Tzipporah Moehringer (Spain, 2022-23)

Studying abroad felt like trying out a new exercise routine: it worked muscles I never knew existed and challenged me in ways I never could have fathomed. As I leave Madrid after nine incredible months, I feel like a trained athlete with a Ph.D. in problem-solving. This global experience has equipped me with tools to conquer any challenge I may face and a level of confidence that seldom wavers in the presence of obstacles. 

I left for Madrid with the goal to become as fluent in Spanish as I could. In order to achieve this goal, I consumed as much Spanish material as possible: I spoke with locals, read books, listened to music, watched TV, and took classes in the target language. I always considered language acquisition to be a fairly active process; I believed that remaining cognizant of the learning process was the most productive way to gain fluency in a language, but I learned it is far more nuanced than that. I found that when I stopped focusing on what I didn’t understand and instead assessed my level of understanding of a certain conversation or text that I grew more. It certainly wasn’t a passive effort; I stepped out the door every morning knowing that communication would automatically be more difficult than it was back in the US. But as time passed, that muscle strengthened and adapted. It started with memorizing my coffee order and practicing saying something as simple as “¿Me puedes dar un café con leche de avena?” or “¡Hasta luego!” with the Spanish accent I heard around me. I learned which syllables to quicken and which sounds were pronounced more subtly. I often encountered locals who heard my American accent and automatically switched to speaking English to me, which sometimes lowered my confidence, but I persisted. Speaking Spanish the second I walked out of my apartment every day no longer seemed daunting but rather second nature.

Something I never expected about my study abroad experience was the development of my language skills, but more specifically, how they developed compared to one another. I thought all areas of my Spanish skills would grow equally, but I was very wrong. Ranking my skills before I left for Spain, I would say I was most confident in my reading/writing, followed by speaking, with my weakest point being auditory comprehension. Never would I have imagined my auditory comprehension to skyrocket the way it did while abroad. I guess it makes sense in retrospect, as I was exposed to a whole variety of speakers every single day, ranging from professors to shop owners to random people on the street. I heard various different accents and vocabularies and speeds, so I had to adapt in order to understand. I think my reading and writing have improved tremendously while abroad, and an honorable mention goes to my speaking, more specifically my broadened vocabulary and accent. I am so proud of the progress I have made during my time abroad and will never stop practicing and getting exposure to all the Spanish I can. Now my focus is to honor my love for Spain and use my knowledge of the country to compare it to other Spanish-speaking countries in my studies. 

While I feel I could go on forever talking about how incredible it has been to better my Spanish-speaking skills over the last year, I feel it’s important to mention how life-changing this year abroad has been for me. The change in perspective when moving from one country to another was tremendous and led to many discussions with friends and family about what I wanted to pursue career-wise, how I felt about the world around me, and my overall perception of how I fit into this vast world. It was a very existential year that was incredibly challenging yet unequivocally rewarding, and I implore any university student with the time and means to study abroad for a full year. I feel incredibly lucky to have an international network of friends who supported me immensely throughout what was, at times, a really difficult year, and now I feel I have a place to call home all the way across the globe. A piece of my heart will always live in Madrid, and I hope I can return again soon. 

Jonathan Sarabia (Spain, 2021-22)

One of the most challenging yet rewarding aspects of studying abroad was learning how to become more independent and being okay with being on my own at times. When living back on campus at San Diego, although I was away from home, I knew if I really needed or wanted to go back to see my family I could just catch a plane. Additionally, I had a good amount of friends on campus. In Spain, this wasn’t an option. I didn’t know anybody, and not only was I starting over in a sense with the people I knew, but also with the culture. Overtime, I was able to get over this sense of loneliness and actually enjoy moments where I had time for myself and enjoy my own company. However, it has also led to a greater appreciation to all the new relationships I have made and the relationships I already had with people. Sometimes I think we forget just how valuable relationships and connections are because even if you cannot not physically be with people, knowing you have this support allows us to continue moving forward.

Having never traveled before out of the state, I didn’t realize how enormous the United States was and just how small Spain is in comparison. It’s amazing how in the same time it would take to travel across the same state in the US, being in Europe allows you to travel to a whole another country with a completely different language and culture. Share an unforgettable experience: One of my most unforgettable experiences was my solo trip to Italy where I visited Rome, Florence, Pisa, and Venice. Having never traveled completely on my own, this trip was a bit intimidating to do, however, I got to spend my time there exactly how I wanted and got to visit locations and monuments that I genuinely never thought I’d ever see in my life. Seeing in person with my own eyes works of art such as The Creation of Adam, the David of Michelangelo, or The Birth of Venus was genuinely breathtaking and it has made me have a better appreciation of art. Visiting all the amazing monuments and museums were just moments I cannot ever forget. How did your courses differ from those at UCSD: At UCSD I did not have the opportunity to solely focus on taking Spanish classes because Spanish is not related to my major. However, having completed my major before leaving, I wanted to take advantage of the fact that I could take all my classes in Spanish for my final semester which has helped with the learning process where I do not need to focus on other topics. Spanish classes are solely taught in Spanish without explanations in English, which is how the Spanish classes at UCSD were taught. That being said, I think the Spanish classes at UCSD very well prepared me with the amount of Spanish I knew before coming here. Regarding some of other business classes I took here, I found that the speed of the courses were much slower paced in Spain and less intensive. The culture around homework is definitely emphasized less which I think adds a healthy flow of separating school and a social life.

Having traveled to a couple places within Europe, my view of the United States changed regarding how I look at our transportation systems and our cities are built. It’s amazing how efficient so many of the transportation systems are in several different counties and the fact that a car does not seem like a necessary unlike in the United States. In Europe, cities in general keep their beauty where cities in the US are built on roads and over flooded parking lots. Another thing about being in Spain was my observation of some of the economic issues. In the US many youth begin working in their first job or internship when they turn 16-17, but in Spain, it’s much harder to find a job for youth. Most businesses want people who are more qualified or have a degree, making it harder for younger people to work. And this issue leads to another cycle where younger people have less money, making it harder to move out, which is why I believe it is more common here than in the US for kids to live with their parents much longer as it seems hard to have a stable income for some families.

If you are considering studying abroad and it’s an opportunity you can take, 100% you should go. You learn so much about yourself during the experience and it opens up a perspective to the world that you can only understanding by actually living the experience. A full year abroad may sound intimidating, however, I have heard so many students feeling like they haven’t had enough time by the end and wish they could stay longer as they’ve fallen in love with the culture. I remember when it came to the end of my first semester, I felt like I had just finishing adapting to all the changes, and I couldn’t believe it was almost the end of the program for other students. I believe a full year abroad is the perfect time to fully enjoy your experience because the adaptation phase takes longer than expected.

Overall I felt relatively prepared for studying abroad as I had already taken Spanish classes at UCSD which helped me immensely. I could not imagine coming into the country having no prior language because a year of Spanish classes really built my basic foundation of Spanish, and coming to Spain only further improved my Spanish speaking ability.

Giovanni Castillo (Spain 2017-18)

The value in studying abroad is not limited to lessons learned in the classroom; it includes lessons learned through experience. The process of throwing yourself into a new country, with new people and new customs, then proceeding to “figure it all out” is one of the most valuable and enjoyable things I’ve learned this year. “Figuring it out” is very general, and will vary in every study abroad experience. Whether it was navigating a vast network of public transportation in a new city or diving into the intricacies of a language I’ve spoken for many years, or one I knew only a few sentences of- I became addicted to figuring it out in every country I visited. The resourcefulness, adaptability and independence I developed allowed me to take full advantage of my year abroad. I thrived for the adventure of being in lands foreign to me, observing people foreign to me and learning about customs and social norms that are foreign to me. As a candidate for a bachelor’s degree in social psychology, every day was a new opportunity to learn about people and how their social context influences or dictates what they do.

I was afforded the opportunity to plunge into the heart of Catalan culture and society: Barcelona. It was a turbulent year in Catalonia, as this region is heavily divided on the desire to become independent from Spain. I often had classes canceled because of the massive demonstrations that would take place throughout the city, occasionally right in front of my university. I was frequently left in awe as I’d listen to a deafening cacerolada protest in which hundreds of people throughout the entire city would step onto their balconies and bang pots together to signal their displeasure. Although I felt it was not my place as a study abroad student to take a stance on such a divisive issue, I felt it was my responsibility to keep up with the happenings and try my best to understand both sides of the issue. This entailed watching the news, online research and talking to pro-union, pro-independence and pro-democracy individuals in order to get a better understanding for such a polarizing movement. This practice, I feel, is invaluable for Americans. Living in such a large country can unfortunately facilitate the dismissal of world affairs. I feel that in a day and age in which the world has been made smaller by transportation and information is more accessible than ever- we have a responsibility as de-facto representatives of United States to break the stereotype of the ignorant American, especially in a time when the face of our nation has done nothing to dispel this American caricature.

When I consider how I’ve grown in the past year, the word that comes to mind is “expanded”. I feel as if I have a better consciousness for just how many people are out there- all simultaneously the protagonists of their own life story. I’ve explored a lot in the past year, I’ve traveled to 8 countries and met people from around the world- but this exploration has only lead me to realize just how much I have yet to discover- and rather than being intimidated by the vastness of our planet and the infinite number of experiences to be had, I’m excited. I’m excited for the endless opportunities for discovering people’s stories. I’m excited for the breathtaking scenery to be seen and the multi-accented laughter to be had. After taking this year-long leap, I now understand that pursuing a graduate degree/career and travelling the world don’t have to be mutually exclusive. I’ve seen how tangible it is to continue my education or search for a career overseas, both things I had relegated to distant possibilities to “someday” pursue. “Someday” has arrived and I’ve never felt more inspired to pursue yesterday’s daydreams.

Tamar Freeland (Spain, 2010-11)

Studying abroad in Barcelona was the experience of a lifetime!  As I hoped, it pushed me to become a more independent, aware, and open minded person.  Also, I am proud to have met my goal of Spanish fluency, which has opened up the door to a whole new range of relationships, understandings, and opportunities.  Living outside of my comfort zone and home culture made me more adaptive and confident in my ability to meet and overcome new challenges.  It would be lying to say that I didn’t struggle: I was often frustrated by misunderstandings, I occasionally longed for familiarity and my friends and family at home, and I found it difficult to be and express myself in a foreign language, culture, and context.  Yet reflecting on these difficulties helped me discover my own personal strengths and weaknesses as well as interests and disinterests.  My experiences clarified my values and forced me to think about what I want out of my education, out of a career, out of myself, out of others, and out of life.  Only through an external perspective did I come to see how many things I take for granted.  I feel so fortunate to have had this enriching opportunity, and I highly encourage anyone who is thinking about studying, working, or living abroad to do so.  I was in Europe for 361 days, and I am so happy that I didn’t choose a shorter program.  In retrospect, I definitely needed a year to settle in, get to know the city well, establish a residential routine, feel like a local, and undergo the mental progression that comes with living abroad rather than just touristing around.  Because my experiences studying in Barcelona and traveling through Europe were so positive, I am now looking for a job or internship internationally, (possibly in South America).       

I am very grateful to all of the members of the Chris Borton Memorial Scholarship board for their support and generosity.  Receiving the scholarship really was a crucial part of making a lifelong dream come true, and studying in Barcelona was an experience that I will cherish forever.

Hannah Rahimi (Spain 2009-10)

Upon returning from Spain I found myself apologizing to people who urged me to tell them how my year was and telling them that I really could not feasibly tell them how much the year meant to me, how much it changed me, how much I saw and did and learned, and if I tried it would no doubt be at the expense of any original sounding description. My constant thought was “Wow I sound like a hallmark card!” Everything that I thought to say to describe my year came out sounding remarkably trite. But what I have come to realize after a couple of months being back in California is that despite the hackneyed timbre of my statements about my study abroad experience what I am feeling is cliché for a reason: it is the tremendous growth of self that is achieved by many people before me who have stepped out of their comfortable cultures and lived in a foreign country for a substantial length of time. But what is even more important is that I have realized that though the words I use to describe these feelings can sound faded and over-used, the feelings themselves are indeed original and novel because they are mine alone, they are not transferable through speech, through reading, or even through pictures, but only can be gained through personal experience.

Due to this abundance of people before me saying how their lives changed from studying abroad I left the country with a myriad of expectations about how I would find the year. I thought it would change my perception of the world, of myself, and of life itself. And it did. What I did not and could not expect, however, was the way in which these perceptions would change and the gravity of those changes that took place. I went to Spain to study literature and learn about the country in which the very authors I studied lived and wrote and while I did truly learn about the country in a depth which I never could have expected in the classroom I also learned how I can take that understanding and apply it to almost everything I learn. History is not just facts, it is the story of how we got where we are today and that story means everything to who we are and how we perceive the world and it is different for each person and each place. I left with the idea that despite cultural differences every person is more or less the same across the world. Instead I found that while we do all have many things in common there are fundamental differences between people such as values and lifestyles that change from place to place. From this I was able to see that it is really important to try to appreciate these differences and learn more about them rather than try to put everyone under a generalization. One of the most important things that happened was that I left with ten years of learning Spanish under my belt and I expected to be able to jump into fluency right away but instead found that the language I was able to read and write and use to converse in a scholastic situation was not anything close to the language I needed to interact on a day to day basis and I really did not feel fully comfortable with my Spanish until after having lived in Granada more than eight months. When before I would have to think through my words and stare intently in concentration to understand the Spanish around me now I open my mouth and without thinking can hold an easily flowing conversation without extra exertion.

After the first semester I felt as though I knew the city and I knew the culture and although I was looking forward to staying a semester longer I thought that it would not be all that bad to be going home then to return to my family and the comforts I had at home but what I did not realize was that although I had a comprehensive understanding of Granada from a traveler’s point of view I had no idea what it meant to truly live there. By the end of the year I did not just feel like I understood the culture and the city and the people there, I felt like I was a part of it. The cobbled stones that had charmed me at the beginning became the streets that I proudly walked with a sense of ownership and belonging, the once intriguing sights and smells of Granada were now signs of home and comfort.

When in Spain I found that the things I missed the most about America were the people and the food and the efficient lifestyle, now that I am back I find that I again miss the people and the food and this time the relaxed tranquil lifestyle. But now and forever I carry the possibility of both lifestyles with me and can choose how to live my own life somewhere in the middle of the two extremes, with frequent emails to the people I miss and attempts to cook the foods of both cultures in my own kitchen.

One of my favorite words in Spanish would have to be imprescindible, essential. That is how I feel about this year abroad. It has been imprescindible to who I am now and who I want to be. I would fully recommend studying abroad to anyone who has the chance and I would stress that in order to really take the experience to heart a full year abroad, also, is imprescindible.

Ben Winkler-McCue (Spain, 2001-02)

I spent my junior year of college living in Santander, a mid-sized city on the Atlantic coast of Northern Spain. My memories of Spain have a dreamy lightness about them. In the four years that have passed, I haven’t once returned for a visit. Excuses abound: plane tickets are expensive, the euro is strong compared to the dollar and I now have a real job with limited vacation. Yet deep down I know that none of these account for why I haven’t gone back. The truth is, I don’t want to visit, because that would only mean leaving again. No, the next time I go to Northern Spain I will not have a return ticket.

I fell in love with the life in Spain. I felt I belonged there. Everything felt just right. All of my hopes and needs were met and in perfect balance with one another. I was constantly learning, wrapped in a whole new way of life. Yet my time in Santander did more for me than expand my knowledge of culture and language; it increased my self awareness, and feeling of place in the world.

To all those who supported my year abroad, I am forever grateful. The fifteen some months I spent in Europe set the tone for the rest of my college experience as well as influenced my perspective and sense of place in the world. As time passes, I think less and less about my life in Spain. Yet when I do, the first impulse is always to buy that one-way ticket.

Ellen Holloway (Spain, 2001-02)

Just about every time I speak to someone in Spanish, they are impressed by my accent. They usually ask “De donde eres?” (Where are you from?) When I say “I’m from California,” they seem surprised and comment, “Hablas muy bien el espanol,” (You speak Spanish very well). Attending university in Spain my junior year made me a confident Spanish-speaker with a strong bond to native Spanish-speakers and Spanish-speaking cultures. From where I stand today that is the greatest impact my experience abroad has made on my life.

My love for the Spanish language has formed my life since returning from my year in Granada, Spain. I engage Spanish speakers at every opportunity. Earlier this year at Catholic Charities Immigration Law Clinic, I counseled a Colombian man seeking asylum. At this same clinic I interviewed a Salvadoran man regarding employment discrimination. A few weeks ago while volunteering with Community Tax Aid of Boston, I spoke to a Guatemalan couple about their income tax return; and just yesterday a Puerto Rican man helped me at a hardware store. Each of these people lit up when I spoke with them in Spanish, and I felt so happy to converse in their native language. The reason I am able to relate easily to people in Spanish is because I spoke Spanish every day of my year in Granada. I listened intently to people’s words so that I could make sense of the meaning of those words. I looked folks in the eye and asked them follow-up questions to make sure I understood. This is what I do today as a law student representing Spanish-speaking clients. I look them in the eye; I listen to their words, and I ask follow-up questions to clarify their concerns. The act of conversing in Spanish is delightful to me. In fact, it is consistently something that I seek out to enrich my life.

Since starting law school almost two years ago, I have questioned my decision many times. “Why did I want to go to law school?” I asked myself last Tuesday as I stepped into the lobby of my apartment building, where a man was vacuuming. I smiled at him and was reminded of the Salvadoran gentleman I had helped a few weeks earlier at Catholic Charities, a man who had been fired from his job because of an INS error with his work authorization. In that moment, I was reminded of the responsibilities of my educational privileges, including my year at the University of Granada. Studying abroad helped me to master the Spanish language, a skill which has come to shape my life choices. When I feel completely lost, I remember my love of travel, culture, and language. Studying abroad gave me the opportunity to develop that passion, a passion that continues to comfort and guide me today.