My decision to study abroad wasn’t an easy one.

After a year of school online, it was difficult to imagine leaving campus for an entire semester. What if I missed out on things? Was I giving up a part of my Harvard experience? But I knew that studying abroad was in itself an invaluable and life-changing experience - one I am now incredibly grateful for. I also knew that, when studying abroad during the semester at Harvard, your financial aid travels with you. This means that your expenses while abroad will be the same as what you pay while at Harvard after financial aid. Knowing this, I felt much more confident in my desire to study abroad. A six-month trip to Europe did not have to be the financial burden it could have been- it could actually be affordable.

I decided to go to Granada, a university town in the south of Spain, because of an opportunity to enroll in an intensive Spanish language program (and because two of my roommates were also studying abroad there!). When I landed in Granada, everything felt different: the air, the sun, the roads, and me. I remember being acutely aware of the fact that I was incredibly far from home and would be for a very long time. It was scary, but also exciting. I hadn’t felt so out of my comfort zone since my first year at Harvard, and I gladly welcomed the new challenge.  

The first major challenge was the language barrier. While Granada had an intensive language program, the majority of the students in my program were already advanced in Spanish. As a result, our program directors would gear the communication towards that language level, and the majority of the directions and information were provided in Spanish. I would often miss critical information as I struggled to keep up with my basic Spanish skills.   For the first few weeks of class, I would walk home with a headache. Spending 4 - 5 hours only hearing and communicating in Spanish, with my limited knowledge of it, was exhausting. Although I had read countless studies that this was the best way to learn a new language, I wasn’t convinced that it would work for me. To my surprise, as the weeks continued, my headaches subsided; the “difficult” Spanish professor, whose rapid Spanish always seemed unintelligible to me, suddenly seemed to be speaking slower and clearer. I found myself more comfortable in engaging in conversation with locals, understanding things in a deeper way, and catching details I had missed for so long due to my limited Spanish knowledge. It was a refreshing experience, and it encouraged me to continue pushing myself out of my comfort zone and explore as much as I could.

And outside of class, there was plenty to explore. For one, our program put on a number of trips around southern Spain. We went to Cadiz, a beautiful beach town, took a tour of the Costa del Sol (Málaga, Nerja, and Almuñecar), and visited famous historical sites such as the Alhambra and Seville Cathedral. Additionally, we had space on our weekends and vacation days to explore other parts of Europe and even Morocco. Flights in Europe tend to be significantly cheaper than in the US, and I also utilized some resources to find the best deals. One of my favorites was Skyscanner, a website that goes through a multitude of available flights and provides you with the cheapest combinations. We also found a mountain of deals on hostels and Airbnbs (having my study abroad friends to travel with made things much cheaper!). 

Cooking for myself was also an amazing experience and away to keep the experience affordable. After class, a group of us would go to the local grocery store and pick up necessities. The cost of living is much lower in Spain, so 3-4 weeks of groceries would typically cost me $60-80. I shared a kitchen with another girl in the program, and we’d often collaborate on our meals. Aside from that, Granada, in particular, has free tapas - that is, with the order of any drink (water, juice, etc), you receive a free small plate to go with it. Drinks were typically about $2, so this was a great way to experience going out while remaining on a budget!   Besides the cool sights I saw, the amazing things I experienced, and the delicious food I ate, what really stuck out to me about my study abroad experience was the incredible people I encountered. From the French former journalist in my language immersion class to Colombian-immigrant members of my church to the other study abroad students I lived and traveled with, I made lifelong friendships. To me, Granada isn’t simply a city; it’s a moment in time, a chosen family, and a memory I won’t soon forget.