Rebecca Alfaro is a student at the University of Denver and was an ISA Featured Blogger. She studied abroad with ISA in Sevilla, Spain last semester.
Thanks to the Castañeda Correspondent Scholarship, I was able to enjoy my study abroad experience in Sevilla, Spain in a way that I did not think would be possible. This scholarship opened doors for me all throughout my abroad trip, from new experiences with people to new countries to visit. Here are the experiences that my ISA scholarship allowed me to experience abroad:
1. New Culture: Spain
With the scholarship, I was able to try new food and activities in Sevilla. I was introduced to popular foods, popular flamenco bars, and hangout places for the young adults. I had the opportunity to fully immerse myself in the culture by getting involved in as many new activities and experiences as I wanted. From this, I met new people and friends from both Sevilla and different parts of the world. Some of these people I now consider good friends and look forward to keeping in contact with them even after my time abroad ends.
2. Full Language Immersion
Being out and about on the streets gave me the chance to speak Spanish about 80% of the time with only a few English interruptions for words I did not know. My Spanish language speaking abilities have grown immensely due to my time abroad. I am happy to say that I am confident in my Spanish and use it on a daily basis.
3. Trips to Paris, Portugal, Granada, and Lisbon
Not only did I get a chance to fully immerse myself within Sevilla, but I was also able to explore new parts of Spain and new countries altogether. My favorite trip was to Paris, France. It has always been a dream of mine to visit the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre Museum. Thanks to this scholarship, I was able to do all of that and more! With the additional funds from my scholarship, I had the opportunity to get out of Spain and explore a new culture. By visiting more than just Sevilla, I was able to appreciate the differences between European countries and the United States.
With this scholarship, I had the wonderful opportunity to realize and appreciate how unique and different each country is, and the cities within them. There is so much to explore in our world and no one should be limited by any circumstances to discover this for themselves. Thank you to the Castañeda Correspondent Scholarship. I will always appreciate all of the doors that were opened because of this scholarship.
The world awaits…discover it.