For my final post, I wanted to offer some advice for future study abroad students as they begin their respective international journeys. First, I wanted to discuss Spain and Sevilla. I would highly recommend UPO for anyone considering studying abroad. They have a ton of classes for international students taught in multiple languages, and a well-developed international program overall with weekly activities and school-sponsored trips. I also enjoyed living with a host family because it is a great first step into a foreign culture and offers many commodities compared to living by yourself or with other students. If you do end up at UPO, make sure to keep in touch with the international interns, they are a great resource for you! Also, spend some time on the river and make sure you attend a flamenco show.
An important lesson I learned while studying abroad was about the relativity of time. Overall, I was in Spain for about the time of a summer program, but I was under the impression I would be there for a whole semester and the summer. As such, I did a lot of things differently: I spent most of my time familiarizing myself with Sevilla, I didn’t go on many weekend trips to try and save money for the summer, and simply thought that I had more time than I really did. I definitely enjoyed myself, but I learned how spreading out your adventures across your entire trip can be a good strategy.
Finally, I wanted to include the following excerpt from my Honors Capstone proposal:
Travelling will always present limitations and potential problems…. Travelling internationally can also be difficult as there are so many variables of everyday life: Losing a phone, getting on the wrong train, getting lost, or being exposed to a new strain of bacteria and getting sick are all common setbacks while travelling.
Although my analysis certainly was correct, I did not grasp just how true this statement was. I provided some good examples of what can go wrong while studying abroad, but I failed to guess a global pandemic. All of this is to say that one lesson that I learned from my studying abroad experience was that there are certain events in life that we can never be prepared for and that we have no control over; instead, we can only control how we react to said events. No matter how well you plan for your study abroad trip, there will always be highs and lows, hardships and triumphs. Although it sounds cliché, I recommend trying to get the most out of every day while you are abroad. If you have homework, do it in a park! Try and find a new restaurant, bar, etc., every day and meet someone new (for those studying in Spain, the Spanish people are a loquacious bunch so that shouldn’t be too hard). Anyone who is studying abroad will have already done a lot of work to get where they are – enjoy yourself and try not to let your experience go by too fast.
And that’s a wrap for the semester! Thank you to everyone who has helped me along my study abroad journey – I know my time abroad is not done yet, and I will hopefully be out of the country again learning about Spanish, culture, and the world within the next couple of years!
In the meantime, good luck to all the future international students! Keep pushing yourselves, study hard, have fun, and WASH YOUR HANDS.
Signing off,
-Patrick Ewell