Hello, my name is Peyton Rosa, and I’m studying Anthropology and Spanish. I spent my second year of college at UCSC in Granada, Spain on an independent program called Worldstrides. As a first-generation college student who depends on financial aid to attend college, I wasn’t sure an entire year abroad would be feasible for me. With help from the Global Learning team and financial aid, I was able to make my dream of studying abroad a reality. It can be very daunting with all of the scary paperwork and applications, but it really is all worth it.
People often ask me what my favorite part of living in Granada for a year was. While I had some life-changing trips and experiences there, I believe it was the independence I gained from making decisions on my own and being faced with constant challenges. I was able to grow as a person and be solely responsible for myself, as I had never been before. I really enjoyed being on my own, even though it was not always easy.
A serious challenge I faced was a lack of confidence in my Spanish. I wasn’t sure of how the language barrier would affect my experience since I only had a little Spanish-speaking experience. I had to pry it out of myself and be forced to grow out of awkward intercultural communication situations. Eventually, I was able to gain some confidence and improve my Spanish, leaving with a newfound love for my journey with Spanish as my second language.
Another challenge I faced while away was that I found it very easy to feel isolated. You are surrounded by other study abroad students, all trying to make friends and fill their time with as many activities as possible, and it’s easy to fall through the cracks and be all alone. I found myself feeling overwhelmed with these new places, classes, and people, making it hard to prioritize making a ton of friends. Over time, though, I met people similar to me who had the same interests and goals for their study abroad, making the overwhelming isolation and homesickness fade very quickly. Exploring local art classes and attending language exchanges at local bars helped me broaden my horizons while in a seemingly lonely place. Within my program, we all attended excursions to places such as Seville and Madrid, participating in flamenco dancing and big dinners. My program peers and directors became family. Building on that feeling of isolation, I chose to live in an apartment, which did affect my entire experience abroad. Host families provide a built-in family and friends, but I had to create my own as well as accept an extremely independent living style. On the brighter side, it provided me with a lot more responsibility in my everyday life, such as grocery shopping, cooking, and cleaning, things that I really love! I grew to become very self-sufficient in everyday life.
My experience abroad helped me discover who I am and who I want to be. I’ve never felt as confident and secure in my identity and my decision-making as I did while abroad. Leaving the experience, I hope to implement that mindset in my everyday life. I want to continue practicing my Spanish and view the world with an open and optimistic mind.