Language & International Business
Clemson University, Clemson, SC
Study Abroad
As part of Clemon’s Language and International Business program, I knew I would be required to study abroad in a spanish-speaking country, which I knew would play a significant role in my language studies. In high school, my Spanish teacher told us of her studies in Buenos Aires and always made it seem like a wonderful experience, and as someone who has always loved to travel and experience other cultures, this opportunity was equally exciting and daunting for me.
In the spring of 2024, I chose to study in Santiago de Compostela, Spain. I have always had an interest in northern Spain, and Santiago, being a city rich in history, seemed like the perfect place.
Initially, my goals in Spain were simply to enhance my language skills and cultural awareness. Although those still are my primary goals while continuing my education, my perspectives and ambitions have changed somewhat. While we studied Spanish at the Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, I realized that this university hosted many international students. I met several American, Japanese, Korean, and British students, all with the common goal of becoming fluent in Spanish. Hearing about their backgrounds, and especially their travels has fueled my desire to travel as much as possible in my lifetime. While I likely will never have the opportunity to spend months abroad as I did in Santiago, I hope to continue traveling and go beyond just visiting tourist zones and interacting with customer service employees. I want to continue to have meaningful conversations with people around the world, even if that means doing something as simple as using a pen pal app.
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Adjusting to life in Spain was definitely a challenge, as there were many cultural differences between Spain and the United States, some primary examples being mealtimes and transportation. One of the first things I noticed about Spanish culture was how late we ate lunch and dinner in comparison to my routine at home. Whereas in Clemson, I am accustomed to eating lunch between 11am-1pm and dinner between 5pm-7pm, with my host family in Spain, we rarely ate lunch before 3pm and dinner was always after 8. Coupled with all the walking I was doing, this caused me to often be hungry in the beginning of the semester (although I eventually became used to the routine). Over time, I also observed that lunch seemed to be that main, "family," meal of the day, whereas in the U.S., I am accustomed to dinner being the larger meal. This seems to be ingrained in their culture, as I noticed many shops and cafes would close for hours at a time in the middle of the day and open up again in the evening, as recognition of this. Furthermore, this schedule is also part of the reason for their vibrant nightlife for which Spain is so famous. It is customary to eat dinner between 8-10pm, wait some time, and then go out starting at 1am and oftentimes staying up until sunrise. Personally, as much as I admired this lifestyle, I found it difficult to keep up with while I was also focusing on school and work. However, it was overall a very fascinating and eye-opening experience.
Another major difference I noticed from day one, is the transportation, but more specifically, the amount of walking that I was doing. In Clemson, I often use the bus or my car to go to class and go grocery shopping, but in Santiago, I simply walked everywhere. Class was exactly a 30 minute walk from my house, the downtown area was a 10-20 minute walk, and the nearest grocery store was a 10 minute walk. This in particular was one change that I welcomed, as I have always preferred walking and I absolutely loved the fact that for once I lived in a pedestrian-friendly town where there was really nowhere that I couldn't walk. Whether I wanted to get groceries, shop for clothes, or eat out, I was always able to throw on a pair of shoes and walk to get there. Despite my frequent tardiness to class, I found this to be more efficient than combing through the lots for a parking spot at Clemson, as well as a fantastic stress reliever and a great way to explore my new home.
Although there were many differences between American and Spanish culture, I noticed that they were mostly all small differences that could be adjusted. Overall, I noticed that we all had similar mannerisms. I realized this for the first time when my host parents had company over for lunch and they were discussing hosting exchange students; my host dad mentioned how in a way he found it to be somewhat easier to host American and Canadian students than Japanese or Korean students. He had said this was because Americans, like Europeans are “westernized” and tend to be more outgoing and as such, gestures or habits like hugging come more naturally. Though this seemed obvious once he explained it, I never would have thought that otherwise and it was very interesting to me that despite all the differences I noticed, we did all seem to have a commonality that I can’t really explain, I suppose it being due to our more westernized nature.
Although I had many unforgettable experiences while abroad, one that I distinctly remember is a weekend where as a group, we walked part of the Camino de Santiago, a famous pilgrimage route through North Spain that ends at the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela. Though it may have been rainy and a little chilly, it was an absolutely beautiful experience. We saw many parts of the Spanish countryside, saw many beautiful historical sites including a monastery, an old celtic town, and a castle. At each of these sites, we talked to local tour guides and of course took many pictures. We ended the journey when we arrived at the cathedral. Despite the wet and the many steps, it was an absolutely beautiful experience that I would love to repeat in the future, and potentially walk the entire hike (rather than the few sections that we walked).
My experience in Santiago greatly enhanced my academic experience overall. I certainly improved my language skills (my primary goal) and equally important, my cultural knowledge. I think the biggest help overall to both of these improvements, was living with a host family and doing volunteer work once a week. Conversing nightly with my host mom and asking questions about vocabulary and grammar made all the difference in the end. Furthermore, I think having the opportunity to volunteer with an after school program taught me a great deal about the local culture and even culture abroad, as I befriended one girl in particular who was from Argentina and she and I would converse weekly. She was nearly fluent in English and wanted to practice by talking to me, and I would do the same by speaking Spanish with her. Over the course of the semester, we both had many conversations about the cultures of Spain, Argentina, and the U.S. Overall, I think this semester contributed significantly to my overall academic experience at Clemson.
Lastly, I think my time abroad deeply affected my perspective on the world and relationship with society. Going forward, I think this will forever change how I view the word “normal.”
It served as a reminder that there is a huge world out there, and I am only one of eight billion people, all with different cultures, customs, opinions, and mannerisms. Overall, I hope to return and see as much of the world as possible.
