It seems insane to me, but it has already been one month since I set foot in Spain. And while I can’t believe how fast this month has gone by, I can look back and be completely amazed at all I have learned and experienced.
Emily Vaartstra | Rawr
Emily Vaartstra on the beach in Bilbao, Spain. Vaartstra is an Argonaut reporter on exchange in Spain.
My classes have been challenging, but in a very different manner than any classes I’ve taken previously.
The work load isn’t necessarily overwhelming, but the challenging part is literally everything I learn is spoken, heard, written and (mostly) comprehended in Spanish. Sometimes I miss English, because my brain hurts from doing what feels like double the work, but other times I feel like I could never hear a word of English again and I’d be fine. Then again, the spoken Spanish has been significantly simplified for all of us American students.
Often at the dinner table with my host family, they will be speaking at what seems to be a normal pace to me, but then they will start talking rapidly and shortening words into these maddening contractions I don’t understand, and I just stare at my plate, overly concentrated on the opening of the mussel that I can’t help but see as huge lips I’m about to devour and enjoy. Then, my host mom will turn to me and speak much slower to explain something, which makes me feel like a little kid, but I have to say it is nice to be treated that way.
The other day, my host mom told me my Spanish has improved so much since those first days. After only being here a month, those words were like being told I won 1,000 euro (which is $1,270, so that’s a bonus if I were to take it home to the states).
Having a three-day weekend every week is definitely one of my favorite parts about studying here. I spend my Fridays sleeping in, reading on the beach and watching Disney movies I haven’t seen for years.
The extra day off also gives me more time to travel. I’ve already taken a one hour train ride to a little beach town in France called Hendaye, and had the immense privilege of putting a French crepe into my mouth after taking a sip of delicious French wine. I also spent a weekend in Bilbao with a fellow University of Idaho student who is studying there, and we went to the famous Guggenheim museum.
Probably one of the coolest things that has happened to me recently is getting to shake the hand of Denzel Washington, aka one of my favorite actors of all time.
San Sebastian hosts an annual film festival where actors from all over the world come to the city and walk the red carpet. This year, Denzel Washington was one of the distinguished actors receiving the Donostia award. I saw other actors like Josh Hutcherson and Orlando Bloom, but unfortunately no hand shake from them.
With a little over two more months of class left and booked flights to four different countries in the future, I know this study abroad adventure is only going to become more epic than it already has been.
Emily Vaartstra can be reached at [email protected]