Seville, Spain

Spring 2023, 6 weeks in Seville, Spain

Meet Nicki Owen!

I'm a biochemistry major and a Spanish minor. I play trumpet in the Laker Marching Band and I'm the president of La Tertulia, GVSU's Spanish club. I've known ever since I fell in love with the Spanish language and its culture in 8th grade that I wanted to study abroad and I was so grateful to finally get that opportunity this past summer!

Program type: GVSU Spain: Language and Culture faculty-led program (COWA- classroom host)

Most time spent in: Seville, Spain

Length: 6 weeks

Semester/Year: Spring 2023

Year at GVSU when studied abroad: between Sophomore and Junior year

Background

I wanted a summer program because I didn't have time to study abroad during the normal school year, so this program was perfect. I also felt much more comfortable going abroad with a professor and other students from the same school as me.

Example Day

I would have my 2 classes from 9 - 12:15 Monday through Friday. After class, my friends and I would usually buy a snack and walk around Maria Luisa Park, which was right across the street from our school. After that, I would go home and eat lunch around 1:30 - 2. I would then take a "siesta" and get my schoolwork done before my 2 host brothers came home from school. In the evenings, I would either have a cultural visit with my class or I would do something with my host family, like playing with the kids. I would then eat dinner around 8 with my family and relax before bed.

Reflection

I had no idea just how integrated I would be in my host family. I went to birthday parties with my host brothers, met the entire extended family, and went shopping with my host mom and her friend. I really got to learn what it was like to be a part of a Spanish family through them. I also had no idea just how overwhelming it would be to be immersed in the Spanish language. Even though I had studied Spanish everyday for over 6 years, I truly didn't realize how many words I didn't know until I was forced to only use Spanish. This feeling didn't last long, though, and I quickly picked up and adjusted.

"I really got to learn what it was like to be a part of a Spanish family"

Challenges/Advice/Recommendations

Your notes app is your friend! I made lists of places I wanted to go see and foods I wanted to try before I went and it was so nice to already have some research done before I left. Plus whenever someone wanted to know what we should do, I already had a whole list of places ready. I also highly recommend taking little notes in your phone while you're abroad. I know people who added words and phrases that they learned while they were in Spain to a list. I kept a running list of cultural differences I observed between Spain and the United States. It's so much less stressful to remember things when you're back if you were simply making note of them when they happened.

If you have any questions about the program above or the experience of this page's author, Ben, specifically, feel free to contact him using the following email: owenni@mail.gvsu.edu

La Tertulia (GVSU Spanish Club)

This website is kept up by La Tertulia, the GVSU Spanish Club. This club gives students the opportunity to practice their Spanish and expand their knowledge about different countries where Spanish is spoken. Check out the La Tertulia Laker Link page for more details!

If you want to share your own experience studying abroad and be featured on this website to help future fellow students, fill out the following form: https://forms.gle/anqjj4d2tP5eQwWE9

Page updated

Report abuse