Traveling Throughout Spain

I've been lucky enough to be able to travel throughout Spain a little bit throughout my time here and it has been nothing short of amazing. I haven't been many places but the places I have been have really taught me a lot about Spain and different parts of social life and history. I have been to Seville (Sevilla), Ronda, and Barcelona and they have all been amazing.

I was able to go to Sevilla and Ronda with my program and that was really amazing. We were able to have a tour guide in a few locations which really helped us to be able to learn. 

The first place we went in Sevilla was the Real Alcázar de Sevilla. It was absolutely beautiful and was very reminiscent of La Alhambra in Granada. It is a royal palace that was originally built by Moorish kings. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the architecture is amazing.



















We were also able to visit the Cathedral of Sevilla which was astonishing. It is the largest Gothic cathedral in the world and the third largest overall. It is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was built as a way to demonstrate the city's wealth. 








This is Christopher Columbus' tomb which is located in the Cathedral.

We were also able to go up to the tower which can be accessed by ramps. This is because they used to use donkeys to climb to the top and donkeys have a difficult time with stairs. 







We were also able to visit Plaza España which was really amazing. 





The next day we went to Ronda which was amazingly beautiful. They are most famous for their bridges and the strong history of bullfighting.













The next weekend a few of my friends and I headed to Barcelona, which was a little farther of a distance. We hung out and did a lot but we mainly focused on two sites: Sagrada Familia and Park Güell, which are both works done by Gaudí. 

One of the main differences between Granada and Barcelona is language. People in Barcelona, usually, do not speak Spanish. They speak Catalán because Barcelona is a part of Catalonia. The country of Spain as a whole speaks more languages than just Spanish so be careful when travelling! People from Barcelona don't like when you speak Spanish to them, we learned the hard way and stuck to English from then on.

We started with Sagrada Familia and picture and words cannot do this place justice. And it not even finished yet! It won't be completed until 2026. Gaudí died before it could be finished however, people are still working and using his designs.




The inside is built to look like a forest and there is rainbow glass on all of the windows.










I was also able to go up in one of the towers as well and the views were amazing.











The next day, we were able to see Park Güell and that was also very beautiful. It's an amazing place for a photoshoot, so that's what my friends and I did!
















Anyway, my experiences traveling through Spain have been wonderful and I am so happy to have been able to experience them.

Thanks for reading,
Kelly

Living with a Host Mom

When I signed up to study abroad, I knew I wanted to stay with a host family. I figured it would be the best way to be fully immersed in the culture. When I got my placement, I was very excited to meet the family I would be staying with. When I received the details, I found out that I would be living with only a host mother and I would have my own room. When I arrived, I realized that my host mother spoke zero English and that my sub-par Spanish would be the only way we could communicate. I was nervous, but I figured that it would be a learning experience, and boy, has it been. There are many pros and cons to living with a host family but the pros definitely outweigh the cons. If you are thinking of studying abroad, I seriously suggest living with a local family.


CONS:

• The food is different. I have loved every single food item that my host mom has given me but I do miss the food that I was used to eating. I am also a vegetarian, which is difficult for my host mom because that is not the way that she eats normally so I constantly have to convince her that I don't eat meat and that I don't plan on changing that anytime soon.
• Laundry. It's really strange for me to have someone else doing my laundry. I've been doing my own laundry for a while and having to give my laundry to someone else for them to do is very different. It also takes a few days to receive the laundry back because my host mom doesn't have a dryer.
• LANGUAGE BARRIER. As I stated before, my Spanish is only okay so communicating is sometimes difficult. I'm consistently looking up words at the dinner table so that I can properly say what I want to say. That being said, I understand almost everything that my host mom says because she speaks very slowly and uses simple words that I understand. While it is a little bit different than normal, we are able to understand each other for the most part.
• The customs of a different country. For example, always wearing shoes in the house, being VERY cautious about electricity (I'm talking even when you are sitting in the room, if you are not doing something that requires light, the light is off), taking speedy quick showers, different eating schedules, and more. However, once you get used to these things, they are no longer difficult.

PROS:

• Complete immersion. You are living like a Spanish person does so you feel like you really fit in. You get to experience Spain as a Spaniard, which is nice.
• Trying new things. This includes but is not limited to: food, schedules, customs, everything.
• Your Spanish WILL improve. I have definitely learned more Spanish from my host mom than I have in any Spanish class I have ever taken, including the ones I am taking in Spain.
• You get to have the feeling of family while abroad. While you are gone, chances are, you're going to miss your family. Luckily, if you are living with a host family, you get to feel like part of their family and that really helps. Also, sometimes, host families have dogs.
• SO MUCH MORE

Overall, I 100% recommend living with a host family if you want a fully immersive experience abroad.

Thanks for reading, 

Kelly

Rome Round-Up

A few weekends ago, I was able to travel to Rome for a long weekend. It was the best trip I have taken since being abroad. I had such an amazing time. One of my best friends from home is currently studying abroad in Rome and being able to see a familiar face was so refreshing and wonderful. 

I made the journey to Rome with one of the friends that I met in Granada and it was a long day of travelling. First we started the day on a bus from Granada to Málaga. Then we got on our flight to Rome. There was this family on the plane that was so incredibly obnoxious but thankfully, I had my headphones and I just listened to music. After the flight, we had to take a train and a taxi to get to our Airbnb. On top of that, I had to register for classes as soon as we arrived so I'm sure that I was no fun to be around because I was so stressed out. 

After we arrived and got settled, my friend and I headed out to meet up with my friend from home. The trouble with that was that neither of us knew where we were going and neither of us spoke Italian so we couldn't even get proper help from anyone. We ended up being approximately 2 hours late. Oops. 

When we finally did meet up with her, we headed to get food because my friend and I had barely eaten all day. We went to a restaurant and I ordered spinach ravioli and it was probably the best thing I have ever eaten in my whole life. After that, we headed to the Trevi Fountation to make our wishes and then we went to see the Colosseum at night and it was amazing. The entire night felt like a movie. 





The next day, my friend and I had tickets to the Vatican Museums so we woke up early in order to get there on time. Of course, we ended up being very late but luckily, they let us in anyway. (We had to take two buses to get there and we accidentally got on the wrong bus. Then when we finally got there, we couldn't find the entrance and we walked the entire perimeter of Vatican City only to find out it was very close to where we started). 







When we got there, we headed towards the museums to see all of the artwork and more specifically, to see the Sistine Chapel. 












You aren't allowed to take pictures of the Sistine Chapel but let me just say that it is incredibly beautiful and massive. The detail work and the sheer size is enough to make your jaw drop. 

That night, we met up with my friend for home and ate some more delicous food and saw some more sights including the Pantheon which was absolutely incredible. The entire time I was in Rome, I just kept thinking about how old everything was and all the people who have walked there before me. It's incredible to think about. 






Did you know that, even though there's a large hole in the ceiling of the Pantheon, rain rarely get's inside. it evaporates before it reaches the ground!




(Some delicious pizza I ate.)

The next day, I went to the Colosseum and HOLY GUACAMOLE!!!!! Talk about incredible. Words cannot describe so I'll just leave some pictures. 







The rest of the trip, I kind of hung out around some local spots (di some shopping and karaoke haha) and had a lot of fun with my friend from home. It was honestly such an amazing trip and I HIGHLY recommend Rome to everyone. 

Thanks for reading,
Kelly