This past summer, I spent a month in Granada, Spain, studying Spanish through the CEA’s 2023 July 4- Week Intensive Spanish program. Throughout the month I traveled around Europe and Northern Africa, learned the culture of these new places, developed relationships, tried many new foods, and made countless memories.

I was in classes with students from all over the United States, Australia, Japan, and the United Kingdom. I appreciated this sense of diversity in my classes; it gave me the chance to learn about different cultures and lifestyles.

Although much different from what I'm used to in the United States, I loved staying in the residence hall at the University of Granada. The building was between a grocery store and a convenience store on a backroad. There was a language barrier between us and the staff, and the dining hall only had one meal option. Normally the lack of food options in the dining hall would have made me upset, but living in a slower placed, go-with-the-flow culture made me feel as though there was no issue. Living in this culture for a month was eye opening, I learned that it is okay to relax and live in the moment rather than filling my schedule and constantly feeling stressed. This is something I plan on applying to my life going forward; I don’t need to be busy constantly to be doing enough.

Going into the program I had two years of Spanish under my belt, I had a good foundation but did not feel confident speaking with locals. As a result of living in a Spanish speaking country and taking classes, my Spanish improved exponentially. I learned how to communicate things such as what I wanted at a restaurant, ask for directions, ask about prices, and other essential questions. I view this as being very valuable as it will help me in traveling to other Spanish speaking countries in the future.

Our program planned a lot of fun events and excursions for us throughout the month. Including tours of historical landmarks around the city, a Flamenco dance class and performance, and a trip to Morocco, Africa! The excursion we took to Morocco was my favorite part of the program, we had a tour guide who had all our meals and activities planned. Additionally, on my own I traveled to around Spain visiting cities and islands, as well as visiting France and Czech Republic.

I am so grateful for this amazing experience and the donors who made this finically possible for me. Thank you so much!

Name: Kathleen Mayer
Status: Junior
Major: Human Capital and Society, Arts and Humanities
Hometown: Ann Arbor, Michigan
Program: Intensive Beginner-Intermediate Spanish in Granada