Name: Colleen Moran

Where: Seville, Spain

When: Spring 2014

I am currently studying abroad in Seville, Spain. I have been here for 3 months and have just over 4 weeks left in this beautiful city. I came to Spain expecting certain things and I can honestly say that this experience has been above and beyond amazing.  I live with a great homestay who welcomed me into their home as if I was a part of their family. During the past months I have become extremely close with my Spanish Madre and my hermanos espanoles, along with their extended family. I truly think that living in a homestay is the best way to absorb the culture of the country you study in.

Some great perks of studying in Europe is the accessibility to travel to various countries and cities in Spain. I am studying abroad through ISA and they had 3 excursions (Cordoba and Granada, Lisbon, and Malaga). The excursions are so much fun because you get to the other students in your program. One of my worries prior to coming to Seville was whether or not I would like the people in my program since I applied without any friends. It turns out that I had been worrying about nothing because everyone in my program has become very close friends and I know I will stay in touch with many of them after our time in Spain.

My roommate and I did the Camino de Santiago which is a 1,000 year old pilgrimage to the city Santiago de Compostela. This was one of the most amazing experiences of my life and it is something that I would never be able to do any other time of my life. I hiked through Galicia, Spain for 5 days and met other pilgrims from across the world, India, Ecuador, Ireland, The Netherlands, and the United States. Although it was a short time to do the Camino, some people walk for weeks, it was still incredible to walk through the small villages and towns in northern Spain, some towns only having a few houses.

Advice I would give to someone considering Studying Abroad would be to definitely do it because this may be the only time that you can move to another country for a few months. Also I would say to not let friends keep you from going abroad. Many of my friends were worried about missing out on things happening at Ramapo, so they chose against going abroad, but in the long run, [I would say it’s worth it.]

There is nothing that I think I should have done differently, because everything has been amazing!