One of the many things I learned from my study abroad experience was independence. My program was in Spain. I interned and took a Spanish class. My internship was at a software development company called Aquiles Solutions. Here, I worked as a digital marketing intern. It was interesting to see the different work environments in the United States and Spain. In Spain, the culture was very relationship-based rather than task-oriented. This made me really enjoy what I did and enjoy the time I spent with the people I worked with. In addition to my work experience, I was able to travel to several different countries while I was abroad. I was able to experience different cultures and learn about them. I went to Italy, Czech Republic, Ireland, England, and the Netherlands. I couldn’t be more thankful for my experiences. I met so many different people and learned so much about the differences between cultures. I highly recommend studying abroad because it will shape you for the better. One of my favorite places when I went to Spain was Montserrat.  Montserrat was a mountain range outside of Barcelona. The train ride was about an hour. Once we got there, my roommate and I took a funicular(cable car) up the mountain. The mountain has a monastery at the top. That particular area with the monastery was very touristy. It was a very hot day, but we made it.  The views of the mountain were very impressive. There were also people riding their bikes up the mountain which was absolutely crazy!! That same night, we spoke to our host mom, Maite. She told us that Montserrat was a huge symbol for Catalunya. A lot of different people from different religions went to the mountain to connect with God, meditate, or just relax from their everyday life. She also said it was a popular spot for people to get married. I thought that Montserrat was lovely and relaxing. All in all, I felt that I was able to gain cultural insights, gain fluency in Spanish, and be part of different cultures.

Below is a link that highlights my study abroad experience.