¡Hola! ¿Cómo estás? I leave for Spain this Sunday, and I am very excited to finally be there! I know that by taking these classes abroad, I will be given the opportunity to interact with locals and better understand how to communicate with them. I think it is important to be able to hold conversations with people who come from many diverse backgrounds and ethnicities, and this study abroad trip will give me the opportunity to do so while in Spain. While I know that there are diverse people everywhere in the world, I can also recognize that traveling to a whole different country will surround me with people I may not have had plenty of interactions with living in the United States.   

I know that there are many cultural differences between the United States and Spain, so it will be amazing to see those differences firsthand and quickly adapt to that new lifestyle! I read online that Spanish people eat dinner at a later time than most Americans do, so that will be something I will definitely have to get used to once I get to Spain. I am ecstatic t to learn the ins and outs of Spanish culture and try to kind of “blend in” if you will, with the locals. I know that paella is definitely more of a lunch meal than a dinner meal so that is something I will have to keep in mind while I am there. I am excited to see what the standards are in Spain in terms of general respect for people and professors specifically, and I think it will be great for me to see how locals interact with others so I can be respectful of the culture.  

Taking classes while abroad will give me a sense of the overall student-teacher dynamic and I think that is very important to understand. I also will pay close attention to the overall business etiquette in Spain because that is something that will definitely come in handy in my future, especially as a Global Management major. It is important to me that I know good business etiquette of many countries as it is very possible for me to be working with international companies or people who are not from the United States. 

I will definitely give you all an update once I am in-country! I have heard so many amazing study abroad stories and I know that this trip will be life-changing for me. I hope you enjoyed reading my post! ¡Adios!