Week 1 by Jenna Zubik

My first week stay in Caceres has defiantly been an eye opening experience. After the long airplane and bus ride, we arrived where our new host families were waiting for us. The second I stepped off the bus I was instantly overwhelmed, however, I heard the sweetest elder man say my name: Paco. Paco and his wife, Carmen, helped me with my bags and we went to their apartment. Right off the bat I could tell the cultural difference. Everyone was so loving and welcoming and kissing each other's cheek. When we got to the apartment everything was so different than what I used to. The apartment seemed to be small but was larger. In my room the dream catcher above my bed instantly caught my eye since this is what I have been dreaming about for the last year. The food here is different it's more bland but healthier. Also, unlike at home, we have three dishes at one setting. The coffee is much stronger but tastes more pure. Another culture difference is tapas. During tapas, you sit down with friends or family have a couple drinks and talk with appetizers. It's so much fun and relaxing. We started school and it was different taking the bus. In Cáceres, the way to get around is either bus, taxi, or walking. Back in America, I'm used to driving everywhere I go. However, I love walking around and enjoying the scenery. Nevertheless, it has been raining every day. At first, I was shocked everyone still walked around with their umbrellas to protect themselves. My real mother does not even like driving to the store when it rains. My favorite culture difference would have to be la siesta. La siesta is a special time between three and five in which shops close down and everyone goes home and naps. Now I actually have a reason to take my midday naps! I am so excited to see what is to come this next week!  

Week 2 by Jenna Zubik

I cannot believe one week has already passed in Cáceres. It is beyond beautiful here and I do not want to leave. This week my class went to old town. It was so incredible to see that people still there. In the United States, it seems that once something is old and out of fashion, we remodel it. I love the way the town is so close unlike back at home. Everyone socializes on the street and take their time. It is amazing how friendly everyone is. In America, it is as if every day activities are always in a rush. I love sitting down with friends and enjoying a coffee instead of getting one before class. When walking down the street, I notice how people are not as defensive. I watched a man and his daughter who was a toddler pass multiple people. Random people would touch her head and then man did not flinch at all. I found this so shocking since when at home people are constantly worried of their children being taken. I absolutely love the culture here and how warming it is. Another different factor is the relationships with dogs. While walking down the streets, the dogs are not always on leashes. However, they always behave and nobody is worried about them. The dogs do not run away or bark at other dogs. My host family has a dog and they talk to him as much as they would a human. The dog is so well behaved unlike my family's dog. I am so in love with the atmosphere and beyond excited to see what is to come! 

Week 2 by Jennifer Sobierajski

After we finished our classes for the week, the entire class travelled to Sevilla, Spain. Although travelling by bus is not a thrilling experience, being able to explore the city of Sevilla was. The first thing that we did as a group was explore the Catedral de Santa María de la Sede, which is the third largest cathedral in the world. Everyone was amazed by the sky-high ceilings and how intricate the details in the walls were. Just by looking at the building, I was amazed at the creativity and how advanced the citizens of Spain had been at the time that the cathedral was built.

When time came to move on to our next adventure, we walked down a few of the tightly constructed streets of Sevilla and into a building with multiple seats aligned in a row. In less than an hour, I would be watching my first ever flamenco show! I was excited as the musicians stepped onto the stage, taking their positions in their assigned seats. The room went quiet and then abruptly erupted into a beautiful chaos of singing and instruments. It was not long after the music began that the two flamenco dancers emerged onto their stage, dancing together and slamming their feet onto the ground, creating their own music and beats as they floated across the stage. They continuously made rapid movements, and their legs moved so fast that it almost appeared as a solid blur. It was definitely a unique and amazing experience to watch.

The second day in Sevilla we were given the option of choosing our own destination since the group was so large. I decided to go with some of the other students to Real Alcázar, where part of the Game of Thrones series was filmed. Although I had not watched much of the series, it was not difficult to image it being filmed in this prestigious location. The buildings were amazing themselves, but what was even more breathtaking was the expansive garden that was located outside of it. The views from this location were some of the best that I had seen so far on this journey in Spain.

Week 2 by Natalie Serna

This week as a group we traveled to Sevilla, which is about 4 hours away from Cáceres. The city was absolutely beautiful. Visiting the Cathedral was like nothing I have ever seen before. Climbing up the 37 ramps to see the top was a struggle but it was worth it. After that we went to the Museum of Flamingo dancers. Before actually seeing the dance, I interpreted it to be two young dancers, dancing to something similar to salsa. But it happened to be an older man and woman and the dance was nothing like what I thought it would be. For the background music there was a guitarist and a singer. The singer seemed to be more making sounds rather than singing words, for what it seemed to me. The dance was beautiful, it was very loud and it spoke for itself, there wants much going on for them to dance to but they made their own noised and rhythm to dance to. They all communicated on stage, the guitarist, the singer, and the two dancers, they all communicated through noises and taps. I had never seen so much talent in a room between 4 people. I would enjoy going to see another performance, and I would like to see another couple and make comparisons between the two. The weather in Sevilla was extremely hot and it was definitely different than how it is in Cáceres. On a brighter note the second week in Cáceres it did stop raining and I was able to walk around the city more and learn my way around.  Cáceres is extremely beautiful and there is a lot to offer in such a small town. It surprises me that back home is it the complete opposite. Many small towns don’t have what Cáceres does.

Week 2 by LaDaja Ray

It’s been about 17 days. Sometimes I still can’t believe I’m in Spain and other times like this pass Tuesday I couldn’t wait to go home. I was so sick, my throat was inflamed, I could barely swallow and I had horrible headaches for two days. Thankfully my host mom took me to the doctor and the pharmacy. After that I‘ve been feeling much better and I didn’t want to miss another day of class or our first group trip to Sevilla. Sevilla seems like a much bigger city compared to Cáceres, more people and much easier to get lost. While there we toured this really beautiful cathedral, Giralda and we were able to climb to the top where all the church bells are located and view the city. Afterwards we went to a Flamenco show then back to our hotel to disperse and go out.

Sevilla was a two day trip so along with some friends I planned and I was determined to find a beach and get some sun. Two more hours away was Cádiz, my other weekend destination, one of the most beautiful beaches I’ve been to. Last weekend I took a trip to Salamanca with a few other students from the program. It was awesome, we had so much fun and met so many people there plus the clubs and nightlife and the drinks are really good too.

Its seems  like in just two weeks my Spanish, speaking and my confidence have gotten a lot better. I’m not as afraid to try and speak spanish or attempt to with the native speakers. I kinda think traveling and having no other choice but to try and to figure many things out on my own has helped me and is making a difference in my experience here. I’m really glad I decided to do a study abroad this summer and I’ve been thinking about doing another one really soon or sometime next summer.

Week 2 by Sofía Munguia-Arias

While in Spain, among the many things I have observed, one thing stood out in particular. I have noticed that family and friends are extremely important.  They are things you need to cherish and respect. It is rare to see someone eating at a restaurant alone. Here in Spain going out for a drink such as, the ever so popular, coffee or out to eat for tapas is common to do so with friends and loved ones. This is the same as the United States, but what is different is the fact that the people in Spain stay and talk after their meals are finished.  Americans eat and get out of the restaurant almost as fast as possible. Everything is more relaxed in Spain and nothing is rushed, including the meal times and what is called the “sobremesa”. The people here in Spain are more laid back and are willing to make time for friends and family no matter what, whereas in the United States, family and friends are the two things that get pushed to the back the most.  Americans are always busy and always in a hurry to get things done so they put family last because they will understand the reasoning behind it. From sunrise to sundown  Americans are always occupied, this is the lifestyle that we choose to live. I think I prefer sitting and chatting for a while at the table and overall living a more relaxed, healthy life compared the the lifestyles Americans live.

Week 2 by Brianna Martin

My second week of Spain has been full of activities and I am amazed how fast it is all passing by; we are halfway done abroad. Throughout the second week I have continued to developed a closer bond with my host family in which I have integrated myself much better with them and dinner time is one of my favorites parts of the day. With that being said, the culture has been sticking to me. This second week we also had the privilege to visit the beautiful city of Seville. Every city of Spain has its own uniqueness and distinctions which makes this country rich and beautiful. We got to visit the Giralda, the cathedral which was immense and intricate and we got to see the different styles of art and architecture that were taught in class. We also saw another cultural aspect by seeing the Flamenco dance which was very interesting. The second day when we had the liberty to explore the city on our own I had the opportunity to visit the Alcazar of Seville which to this day I have to say it was my personal favorite place to have visited. I was surprised at how big the gardens were and the inside was so beautiful. Breathing the fresh air and the sense of peace the place gave was such a great experience. Finally, I ended off the second week by going to the countryside where my host family owns land and a place. We did a surprise 50^th anniversary for my host mom’s parents. Friends and family members gathered and I was completely submerged in family culture. Everyone was extremely nice to me and I met some wonderful people and had a great time.

Week 2 by Sandra Lozano

Enjoying the moment, something Spaniards know how to do. By this I mean that they take the time to sit down and enjoy the simple pleasure of drinking a cup of coffee. In America we are on the constant move, to school, to work, to the gym, wherever. We hardly have time to enjoy something as simple as drinking a cup of coffee because we never have time, or at least say we don’t. People here seem to take everything as the moment comes. In the United States we plan, plan for what we’re doing the next day, for what we’re doing that morning, afternoon, the next month or the next year. Because of this mentality I believe Americans feel like they don’t have time to enjoy and live in the moment, we are always planning for what is next. Here I’ve had to get used to sitting down and drinking my coffee in the morning versus in the United States I’m rushing out the door with my coffee in my hand and a cookie in my mouth. This also applies to when it comes to lunch time, it’s as if the whole world stops while we eat. Siestas are something else that I wish I had time to do in the United States, taking time off from everything even if it’s just for a few minutes for two hours I think helps put you in a better mood. I know once I’m back home in Indiana I am going to make the effort to wake up earlier to have the opportunity to sit down and enjoy my daily cup of coffee.

Week 2 by Jason Johnson

The Realization

They say that time moves fast. I sit here I reflecting on just last night I was sitting at the table with my host father literally trying to remember everything that went on in the last week because he asked me what I did. I was trying to remember what interactions I have had with Spain. I’ve been to a good amount of countries, but never to Europe.

 I always thought that I never really wanted to go to Europe, my coming here was a chance to prove myself right I thought, I was coming here to complete course requirements I told myself. Take a look at the above picture and one can quickly realize that there aren’t enough words to ‘describe’ something that you have to experience in person. I sit here trying to put into words my experiences for the last week and realize that no matter what I say the experience is unlike other countries I have been to.

The people here are very welcoming and you can tell not only are they proud like other people elsewhere, but that they genuinely will go out of their way to surprise you, help you, and talk to you. In the last week we went to the Cathedral in Seville which is the largest in the world and the site of the burial of Christopher Columbus.

I also really liked being able to visit historic Caceres as part of the trip learning about the history of the town. I can say being able to walk through the Antigua de Caceres was like walking into a time machine as there are no signs of modern times if you don’t see that there are cars around in some places. I found myself taken aback by being able to see doors, walls, and construction that are literally built before 1229 when the Christians reconquered the city from the Muslims. I feel that being able to be immersed in the culture and language has been a lot more helpful trying to learn the language as it gives more context. I do find myself wondering how much I am going to miss this place and wondering how and when I will return. I think as time winds down I am going to continue to realize how wrong I was to not come sooner. The country is something you have to really experience to be able to have a change of heart though.