Blog #1: Pre-trip
As I pack and prepare for Spain there is a lot I’m excited about, and a lot for me to freak out about. I’m obviously excited to experience a foreign culture and try all this wine. I’m also really energetic to just break out of my comfort zone and try new things. My fears, I know I’m just being a worrier and that I am kind of just over exaggerating everything. The list of fears starts with losing my passport. I don’t know how often that happens but it just does not sound fun. I’m also just worried in general that I forgot something, even though I triple checked. Finally I just want to have a good time and make some good friends in the process.
Blog #2
One of the most worth while parts of the trip to Spain was touring the Driscol Berries factory. We had a great time and the employees that led us around were extremely knowledgeable. They let us try fresh strawberries, which we picked ourselves. We tried a lot of different mutations. Their goal was to try and find the perfect pairing, that gives the perfect visuals and the perfect taste. Not only was it fun, it was very informational. One of the things that stuck out o me the most was how they grew black berries. There strategy was very smart, they would only grow black berries for the winter months instead of year round. They did this because the northern countries grow great blackberries during the summer. This maximizes the revenue since they only sell those berries in the prime earning months.
Blog #3
One of the Things that I loved the most, and found the most interesting happened the first night when we were in Malaga. It was the night of the “El Classico” which is one of the biggest soccer games of the year, Real Madrid vs. FC Barcelona. These are the best two teams in Spain and arguably the best two teams in the World. A big part of my life in the United States is watching the NFL, and watching games is a big deal to me. It was really cool to experience their version of that, soccer, which is such a big part of the culture. They were so passionate and it was just really, really cool to me as a sports nerd. If I ever go to Spain again, going to a soccer game is definitely on the bucket list.
Blog #4
The final thing I really wanted to talk about was the Alhambra. The Alhambra was the single most beautiful place I have ever been in my life. It was a built as spectacular small fortress, but was later was converted into a Royal Palace. The palace has many beautiful gardens, it had spectacular views, It was just indescribable. It was the perfect house, it was beautiful and it was a fortress. That’s the best combo you could ask for. Not only was the Alhambra amazing, the city of Granada in general was mesmerizing. After the short two days there, I have full heartedly decided that if I study abroad for an entire semester, the only place I would go is Granada.
Blog #5: Post Blog
After the trip, I realized that all my fears were non factors in my experience abroad. There was never a time were I felt scared or unsafe, and, Hooray! I didn’t lose my passport. I also packed the perfect amount, brought the exact amount of euros I needed, everything just kind of went perfectly. Before the trip I thought that this was going to be my study abroad experience. But after getting the taste of it, now I definitely will be going back.
ausp2709 