I remember my middle school Spanish teacher telling me about her study abroad experience in Spain and from them on, I knew I had to make it part of mine. When I got to college, I realized that I did not have nearly as much money as middle school me expected me to have at this age and I started to rethink my plans. However, I was still curious so I attended the study abroad info session that my school offered where I found out that my financial aid and my scholarships could be transferred and applied to my study abroad. After that, I was sold. I researched and researched and fell in love with Granada and soon enough, I was applying and getting accepted to CEA's study abroad program in Granada, Spain. But, I'm getting ahead of myself, let's backtrack a bit.
Making the Decision to Study Abroad
I've been in Spain for 4 weeks now and all I can say is that it is the best decision I have ever made. I have already learned so much that I never would have even thought about learning in the US. My flight to Spain brought me to a different continent for the first time in my life and while I moved around a lot growing up, I never traveled further than Texas from the East Coast. Experiencing Spain has opened my eyes in so many ways that I never would have imagined from my comfortable position in New Jersey.If you are even slightly thinking about studying abroad, my advice to you is to go for it. You will find that every day feels like an adventure but you will also find that you begin to feel at home as well. While my experiences only relate to Spain, I am sure that studying anywhere will be just as beneficial.
Making the Decision to Study in Granada, Spain
Granada, Spain is my dream location. I've never actually lived in a city but I have been to many cities and I can say for certain that Granada is different. When you walk around, you can feel the history and culture that exists here. It is a university city which means that there are a lot of people around my age that live close by. It is also home to La Alhambra which is Spain's most visited destination.
When I was at home trying to decide where to go, Spain was an obvious decision. I wanted to go somewhere that spoke Spanish and I wanted to go somewhere in Europe so I basically only had one option. After that, however, I had to decide on a city. As far as price goes, Granada is one of the cheapest cities to live in in Spain, which is always helpful. Granada also takes advantage of the siesta which basically means that many shops and restaurants close for a few hours in the late afternoon and everyone goes home and sleeps (which, if you're anything like me, is a HUGE benefit.) Granada also has free tapas which are kind of like appetizers that are given to you for free when you order a drink at most restaurants and cafes. (Free food...always a benefit). Granada also offered an option to study Spanish at the University of Granada which is one of the oldest schools in Spain at the Centro de Lenguas Modernas (Center of Modern Languages). They also had options to take classes in both English and Spanish.
All of those things pushed me towards Granada, Spain and if you stay tuned for other posts, you'll find out many more reasons to choose Granada and why I'm so happy with my decision.
Thanks for reading,
Kelly
