I’m currently in Valencia, Spain. I’ve been studying here since September, and in a month, many of the people I’ve met will all leave to start their spring semester at their own college back in the US. Last summer, as I planned for my sophomore year, I knew right away that I would be studying abroad for a year and nothing would change my mind about this. At that time I was too stubborn to sit down and weigh the pros and cons, but now after being here for almost a semester, I’ve realized that it would have been nice to have a better perspective on what exactly I was getting myself into.
Fluency:
Pro: One of the reasons I chose to study abroad for a year was to increase my fluency in Spanish. By being here for a year, I have the time to develop my vocabulary and confidence that has led to better fluency.
Con: Being here for a year also means, like most college students, there can be a lack of motivation to really pick up the language. When I hang out with my friends, we often start of speaking Spanish now, but it quickly digresses into English. We tend to use the excuse that we have a whole year and for this reason, my ability to speak fluently is coming along much slower than I would like.
Travel:
Pro: One great thing about being abroad for a year is that there is no rush to travel to every major European city or to try to book that weekend adventure to Morocco. I’ve been able to hang out in Valencia and learn how to live like a local.
Con: It can be hard resisting booking a quick trip to a large city when many of your friends are traveling and having a blast, but it always comes down to making money last for the whole year. While many of the people on the program can splurge for the semester, year students usually have to be slightly more careful since money has to last through major breaks and holidays as well as last through daily purchases.
Friendship:
Pro: On my program, there are 7 other girls who are staying here for the year. While I’ve made great friends with students who are only here for the semester, my bond with these girls is much stronger since we are all experiencing being abroad for a year.
Con: In December, all the great people you have met leave to go back to the US and though it hasn’t happen yet, I know it will be a bittersweet moment seeing all the friends I’ve made leave. If you have tight friendships back in the US, it also can further complicate things. I’ve continued to struggle maintaining my friendships back in the US as a result of being so far away and I still struggle to find a solution to this.
Family:
Pro: You get to learn to live independently from your family. It’s also fun to use Skype and to buy gifts for your family back in the US. When I skype with my grandma, it is always exciting to show her all the cool little gifts I found and to tell her about life here in Spain. You’re family and friends may be a little jealous of it all, but they will enjoy living vicariously through your adventure.
Cons: It’s hard knowing that your semester friends are going home back to the comfort of their homes as well as going back to the holiday season. While it depends on where you study abroad, here in Valencia, the weather is pretty consistently warm. There have been days when all I wanted was to enjoy a Pumpkin Spice Latte from Starbucks. Nostalgia for American things can hit you pretty hard throughout the semester, but it always help thinking of the reasons you chose to study abroad.
While it is difficult at times, I’d recommend to anyone to try studying abroad for a year. It’s hard now of days to find the time in rigorous course schedules to take a year off, but in the end I know it will all be worth it.
For more about what I am actually doing and experiencing in Spain, check out my blog timeaftertiempo.weebly.com or go to the F&M postcards page to see where I am!