroad.
In the summer of 2018, I traveled to Salamanca (Spain) for a month. I decided on my Spanish major really late in the game, and I was told by advisors in the department that if I take a certain amount of credits in the summer I would be able to graduate with a B.A. in Spanish “on time,” meaning this upcoming spring. I willingly signed up to go and knew that Salamanca would only provide me with a small idea of what was to come before I studied abroad for a whole semester. I was excited to go to Spain, but at the same time, I knew that it would be difficult for me to live in a very new place for an extended period of time.
My biggest goal before I went to Salamanca was to speak only in Spanish. I was not as confident then and I had yet to realize that my improvement in Spanish was reliant on realizing that I still had a lot to learn. I forced myself to speak Spanish every chance I got; eventually I realized how difficult it was to take part in something literally and figuratively as foreign as trying to communicate in ways I wasn’t used to. I got extremely frustrated when I couldn’t understand what my host mom was telling me; I would thank her for meals and answer most of her questions, but I struggled to have a conversation with her that wasn’t as simple as “do you need any help?” or “what are you going to do tomorrow?”
I haven’t had very positive experiences with dealing with roommates in the past, but my perception of community within the UMass group in Salamanca developed through my relationship with my roommate. Even though my roommate from Salamanca and I only lived together for a month, I found a great friend in her and knew that I could rely on her for anything during our time abroad together. I really appreciated being able to live in an unfamiliar environment with someone from the same state and university as me; she helped me with speaking Spanish, we did our homework together sometimes, and we often discussed our days before we went to bed. I know it can be really difficult to be comfortable around someone that is a stranger but I encourage everyone to create a strong bond with their roommates. As long as we let ourselves be vulnerable in new experiences, we are bound to learn something new every time. I still talk to my roommate every now and then. She reminded me that I am able to create meaningful bonds within a short period of time and learn from difficult experiences I may face with utmost bravery and confidence.
I appreciate Salamanca for all the relationships and knowledge it gave me in such a short amount of time, but I didn’t learn to really tackle my root frustrations until I got to Santiago de Chile. I knew that I was going to be the only UMass student in my program this past spring semester; I knew that when I got to Santiago, I would know zero people. I would need to reset myself and adjust my expectations in order to fit a new space with a new community. Even though I set myself back through being preoccupied with how I wasn’t “great” at making new friends, I did have such a strong motivation to make lasting connections, especially with those who were inviting me to share with them their country’s culture in such an intense and intimate way.
My host mom, Gina, is one of the most selfless, composed, and amazing people I’ve ever met. The space at Gina’s was smaller than at my Spanish host mom’s house, but I had my own room and bathroom. Usually for dinner it’d just be Gina and I; sometimes her son Felipe would eat with us too if we cooked a little later. We would talk and share things about our day, and even when we had nothing immediate to talk about, Gina would find a way to help me with my Spanish, asking me questions such as what my family is like and how my friends were at home. On the weekends we would make big meals, sometimes Gina and Felipe would invite over friends, cousins, and siblings to share a meal with us. I have never in my life felt so included, welcomed, and involved in someone else’s life that wasn’t my own family’s. Having a host family was one of the most rewarding decisions I could have ever made for myself. I loved being able to feel like a legitimate part of someone’s life that is so different from anything I would live on my own without such a strong presence and influence such as Gina’s. Gina and Felipe taught me so much about cooking, recycling, composting, and gardening as well as showed me what a genuine, human connection looked like in spite of possible cultural differences.
I lucked out when it came to my host family and I also lucked out when it came to the friends I made while in Santiago. I had a fair share of friends within the USAC group (the organization I studied abroad with), but I think the most memorable connections I made were with the Chileans generous enough to be patient with my Spanish and teach me about their lives. As I mentioned before, I was super focused on improving my Spanish in Spain so as to be “grammatically correct” or “fluent,” whatever that means. But it was through these friendships I made in Chile that made me really start to realize why I was studying Spanish – I wanted to communicate with those that I never would have communicated with if I didn’t know a second language. Sure, we spoke in English a bit, but it wouldn’t have been the same if I didn’t speak Spanish. I learned through my time in Chile that not only is language imperative to understanding Latinx and Hispanic culture within (and the Latin American culture outside of) the U.S., but it is learning how to use it that is the most important realization one can make.
One of my good friends that I made last semester was Venezuelan; we met at a party at the beginning of my stay and even from that first interaction I felt like I could speak to anyone, even if I was “afraid” that I’d mess up my Spanish or say something wrong. During the time I was getting to know him, he told me a lot about all the stuff going on in Venezuela; I started to understand more and more the deep prejudice we have as U.S. citizens, usually unknowingly, about Latinx people and their histories. The last time I saw my Venezuelan friend was at a karaoke night at one of our favorite bars; I promised myself I wouldn’t cry or get upset that night, but hearing him tell me that he had learned so much from me and that he would never forget me made me realize that the lasting impact we have on others (and in turn those they have on us) must never be ignored. We are taught as privileged citizens of a privileged country to take all we can so as to “be on top” and benefit mostly ourselves before anyone else. How was I going to take all the things I had learned from being in South America and turn them into beneficial resources for all people that had helped me get to where I am now? How was I ever going to get out of my U.S. American mentality? And how could I ever repay the people that had given me things without them asking for or even expecting something from me?
These are questions I feel as if I never would have asked myself if I studied for longer in Spain. The culture in Latin America is so different than that of the U.S. or Europe, but that is what makes it so special. Yet at the same time, it is not enough to simply appreciate what we have learned and apply it to our own personal gain; we must answer the important and sometimes uncomfortable questions that loom above our privileged heads. I will never forget my Venezuelan friend, nor my Chilean friends or my host family. I promised I’d see all of them again, but I also promised that I would work harder and harder every day to apply myself to working towards ensuring every person has a voice and presence, one that deserves to be heard and not ignored the second we step foot again on our “home” turf and university. If we forgot, there really is no use in admitting we studied abroad besides to express we are “cultured” in a different way than we had been before leaving the U.S.
For those of you that want to study abroad, I have a couple pieces of advice to share. Spain is a cool place if you want to immerse yourself in a lot of food, art, and history that you wouldn’t necessarily experience in the U.S. But if you’re looking for a deeper connection with people, an experience that will give you a more complicated worldview and almost a sort of wake-up call, go somewhere you wouldn’t necessarily ever think of going. For me that place that changed it all was Chile. I never regret having chosen to go there, and even though I was so incredibly nervous to go, I am also so inexpressibly grateful. I hope that everyone has an experience like this because it is truly the most beautiful and important thing that exists in my life at this moment.
As one of my Chilean friends told me before I left to come back to the U.S., never ever stop learning. Learn, learn, learn every day. And don’t give up if there’s something obstructing your motivation – there is always going to be another way around.