The Johnsonian

Issue date: 4/2/08 Section: International News

There was no anxiousness until now. My heart begins to beat along with the wheels that thump the ground. It looks as if I have just landed on another planet.

Rocks and orange dirt are the only things I can see through the tiny window. A loud whoosh of air slows our speed.

A stewardess begins to speak on the intercom with such rapid fluidity, but I understand nothing. She transitions to English and says, "Welcome to Spain."

I swallow hard and catch a wave of reality.

"This is my new home; and this is a different life."

Judging by the experience so far, this is the best decision I have ever made.

As a Spanish minor, I really wanted to get out and learn the language so I thought a trip to the homeland would be a great idea.

The plan was successful.

I am now a resident of Seville, Spain. I attend a Spanish university and speak Spanish most of the time.

Instead of a short walk, I have a longer bike ride to school. I study, eat and hang out with Spanish people. Not much about that is common to a Winthrop student like me and it sure does take some getting used to. After three weeks into it, I was still nowhere near adjusted.

One of the biggest changes is the people. They are everywhere all the time filling the streets and cramming into buildings and elevators. I didn't know how to handle this at first.

Spaniards began seem to have a different sense of personal space. They do not believe in the "Elbow Rule." I am reminded of this every time that I stand at a crosswalk, in a line or elevator. They literally breathe on my neck, or rub against me and think nothing of it.

This is just their way of life.

I have never lived in a big city before and the lifestyle is all new to me.

Seville is a city of close to 800,000. It's not a huge city but the lack of English seems to multiply that number by hundreds.

Walking the streets there is no English to be heard. Andalucian Spanish is the only language around. I was in awe at this at first.

I had always loved Spanish, hence my minor and the reason for coming.

The language had always come pretty easy to me but the experience in Spain proved to be a little different. Here they speak with what seems like a heavy tongue. Andalucians drop endings, speak fast and use a lisp. An Andalucian accent is totally different from any Spanish that is taught in schools. I'm sure my small Spanish vocabulary certainly did not help either.

I soon realized how little Spanish I actually knew.

I asked a young man on the side of the street for directions the first day I was here. He began to speak with a heavy Andalucian accent, and I just stared. He went through an explanation using hand motions but all I could do was chuckle out a "Sí."

Since then, I have begun to pick up the language a little better.

Learning has come mostly via the helpful people. The people here have cleared all previous notions that I had of Europeans, especially in a big city.

I have never experienced such a helping group of people. They are always ready to help. This has helped to comfort me and, thus, learn the language.

In my new adventure, I have come to discover tons. I have learned not only about the language but also about new people. They are nowhere near what I expected and I like that. Walls that I had previously put up have been crushed.

Spanish culture is so dissimilar from that of any other country. I look forward to learning more and more about it.

Studying abroad is the best thing that I have done. Not only do you learn about others around the world but about yourself.

Page 1 of 1

Article Tools