1. Estudiando en el extranjero

2. Mi programa Our program in Santander, Spain lasted 8 weeks from the end of May until the beginning of July. It was specifically tailored for intermediate- level Spanish students, and we took MSU- required classes taught by Spanish professors. We stayed with host families and had a graduate student that came with us to make sure our visit was a care-free one.

4. Mis habitaciones

5. Nuestras familias españolas Each student received a different host family so that we would have to rely on our Spanish in the household. Our host families were required to provide a bed, breakfast, and dinner, but many went above and beyond because in Spain, family comes first. Host families are a GREAT way to learn about the history and culture of whatever country you find yourself in, along with making friends to visit for when you travel in the future.

6. La Universidad Internacional Menéndez Pelayo

7. Mis estudios Tomé tres clases en la UIMP: Por la mañana, una clase de la literatura española y una clase de la cultura española Por el tarde, una clase de la enseñanza de español como una lengua segunda (teaching Spanish as a second language) Cada clase fue enseñada solamente en español.

8. Los fines de semana

9. In our program, we had two planned weekend excursions provided through MSU: – A day spent in Bilbao, the capital of Basque Country, and only a two-hour bus ride away from Santander. – A day spent in los Picos de Europa, a mountain range in the north of Spain. (See the beginning slide.)

10. Bilbao

11. Los Picos de Europa

12. The other weekends were free for us to plan our own trips. Mine included: – Santillana del Mar (a 14 th -century town near Santander) – Sevilla, Andalucia (Seville) – Barcelona, Cataluña – Londres, Inglaterra (London) – Cabarcenos (a giant national park near Santander that was also a zoo)

13. Santillana del Mar

14. Sevilla

17. Barcelona

20. Londres(including the Harry Potter set tour)

21. Cabarcenos

23. LAS RAZONES PARA ESTUDIAR EN EL EXTRANJERO 1. Independence. You are in charge of what you do with your free-time and who you become close to, but you also have to plan, navigate, be prepared to be completely out of your comfort zone, etc., etc. 2. Reflection. Being immersed in a different culture allows you think about who you are and also become a much more open-hearted person. 3. Educational opportunities are EVERYWHERE, ALL THE TIME, when you are in a different country. 4. Accessibility to travel to other countries. At least in Europe, it is very easy to travel to many different places once you arrive there.

24. Last, but not least… 5. The wonderful, lasting relationships you will make with not only other students, but with your host family, your professors, etc., if you are willing to step out of your comfort zone. *NOTE: If you want to study any foreign language at the college-level, I highly recommend studying abroad not only for these reasons, but in order to gain the conversational skills that are hard to gain in a classroom.