Exploring Spain: Sevilla Grider's Global Grants Experience

I have been abroad for six weeks, and it has been an amazing experience. My regular classes started three weeks ago, and I am taking them all in Spanish. It is a challenging course load in another language, but my Spanish is improving every single day. I am taking an interesting mix of class content, as I am learning about the history of the three main religions in Spain, social justice in Spain, the history of political transition and democracy in Spain, and intercultural communication. All of these classes and the language immersion is giving me a better understanding of the context of everyday life in Spain.

 

Outside of the classroom, I had the opportunity to spend a day in Ronda, one of the white villages in the mountains of Andalucia. It was fascinating to see how the city was built upon and changed through different time periods in history, from the Roman empire to Muslim rule to modern day Catholic Spain. I also visited the town of Aracena, including the castle and the church. I have had the opportunity to learn about and try many different cuisine dishes from Andalucia, including Spanish tortilla and patatas bravas. 

 

I also visited the Antiquarium during one of my classes, which is an underground museum housing ruins from the 1^st century through the 14^th century. This was also a fascinating experience as it connected the concepts from my classes to the actual history of the city. Overall, it has been an amazing experience so far, and I can't wait to keep learning.