As most of you should know by now, I am spending the next semester studying abroad in Spain. I will be living in Alicante, Spain and studying Spanish at the Universidad de Alicante. I don't know much Spanish now but if I want to survive over there I'm sure i will learn a lot in the first couple of weeks! The program I am going through is called University Studies Abroad Consortium (USAC). It is based out of University of Nevada at Reno but it is a national program and Maryland is a partner school.
Alicante is a medium sized city on Spain's Costa Blanca. Because it is in the southeastern area of the country, temperatures stay above 50 degrees in the winter (yay!) so I'm looking forward to some warmer temperatures and living right on the Mediterranean!
I will be sharing an apartment be 4 other girls. This is the information I was given from the program: "This is a great apartment really centrally located with Internet access and air conditioned. The apartment has a very nice balcony and it is just in front of the Central Market. Also Ana, the landlady, is really nice and helpful." Sounds good to me! I'm really excited about having internet since not everyone is guaranteed to have it. I cant wait to see my apartment.. it sounds awesome!
As far as classes, I will be getting 4 semesters of college level Spanish in one semester. I start with 4(ish) weeks of intro Spanish then go on to 4 weeks of the next level, etc. I am also taking one history class and a one-credit spanish cuisine course. I'm not sure exactly what my schedule will be but I'm hoping it consists of as little time in class as possible!
I leave out of Philly on January 11 and land in Madrid the morning of the 12th. From the 12-16th I am going on a tour of Madrid offered through USAC. I move into my apartment the 16th, have orientation the 17th, and start classes on the 19th. Classes are over May 19th and after some travelling I will be back in the states May 30th. During the semester I plan on travelling as much as possible and seeing as many different places as I can. Ireland and Greece are my two main must-see places and we'll see wherever else I end up. Can't wait to get started!
I am SO thankful for everyone who has helped me get ready for this semester. I have gotten tons of generous gifts from friends and family - travel books, accessories, gift cards and tons of other useful things i never would have even thought of. My friend Susie studied abroad in Alicante a few years ago and she made me this map:
Its hard to see how awesome it is from the picture but she basically labeled all the important places (i.e. the best bars and restaurants of course) and showed me the best way to get around. It is definitely going to come in handy when I am learning the area. Susie is the best!
I cant believe I am only 10 days away from leaving - I've been planning for so long that it still seems so far away! I will try to update this blog as much as possible once I am in Spain to keep everyone updated on what I am doing. This is definitely the easiest way to keep everyone up-to-date. Until then I will be working on learning Spanish (or trying at least), reading my travel books, figuring out how to pack 4 months worth or stuff in one suitcase and one back pack, and trying to see as many people as possible before I leave. Readyyyyy... Go!
I can't believe you leave so soon!! Packing shouldn't be too bad bc it will be warm there.
ReplyDeletei miss you already.
ReplyDeletePack light, don't bring the travel books. There's lots of spain travel info on the web (in-spain.info). Remember that the guest parade begins early in February, so if you need some stuff brought over then, we'll have room in our suitcases. Can't wait for our trip.
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