A Look Back - Reflecting Over the Spain Experience

Over the course of this semester, I have been keeping you all updated on all kinds of things that went down while I was in Spain: the places I went, the things I did, and the people I met.  But now that I am back at home in the United States (and have taken some time to transition back into the American lifestyle), I can finally look back on my experience as a whole instead of just breaking it down into its individual parts.  And honestly, I am glad that I split it all up, because I don't think I could have ever possibly condensed it into one post.  Heck, I still don't know how to answer people when they ask me about it.  There is just so much that happened, not only personally (as I have written about) but also academically.

I was born and raised in Indiana, and never before had I left the United States.  The farthest I had ever traveled was to the east coast for a leadership program two summers in a row.  And I may have lived on the ocean, but I had never flown across one before.  Until this semester anyways.  The travel in itself was a surprise, simply because I had never traveled internationally before nor had I ever flown in a plane.  So, why not take it all on at once?  Talk about shocking...

Upon arriving into Spain, instantly everything was different.  That probably goes without saying, seeing as it's a different country that speaks a different language and all.  But it was that kind of experience that really just made you speechless: (1) because I had never used the language in real context, and (2) because for the first time in my life I was jet-lagged, exhausted mentally, and clueless as to how to get out of the airport and into the city I was to call home for the next three months.  I would say that this was the start of that beautiful thing called "culture shock."  However, in that moment, I don't think anyone would see that experience as beautiful.  In fact, it was quite stressful.  But even from that experience day one, I quickly learned that the hardest and sometimes more uncomfortable situations bring about the biggest growth.  That served true a lot of the time I was in Spain.  For weeks, the shock of another life in another nation was prevalent.  But by the midpoint of the semester when the routine was found the shock lessened to the point of extinction (at least until I made the change back to America).  Yes, things did get easier as the semester progressed.  Not EVERYTHING was difficult...just most things.  ;)  

But, to be real, one thing I learned after looking back is that the experiences that push you out of your comfort zone are the ones that allow to cover the most ground with learning a language.  I'm going to be honest, spending time with the other Americans in my program (though fun as they were to be around) didn't really help with my language development very much.  It was all of the involvement with the Spanish people that did wonders for my language acquisition.  From where I started to where I ended, what made the most difference was literally living the language.  Yes, I did speak English while I was there.  But I spoke mountains more Spanish because apart from my American cohorts, I had no other choice.  Spaniards speak Spanish.  And whenever I would speak with (or just listen to) my professors/host family/random strangers all I was able to do was absorb language.  Through my constant interactions, I was able to adapt so much new vocabulary and language structures.  I even adapted the accent!  It really didn't take much.  All I had to do was engage.  And it worked.  I was extremely thankful for the amount of years I had studied the language before, because it all made catching on a lot easier.  Having eight years of study under my belt before coming made adapting a lot smoother, especially with the forming of the Spanish accent!  I know that learning a language is possibly anywhere with no formal study, but I was appreciative of the prior experience for sure.

Though it was a positive experience overall, not all of it was gumdrops and rainbows.  With the successes came the challenges.  For example, throughout the semester I worked a couple of internships in Segovia: one at the artillery academy of Spain and the other at a local English school.  As you can probably imagine, my duty in both places was teaching English.  It was an opportunity to give my education degree I am currently pursuing a workout while abroad, and they were both great experiences.  However, when it comes to attaining another language, speaking one's native language doesn't exactly do a lot.  And because of the many hours weekly with my internships and volunteering, I lost a lot of time to really engage with Spanish, the reason I was there in the first place.  And the temptations to speak English while hanging out with the other American students was also common.  They were my classmates, my travel buddies, my study partners, all kinds of things.  Most of the time Spanish won, but sometimes English made its appearance.  All that to say, the greatest challenge was surprisingly the amount of English that floated around Segovia (and Spain in general).

My favorite part about my experiences in Spain (apart from speaking Spanish of course) was living the Spanish lifestyle and learning the European routine.  Language, as I have mentioned before, is only part of the culture of a place.  There are so many other parts that need to be taken into consideration: the cuisine, education, transportation, politics, economics, health, clothing, the list goes on.  And learning about all of them was a treat!  I'd say more than anything else I molded to this part the most, just because it was right up my alley.  I find culture studies fascinating, so to learn about so many different aspects apart from just the language was really quite amazing.  

But while studying the culture, I was also able to see just how complex Spain really is.  You see, something that most Americans like to do before they ever travel to Europe is assume that all of Europe is the same, just like a lot of people safely guess that all of North America is the same.  Obviously, both aren't true.  But with all of the acculturation, I was able to see just how complex and downright interesting Spain really is from all kinds of perspectives: politically, economically, and socially.  For me, I found acculturation to be very easy for me to handle.  Maybe it was because of my eight years of study before, maybe it was because I'm extroverted, who knows.  But learning about all of the complexities of the country definitely opened my eyes in ways that gave me not only a greater appreciation for the language I speak and also the country I grew up in.  

Though many Americans may not agree with me, we are very privileged here in the United States. And the funny thing is many people in Spain will tell you the same.  And after living there as the fish out of the fish bowl, I definitely can say that life is a lot harder in Europe than most people may care to think. They make mistakes and have trials too. This part of my experience was by far my favorite, because it brought about a lot of awareness of the blessings of life, especially those I received before I ever left for Spain.  And being able to live life with them made it even more eye-opening, because I was able to empathize with them instead of just reading about it.  It wasn't just something out of a textbook.  It was real life, brought out by each day's life experiences.

They say that when you study abroad you not only learn more about a language, but you also learn a ton about yourself in the process.  While I was in Spain, one thing I saw that allowed for the greatest amount of learning in the language was honestly the confidence.  Before I went overseas, I had really no confidence in my own speaking ability though I could read, write, and listen fairly efficiently.  But with every experience (good, bad, hard, awkward or otherwise) feeling more like a Spanish citizen and less like an American tourist made that confidence skyrocket.  When you live your entire life in another language and culture, it's pretty impossible to not feel stronger in your own abilities.  And along with the confidence, the ability to engage made the learning process all the more valuable.  Something I have seen in almost all of my life experiences is that if you invest a lot into something, more often than not you are going to take a lot away from it as well.  My experience in Spain in all respects was definitely true to that.  It's truly an experience I will never forget, because it was there I truly learned just how deeply passionate I am not only for the Spanish language, but Spain in general.  To all those who made my experience possible there (you know who you are), I can't express enough how truly thankful I am and how blessed I was to be able to take on something as great as this.  It will truly be missed, and I cannot wait to make a return voyage across that great blue Atlantic.

¡Bienvenido! (Adventures in Spain Part 1)

Hey there all!  Welcome to yet another blog by yours truly.  This time, I am going to be chronicling another adventure that I am going to be taking part in.  This coming spring semester, I am going to be taking a temporary leave of absence from the United States and living among the Spaniards in Segovia, Spain and studying the glorious Spanish language full on and more in-depth.  In all honesty, I never would have expected that something like this would be happening, and now that it is, I can't help but see just how truly blessed I am to even have such an opportunity to travel and study. Glory be to God! Nothing is impossible with Him!

As a start, here is the place that I am going to be calling home for the next three and a quarter months: Segovia, Spain.  It is a World Heritage City, full of history.  It is about an hour northwest of the capital city of Spain, Madrid.

Isn't it beautiful?  :)

Here is a brief overview of what is going to be happening while I am overseas:

• I will be living among the Spanish population as an international student in Segovia, Spain and studying on-site with 15 other American students within the AHA program
• I will be living with a host family and experiencing authentic family interaction and sharing life with them, learning from them, experiencing their culture, and making new friends from across the world (as well as enjoying their two dogs)
• I will be taking four Spanish content classes (Spanish art history, Spanish contemporary literature, Spain and its significance in the European Union, and an internship seminar class that will hopefully allow me to teach English to local children)
• I will be taking excursions with the AHA program across the country and experiencing the various sides of Spain through places such as Madrid, Andalusia, and Salamanca
• I will be speaking Spanish almost constantly! (with family members, with fellow students, with local Segovians, and with potential co-workers, and [probably after a bit of time...] myself)

This is just what I know about so far.  Who knows what will actually happen once I'm there!  All I know is it is all going to be a whirlwind of exciting new opportunities!  And don't worry!  As I progress through my semester, I want to make sure to keep everyone that wants to in the loop with all that is happening (or, at least as much as I can possibly can).  Get ready for a very wild ride.  There is a lot that is going to happen.  The Lord is going to continue narrating His story; I just get to be a part of it. This is only the beginning.