Studying Abroad in Spain - Guest Blogger Kathryn Hagerty

Posted on March 24, 2014 by Jess Callinan

The summer after my freshman year, I got to have the amazing experience of studying abroad. I came to college knowing I wanted to study abroad, but I didn’t want to miss out on any of my time at Purdue. By winter break, I had decided to go that summer and picked Toledo, Spain as my destination. Toledo (a little different than the city in Ohio) was built in the time of the Romans, was the capital city of the Muslim rule in Spain, and is inhabited to this day. It is thousands of years old (we’re talking built in BC here) and completely unlike anything I had ever experienced. And I got to live there for 6 weeks.

The Toledo Skyline

My experience taught me so much more than I could ever imagined. I spent my six weeks living with a family, growing more confident in my Spanish as I talked with my “parents” over traditional Spanish meals and customs. I traveled by bus and foot to my classes Monday through Thursday, where I made greet friends with my classmates. I had elected not to take engineering classes, but rather fulfill my Spanish minor, learning about Spanish art, history, and culture from the heart of Spain itself. Learning about all those subjects from a non-American viewpoint showed me a different way of thinking. Each class happened twice a day Monday-Wednesday or Tuesday-Thursday: I was able to earn 10 credits (the equivalent of 3 semester-long classes) while still having Friday through Sunday to travel.

And did I travel. As everyone says, Europe is easy to travel around (it’s true!), and I took advantage of that. In my 6 weeks, I visited 6 different cities and learned just as much, if not more, from traveling as I did in my classes. The confidence you gain after navigating a foreign metro by yourself (do I speak more French than “bonjour”? Not a word) is unsurpassed by anything else I’ve done. I met all sorts of people as I traveled and will never forget the impact they had on my experience. Hearing from different perspectives, seeing other peoples’ lives, people watching from a café in Paris: all of these just touch on the chances I had to get outside my comfort zone in a major way.

Obligatory Eiffel tower selfie (it was rainy, but no less amazing)

Was the entire trip jet-setting  around Europe and eating Parisian chocolates? Of course not. I still remember sitting in the Madrid airport panicking after I missed my flight to Portugal because I hadn’t double checked my flight time (I eventually made it, but I ALWAYS double check my boarding time after that). I called my parents once at 4AM their time (sorry, Mom and Dad!) because I was so homesick one night I couldn’t sleep. 

Porto had amazing biking trails & cheap bike rentals, which I took full advantage of. This is view from one of those trails of the bay leading out to the ocean.

But overcoming that, and all the fantastic people I met, places I went, experiences I had, and memories I created made for an amazing trip. I grew so much, developed my love for traveling (I’ll be returning to Europe for 8 weeks after my graduation!), and learned a lot about myself. My study abroad experience came up multiple times in interviews with companies and helped me gain the internship that led to my full-time offer. Studying abroad, regardless of where you go, has the potential to show you so much about yourself. I could not recommend it more highly and love that Purdue’s President Mitch Daniels is promoting it so much ($1000-$3000 for anyone studying abroad? Not bad!).

I went to Pamplona for the annual Festival de San Fermin – aka the running of the bulls. Yes, I did run, but I didn’t tell my mom until AFTER I got back safely. No bull injuries here!