Week 1 by Jennifer Sobierajski

When I took my first few steps in Cáceres, Spain, I could not believe that I was truly in a different place. Before that time, I had never stepped foot in a different country, let alone one that was over 4,000 miles away. Immediately following my departure from the bus, my host mother approached me, giving me a hug and speaking in what appeared to be riddles (or, more so, Spanish). I was very nervous to be living with a host family since I had never experienced anything similar to it. However, immediately after meeting them, I almost felt like I was a part of their family. We always ate together while usually watching television afterwards. I told them things about my life and where I grew up, and I got to experience theirs. Although there were many differences between our cultures, we were able to peacefully learn about each other’s while accepting that neither is right or wrong, but that they are just different.

                  Of course, studying abroad doesn’t only entail living with a Spanish family and experiencing the culture. Beginning classes at Universidad de Extremadura was something that I both anxiously anticipated and was nervous to begin. I was excited for it because it would tremendously help to improve my Spanish while giving me a steady routine to participate in throughout the week. I was apprehensive about it because I didn’t know how difficult it would be to understand everything. After the first day, I quickly found out that I really enjoy these classes. The teacher understood that not everyone in the class speaks fluent Spanish, and she encouraged us to ask questions if we did not understand while still going slow enough for us to be able to understand most things. Learning about the history and the culture of Spain is also very interesting in itself, especially culture since we are attempting to adapt to it.

                  One activity that all of us on the trip engaged in was the speed dating activity. We were able to engage with other students our age. The only difference was that they were from Spain and learning English, while we were from the United States learning Spanish. In this exercise, we spoke Spanish while the other students practiced their English. It was a very rewarding exercise for all of the students, and one of my favorite things that we have done so far. Being able to engage in a meaningful conversation in Spain is a goal for all of the students on this trip, and I believe this exercise allowed us to accomplish this. So far, this trip has been an incomparable experience, and I am looking forward to all of the wonderful adventures that we will partake in throughout the next three weeks in Cáceres!