In 2019, I went on a two week, World War II based trip to Poland, the Czech Republic, Germany, and Switzerland. When I returned to the United States, I jokingly told my parents that I HAD to attend the University in Munich. I was only a Junior in high school at the time, but I knew that I wanted to go abroad again. I took Spanish all of high school, mainly because I really enjoyed the class and it was an easy A. When I began my freshman year at the University of Arkansas, I was seeking a BA in Biology and a minor in Spanish. I planned on going abroad to a non Spanish speaking country. However, during my sophomore year, I really enjoyed my Spanish courses and professors at the University of Arkansas. Later that year, I decided to change my Spanish minor to a major.

Fast forward to January 4th of this year, when I landed in Madrid, Spain for my spring semester abroad. I knew I was nowhere near fluent when it came to speaking, though I felt a lot more comfortable reading, writing and listening. I chose to stay with a host family in Madrid to be as immersed as possible in the language, culture, and day to day life of the country. I made it my mission to put myself out there and speak as much as I could to take full advantage of this once in a lifetime opportunity.

My host family and I after lunch at my host dads favorite spot, VIPs! Left to Right: My host dad, Arturo, my host mother, Liliana, my host brother, Charlie, and me.

When I arrived at my host family’s apartment, I was greeted by my host mother. She began speaking to me in Spanish right away. This was a shock, but it allowed me an experience of living and learning the language 24/7. I knew everyday, when I walked into my house I would be speaking Spanish. One day, a few weeks into studying abroad, I walked into my house and my host mom was in the kitchen and asked me “¿Quieres fish?” (Do you want fish?) I could not understand and made her repeat the sentence twice before she replied “Quieres PESCADO”. We both laughed because this was the first (and only) word in English she ever said to me even though she knew that I knew the Spanish word for fish (pescado). We continued to have conversations about fish, which is a food I never ate in the United States. I told myself when I came abroad that I would try everything she made for me, but if I didn’t like it, I would tell her. I tried multiple kinds of seafood but sadly it just isn’t for me. All jokes aside, my host mom was the most amazing cook. I rarely ate out because I did not want to miss one of her amazing meals. Trying new foods and immersing myself in the Spanish diet was really a vital part of my study abroad experience and attempting to “live like a local” in Madrid.

My host family was the highlight of my abroad experience. I lived with my host mother Liliana, her son Charlie and their two dogs, Eros and Stevie. My host dad lived in the apartment next door with two exchange students of his own. Everyday at 3pm, I would have the most amazing lunch cooked by my host mom. I looked forward to conversing with my host family about our days and watching the news in Spanish. After lunch, we would have a siesta which is a break in the day to relax or nap usually between 4-6pm. Following the siesta, my host dad required that we have “La merienda y infusión” (snack with an infusion which is similar to tea) everyday, which was usually some sort of sweet treat from the local bakeries and tea. This was the best part of my day. Having these meal times allowed me to converse in Spanish and get to know them. I was able to learn the language in a different way than what I was taught in school. I am forever thankful for my host family allowing me into their home and treating me as a part of their family. I am still in contact with them and I am confident that I will be back to Madrid to have a snack and tea. If you have the opportunity to stay with a host family, I would highly recommend it.

The number #1 item on my bucket list was to visit Stonehenge at sunrise. This was my favorite trip I took during my Study Abroad. Stonehenge is a natural wonder of the world and it was built over 5,000 years ago.

While I was abroad, I had the opportunity to visit Portugal, France, Italy, the United Kingdom and the many different cities and islands of Spain. I was able to do this because I did not have classes on Fridays! Not to mention the various Spanish holidays such as San Isidro, Labor Day, Carnaval, Three Kings Day, and Easter Week. In April, I ran the Zurich Rock ‘n’ Roll Madrid Half Marathon. This was my favorite half marathon I have ever ran. There were over 40,000 runners, 30 entertainment stages located throughout the course, and a really awesome pre and post race bag. Amidst traveling, I enjoyed running through Madrid. My favorite places to run included Retiro Park, Santander Track, and Casa De Campo. Training for the half marathon gave me the opportunity to explore Madrid by foot and find some really cool parks during my training.

Throughout the month of January, I was enrolled in a four week long Spanish intensive course. This course involved five hours of class a day with primarily study abroad students from different Universities in America. I began my semester courses in February and they lasted until the end of May. These courses were about grammar, literature, conversation and composition, and Art in the Prado Museum. All of them were instructed in Spanish. One of my favorite things about my courses from the semester was the small class sizes and the diversity of my classes. My semester courses were full of students from all around the world. From Iran, China, Japan, Italy, France, Libya, Tahiti and so many more. The combination of speaking Spanish to my host family daily and being in all Spanish courses really allowed me to learn the language.

My study abroad experience has changed my life. Going abroad showed me that I still have so much to learn and so many more places to visit. I can now confidently say I have fallen in love with learning languages. My first trip outside of Spain was to Lisbon, Portugal. Here I realized that I am fully capable of learning a third language. I was able to speak to the Portuguese in Spanish and understand what they were saying to me in Portuguese. Until this trip, I never really grasped how similar the four main romance languages were. Then came my trip to Italy where I was able to understand (significantly less than Portuguese) a little bit of Italian. This trip really put into perspective that I could learn another language with a little bit of practice and immersion. Studying abroad in Madrid was such a rewarding experience and I am so thankful for the honors college. It was the trip of a lifetime and I am very fortunate to have represented the University of Arkansas in Spain this spring.