This is Kaya, a four-year-old St. Bernard who lived at the hostel in Switzerland. She sat on my friends, and I lap while we drank local beer with the residents. She is the size of a small horse and I miss her terribly. This is me after skiing the tallest mountain in the Swiss Alps by accident and calling my mother to tell her I was still alive. This…
These past 56 days in Spain have flown by! Thanks to staying with a local host family, I feel more connected to the Spanish lifestyle than ever. My culture shock has been minimal but I do have a first day, a homestay memory I’ll never forget. Upon entering the kitchen for the first time I was shocked to find a two-foot-long leg of “jamón,” or cured pig, hoof, and all…
It wasn’t until a couple of months into my study abroad journey that I went somewhere else than my host country. It was a long wait, but spring break had finally come upon us, and it was time to finally explore some other country in Europe. Every little thing was giving me a new experience. I had never really had to plan a trip before or buy plane tickets and…
When the time came for winter break, I made the decision that I was tired of being cold, since being from South Carolina where our winters are at a 50-degree minimum, I didn’t have experience with France cold. I had to buy a scarf and gloves for the first time in my life. Me and my friends decided to go to the south of France to the city of Nice.…
It is crazy to think that it has already been 3 weeks since we all have been in Trujillo. It has been one of the most life-changing things I have ever had the pleasure to experience. Just about every evening, we collectively sit together in the grass on the side of the castle and journal, listen to music, or just talk as we watch the sun go down over the…
Trujillo is a small town in the Extremadura region of Spain near Portugal known for its Medieval architecture, picturesque nature, and traditional food. Although I have only been here for a little over a month, I have fallen in love with this city, its way of life, and its people. I am currently living with a host family and have so far enjoyed an immersive experience that has allowed me…
One thing that I have loved about studying abroad with other students is being able to celebrate holidays together! All of the students in Trujillo (along with our wonderful Professor, Devon Hanahan) got together to celebrate Valentine’s Day! Every student brought a dish to share, and we all cooked together as well! Professor Hanahan showed us how to make two traditional Spanish dishes, salmorejo (a cold soup made with tomatoes,…
There were many things to draw me in to choosing the Sant’Anna Institute as my home for the next four months- and the housing was one of them. Located in a restored convent, the Institute offers a historic, remodeled school building that has three floors of classrooms and two floors of student dorms right above. The dorms offer a safe places for students to live inside of their learning environment,…
If you had asked me my freshman year if I were planning to study abroad, I honestly wouldn’t have known what to say. Part of me has always thought I’d go abroad, but another part of me was terribly scared by the thought of doing so. I tend to have an adventurous spirit, but I’ve still never been outside of the U.S. I was so attached to my home school,…
My name is Loral Stinson and I am a sophomore in the honors college, majoring in Communication and minoring in Spanish. I am studying abroad in Trujillo, Spain. I chose the Trujillo program because I wanted to strengthen my Spanish speaking skills while living in a close-knit town. My program is CofC-led, meaning my classes are taught by two Spanish professors from Charleston, along with local professors from a neighboring…
