Study Abroad in Spain
Boris, who graduated in 2022 with a B.A. in Spanish with a concentration in Adolescence Education and a Minor in Latino Studies, had the opportunity to volunteer at an elementary school while studying abroad for a few months in Spain
Best view: The first of two viewpoints in Alhambra, a palace in Grenada, where people would go to watch the sunset.
“People would be playing guitar, drinking wine, laying on blankets and just watching the sunset. I would go up there probably about three or four times a week with my friends. The view was insane. You saw the Sierra Nevada mountains in the background, and it would be pink every single night. It was just gorgeous.”
Best food: Payala, huevos rotos.
“In Spain they have tapas, so every time you order a drink, you get a free appetizer. So when you went out at night, you’d go tapa-hopping.”
Biggest cultural difference: How slow-paced they are.
“They were never in a rush. Here, you always have to go, go, go. There, everything was super slow, which was really nice to just appreciate everything and not have to be on the go every time.”
How studying abroad helped her prepare for her future career as a teacher: Gaining valuable experience in a Spanish-speaking school.
“I volunteered at an elementary school three times a week, where I taught 2nd through 5th graders English for about an hour a day for each level. That definitely helped me here (at St. Joseph’s), and I plan to get my master’s in TESOL, so that’s also a great experience — to be able to teach students while in a foreign country and even see how their school system works, because it’s very different from in the United States.”
Other travel that stemmed from it:
Short trips to Ireland and Portugal while studying abroad in Spain.
