As I sit at the edge of finals and the midpoint of my sophomore year of college, I am filled with a mix of emotions. I am nervous for my finals and the end of classes, I am anxious to see my family again, and I am sad to say goodbye to my Stevens Point friends. However, I am most looking forward to next semester and studying abroad in Valladolid, Spain.
Ever since I was in high school I knew I wanted to travel and study the world. It wasn’t until I came to college that I realized that it was possible and actually within reach. I have already had the pleasure of studying abroad with UW-Stevens Point this last spring break in Nicaragua, so I feel that I am ready for a whole semester. Since I placed into fifth semester Spanish my freshman year, I decided to major in Spanish. I decided to that the best way for me to complete my major was to study abroad in Spain and so my first semester of college I applied to the UWSP Valladolid program and was accepted. Since then I’ve been waiting and preparing for this upcoming semester. From taking extensive Spanish courses to applying for every scholarship I can, I feel like I am incredibly prepared … of course minus the fact that I still have no packing done.
I will be studying abroad in Spain from January 2-May 18, 2013. While there I will be staying with a host family in the city of Valladolid, which is just a couple hours north of Madrid. I will be studying Spanish language, literature, and culture at the Centro De Idiomas de la Universidad de Valladolid. Upon arrival to Spain, we will take a week long entry tour of the cities of Madrid and Toledo where I am looking forward to be introduced to Spanish culture and see some amazing sites. At the end of March and beginning of April we will have a two-week spring break where I plan to expand my horizons and tour more of Europe. I’m sure it will all fly by and I will be on the plane back to the United States before I know it.
What makes this experience even more exciting is that I have been asked to blog about my trip and share my experiences with anyone and everyone in the UWSP area and beyond. Throughout this trip I hope to share my experiences of everyday life as a study abroad student in Spain and my perceptions of what the differences and similarities of what student life in Spain is like compared to student life in Stevens Point. I also would like to share how my schooling is helping me and influencing me, and of course I will share all the cool events, people, and places I get to see during my study abroad.
I have many personal goals and aspirations for this experience as well. Most importantly I would like to improve my Spanish language skills and become more comfortable with my fluency. In addition to my Spanish major, I also have an accounting major and international studies major. Ideally, after college I would like to have an accounting job in the international community that allows me travel the world and use all my skills that I have gained throughout college. With that being said, I think Spain will help me prepare for this type of career. I would like to learn what it’s like to interact with people different from me on a professional manner. I plan on taking advantage of every opportunity that comes across to me to improve every aspect of me.
With all of this being said, I hope that everyone reading this blog enjoys it and hopefully learns something. Thank you all for reading and keep an eye out for my next post which most likely come about a week after I’ve been in Spain. Wish me luck and safe travels; see you in Spain.
Hasta Luego,
Alexia
Alexia Szabo, a junior majoring in accounting, Spanish and international studies at UW-Stevens Point, is blogging about her study abroad experience in Spain.