Spain Study Abroad

By -
Posted on September 2, 2014 by Catherine Courchaine

This summer I had the amazing opportunity to study abroad in Spain. It was my first experience traveling outside of the United States, but I can assure you it won't be my last!

Although I devote most of my time to my Aeronautical Engineering degree, I have also been working on a Spanish minor. Languages have always been a passion of mine, and when I came to college I knew I would be continuing the Spanish classes that I had begun in high school. One great opportunity that Purdue offers is the chance to test into an upper level language course. By taking an entrance assessment, I was able to get a head start on my Spanish career at Purdue. After several semesters, I decided to finish the required courses for my major abroad.

                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                I chose to study for six weeks in Madrid with about forty other students from Purdue, taking the six credits I needed to complete my minor at a private university in the city of Madrid. The first course was a Spanish Culture and Civilization class that taught about Spain's history, geography, festivals, and traditions. The other course was the Art of El Prado, a course that taught about three Spanish artists whose works were in the Museum of Prado in Madrid. My favorite part of the class was being able to visit the museum every week to see the paintings in person!







                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               While I was in Madrid, I stayed with a host family, who cooked authentic meals and helped me with my speaking and listening skills by speaking completely in Spanish. I loved being able to immerse myself in the culture of Spain while learning about it.













On Fridays, we made several group trips to cities around Spain, including Toledo, Salamanca, Segovia, and Granada. I also made weekend trips with friends to Sevilla and even Paris, France!







The weeks flew by, but I enjoyed every second of my time in Spain. From exploring the beautiful city of Madrid, to giving presentations about regions in Spain, to meeting amazing friends that I am able to catch up with now that we have returned to Purdue, my study abroad experience has been unforgettable.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Understanding Purdue Housing

By -
Image
One of the many concerns incoming freshmen have is what to do regarding their housing options. In addition to the roommate selection process, you may be interested in seeing your on-campus options in terms of amenities and the communities available within the building. For example, when I accepted my admission to Purdue as a freshman, I knew I was interested in a standard double that I had experienced at a summer college program. To ensure my University Residences housing, I applied to Vertically Integrated Projects so that I would be able to pursue a research project as a freshman while also guaranteeing my housing within Earhart Hall through the connected learning community. For more information on learning communities, read our previous blog! Many freshmen will live in a residence hall, even if they are not in a specific learning community. Now, as a Resident Assistant or RA in Earhart Hall, I have been trained on the term “residence hall”; our halls go beyond a traditional “dormito
Read more

Top 10 Extracurriculars Purdue Students Want You to Join Outside of Engineering

By -
Image
1. Purdue University Dance Marathon (PUDM):  The biggest student-run organization on campus! You can join as a dancer, where you get to fundraise leading up to the 18-hour long event or be even more involved and join a committee! Some of the committees include Riley Relations, where you fundraise to sponsor events for the Riley families throughout the year & are paired with a Riley family for the night of the event, Special Events Committee, where you organize 5K’s and other events around campus throughout the year, and so much more! 2. Boiler Gold Rush (BGR):  Whether it be as a new student, a team leader (TL), or even a Supervisor, there are so many ways to get involved with BGR! This week-long event is held the week before classes start in August. As a new student, it is your first chance to meet your new colleagues and participate in many games, fountain runs, and other fun activities throughout the week. It is also a great way to familiarize yourself with the campus an
Read more

A very (sub)objective review of dining options at Purdue

By -
Image
Jenn and her friends after the Thankgiving dinner Food is an integral part of our day. For some people, the very first thing they do in the morning is eat breakfast. I personally prefer my cup of coffee to a stack of waffles. Nonetheless, food has the power to pick up a bad mood, enhance a good mood, and even ease the stress you are feeling about exams and homework. The awareness I have of how food impacts my mood is recently found since I started college in August. at home I usually came home to my mom or dad making something delicious in the crockpot. Suddenly I arrive at college and there are so many options that it can get overwhelming at times to figure out what to eat. Navigating the dining options at college did not seem like something I should have been worried about, yet it was something that took a month of experimenting to perfect.  The key is knowing where to go and what is consistent. I decided to help you out and give you some insight into how I view each dining option on
Read more