As part of Clemson’s Language and International Business program, all students are required to study abroad, which is one of the reasons why I chose the program over an Economics major with a Spanish Studies minor.  I went into college knowing that I wanted to study abroad, mainly due to the influence of my mother, who studied abroad in Madrid on a Rotary International scholarship.  She was a Spanish teacher, like her mother before her.  My grandmother grew up in Havana, Cuba, so I have always been fascinated by the Spanish language, and I always wanted to visit Spain and participate in an immersive experience.

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I chose to study in Seville, Spain.  I was excited to go pretty much anywhere in Spain, but I am glad that I chose to be in Andalusia.  Another requirement of my program was that students must live with a host family.  For me, that was a very interesting experience.  

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Arrival to Seville

When I first arrived in Seville in September 2022, I knew that the heat was going to be an adjustment.  One of the hottest cities in continental Europe, Seville is known as the “Frying Pan of Spain”.  Unfortunately, probably on my flight to Europe, I contracted COVID-19 for the first time, so I spent the first bit of my time in Spain quarantined.  Because my roommate did not get sick, my host mom moved me to an interior room in the apartment, and that is how I spent the first several days, with no windows and no air conditioning.  However, after that, I was conditioned to the weather.

 

Adjusting to life in Spain

I definitely came into Spain with a pretty romantic idea of the culture, but I was much more prepared than many of my peers.  However, I still did experience culture shock.  For example, when I first went to my internship at Boleo Legal, I knew that I would probably be greeted with the customary kisses, but I did not anticipate that I would be fairly sweaty from my 90°F walk to work.  For me, even though I knew what to expect, I was uncomfortable and a little embarrassed.

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Luckily, my mother prepared me for a lot of the little cultural differences, so I never felt like I overstepped any boundaries or committed any major faux pas.  She told me about the slower pace of life, the emphasis on leisure, and the daily schedule in Spain.  The biggest difference for me was probably meal times since I would often sit down to dinner around 10:30 and not finish for a couple of hours.  I really enjoyed sobremesa, the Spanish tradition of relaxing after a meal to drink coffee or just chat.  However, it was very different from my family’s typical dinner around 5 that almost always lasts no longer than 45 minutes.

 

Most Memorable Experience

One of my most memorable experiences was going to a Spanish wedding.  Interestingly, one of my father’s coworkers has a sister from the United States who lives in Seville and is married to a Spanish man.  They were kind enough to invite me over to dinner several times, and I took care of their baby, Fernandito.  

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The couple was sweet and invited me over for a traditional American Thanksgiving dinner, which was so nice since that was probably the most homesick I felt during the whole experience.  At some point, the couple invited me to attend a wedding of one of their relatives with them, because they needed some help with the baby, and the venue was their family’s 16th century palace in the south of Spain.  It was such a surreal experience since I got to go to a wedding and reception in Spain and stay in a palace.  The wedding was one of the quintessential experiences that showed me the differences between American and Spanish culture.  For example, the weddings in Spain are very formal, and the receptions last forever.  However, I am Catholic and have grown up going to Mass every week, so the service for the wedding was very similar to what I have experienced.  It was such a beautiful church; I did not expect how ornate it would be since it was located in a small town in the country.

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Challenges

Another memorable aspect of my study abroad experience was my host mom.  She was a sweet woman, possibly taking advantage of the money that she got for hosting, but she definitely should not have been hosting students at her age and with her health.  She actually was hospitalized for at least a week during my stay.  The only challenge for me related to her was her cooking.

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I love all types of cuisine, Spanish food being one of my favorites.  However, my host mom had unsanitary habits when it came to food serving and preparation.  One time, I told her that my grandmother used to make flan, and she was sweet enough to make one for me.  When she served it to me, it was covered in live ants!  Another time she served me an avocado and an ear of corn for dinner, and she would eat fresh fruit in front of us and serve us canned fruit.  One last example was when she would keep raw chicken or fish out in the kitchen overnight–keep in mind that it was often between 80 and 90 degrees fahrenheit–and she would then cook it and serve it to us, or it would be already cooked chicken and she would leave it out for days and continuously serve it to us.  There were instances like this every day, and at first, I thought it was cultural differences since in Europe, eggs are not washed or refrigerated.  Once I became close to my coworkers and one of my professors, I asked them some questions about her behavior, and they explained that it was the opposite of normal.  I pretty much ate out the rest of my time abroad, and I made sure to complain to the third party that I studied abroad with.

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How Spaniards Perceived Me

I noticed that Europeans definitely have an idea of American culture.  In the south of Spain, people stare a lot, but it is not weird or creepy.  I learned that it is common that they stare and talk about the person that they are staring at, but unless you want to start up a conversation, you do not smile at them.  In the United States, it is polite to smile at people that you pass by while walking or to ask people how they are, but it is different in Spain.

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When I was hanging out with one of my coworkers and her friends, all of them were smoking, and I distinctly remember one of them asking me if I wanted to smoke, and when I told him thanks, but no, he asked me why I didn’t smoke.  It was honestly entertaining, especially since I was speaking Spanish and trying to be very diplomatic and not offend the group.

 

Reflection

Living abroad for any extended period changes you.  I grew up a lot while I was studying abroad.  I became very independent and self-sufficient, and my view on the world changed. I found the entire experience very enriching, and I would love to be able to study abroad again in law school if I have the opportunity.