When Studying Abroad, Choose Full-Immersion
Americans are notorious for having rose-colored glasses (or just ray-bans) on while traveling. This limited idea of living in another country is especially common among study abroad students. While some students do get a chance to immerse themselves through living with host families, many end up in dorms with a big group of students from their home college. This group also becomes the friends they stick with and travel with for the whole program. The American abroad experience is exactly that: American. Just look at one of your friends’ study abroad albums on Facebook. It’s probably titled “Abroad.” Not the country name, or even “Europe.” Just “abroad.” Basically the same thing, right?
I was lucky enough to be able to experience at least somewhat of an immersive (and significantly cheaper) experience while studying in Cádiz, Spain for six months. Now I’m not saying that this makes my experience “better” or that I am more “skilled” at studying abroad, even though most of us would like to think we are. My university offered a unique program that positioned me to have a more immersive involvement with the city. But because I was so accustomed to seeing the perfectly curated American experience on my Instagram feed, the idea of doing the program seemed daunting at first. For example, I was the only person who applied to my program that year. Additionally, I had to find my own apartment and meet other students all in my very broken Spanish at the time. Leases, presenting in front of a class of Spaniards, you name it.
The struggles with Spanish and immersing myself were endless, including the time I accidentally said that I “penised my exam” while trying to express that I failed my Spanish class to my advisor. Socially, I genuinely felt like I had no personality in Spanish for about four months. Even on ERASMUS trips to places like Morocco and Portugal, I felt alone even while talking with a group of people. But other moments were some of the greatest: like camping out in the Sahara with a group of students from around the world, many of us using a second language to communicate. Or when my Mexican friend Salvador yelled to me in a bar one night, “You actually have a personality today!” after we joked about me not having one in Spanish for so long. My experience became more about the little things, like the local produce vendor who would not give me my food until I pronounced it right. Or getting through my friend’s birthday party all in Spanish: check! And I can’t forget actually going out with friends to dance bachata at a bar after practicing in our class that week. Four months later and I finally had what felt like a community in my host city, not just an experience.
Everyone’s abroad experience is different, but whether or not you enjoy your time abroad comes down to your expectations. Save popping bottles with other Americans for next semester. Learn the language and room with people who speak only said language rather than English. By no means is a full-immersion program easy, but it’s definitely the most rewarding.
