Visiting Venice

Author: Costa Anagnost | Major: International Business | Semester: Summer 2023

I started looking into AIFS as my program because I had heard positive reviews about them from friends who were traveling to other cities in Europe. So I started looking into their program and I loved what they had to offer. They included things such as free dinners, activities throughout the city, and even guided trips to other cities in Spain as well. Once I saw these, I decided that they were the program that I was going to choose. The two classes that I took while there were Art in Spain and International Management. These classes were a great combination because they stimulated my interests in two completely separate areas. One gave me a more practical education about business operations and customs in foreign countries, which is something that directly correlates to my major, International Business, and the other gave me insight into many famous pieces of art and the history behind them. So, one helped further my professional ambitions and the other helped stimulate my personal curiosity about Spain, which I found to be a great combination. The teachers in both of my courses were very knowledgeable and truly helped me to learn about the subjects that we covered, making it feel as if I was taking a course with instructors at home and creating a very easy environment to learn in.

My International Management course was very fascinating to me because of my personal interest in the subject and its relevance to my major, but my Art in Spain course was unlike any course I’ve ever taken. It taught us about many of the most famous artists in Spanish history and the cultural significance of their works. Figures such as Velazquez, Dali, Picasso, & Goya were spoken about extensively, and I feel that I learned so much about Spanish culture from this class alone. It’s very interesting to learn about famous artworks at home, but it’s another thing to learn about famous art whenever you can go and see them within the same day. The class included a trip to the world-famous Prado museum, where we got to examine famous works such as Velasquez’s “Las Meninas” and Goya’s “Black Paintings” in person. For anybody considering joining AIFS, this would definitely be the main course that I would recommend.

While I may have learned plenty from the courses that I took in my classes at the Universidad de Nebrija, it was the experiences that I had throughout Spain that truly helped me to learn about foreign cultures. Spain has a very different food culture than the United States, and it is expected that you spend plenty of time at any meal that you eat. Part of the reason that dinners take so long is the fact that tipping does not exist, but it’s also just a cultural thing as well. The Spanish people tend to take things slow and enjoy the time that they have, you will not find as much fast food or people rushing through their days. People tend to take siestas often, and they also stay up extremely late, making for an extremely lively nightlife. These experiences were just so different from what I have been used to during college, so it made me change my habits and think more about my daily life at home.

My favorite three experiences were my weekend trips to Barcelona, Toledo, and Venice. I was able to schedule trips to Barcelona and Venice with my roommates, and the experience was phenomenal. Barcelona may be in the same country as Madrid, but the cultural contrast between the two cities was enormous, making for a very fascinating trip. Venice on the other hand was one of the most beautiful cities I have ever been to, and I will never forget taking the water taxi to see different sights throughout the city. However, my favorite trip was by far my visit to Toledo. The Toledo trip that I took was a one-day visit that was free thanks to my program, and I was stunned by the beauty of the city. Truth be told, I had never heard of Toledo before studying abroad, and I always would have thought somebody was referencing a city in Ohio before visiting Spain. However, Toledo was arguably the most beautiful city I have ever seen, and I would absolutely recommend anybody studying abroad in Spain to try to figure out a way to go see it.

Every single person who studies abroad is going to recommend their program to others who are interested in studying abroad, and I am no different. AIFS gave me the experience of a lifetime and I am so thankful for the memories that I have taken home. If I were to give some tips to anybody interested in studying abroad, it would be to embrace the new culture that you are going to immerse yourself in. Try everything that they have to offer and stay open to new experiences. I’d also recommend planning some trips beforehand, as it was very hectic trying to coordinate and plan trips two days before we’d leave. Studying abroad was great, but I missed Mexican food a lot, so right when I got home, my family and I went out to grab a good dinner. Spanish food was great, but our Mexican food is definitely better.