On behalf of our Her Campus chapter, I am super excited to introduce one of our new contributors, Ana-Sofia, who is majoring in global affairs and minoring in spanish at UTSA. She will be our new contributor from SPAIN. That’s right, Ana-Sofia will be documenting her experience while studying abroad this semester, and talking about the culture, FOOD, experiences, traveling, architecture, and the lovely people of Spain, and more. You can catch periodic articles about all the things above on our website, and easy way to stay up to date with them is to follow along with her hashtag, #AsofTakesMadrid. I hope you guys are just excited as we are to read all of her articles, but for now we formally introduce her with a questionnaire.
“Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.”
Why did you choose Madrid, Spain for your place of study?
Seeing as my major is in international relations and my minor is in Spanish, studying abroad in a Spanish speaking country seemed fitting. While I love my homeland, Mexico, I am very familiar with the country and I want a completely new experience. I have never been to Europe so Spain felt like the right choice!
How many hours are you planning on taking while at university in Spain?
I plan on taking five classes, which is a regular course load here at UTSA, 15 hours.
What do you want to gain out of this experience?
I hope to gain several things during my time abroad. I want to get to know myself better by living in a foreign country for a time on my own. I’m also hoping to make a lot of new friends in the next few months. Finally, I hope to gain a different point of view. I’ll gain personal insight into the life of an average Spanish citizen and learn what it’s like to adapt to a completely different culture from my own.
What are you most excited about going to another country?
I’m most excited to experience anything and everything European that I can! I want to travel, sight see, and eat too much food.
Do you have any reservations, if so what are they? (scared about not knowing people, being in a new place, etc.)
Honestly yes, I am a little afraid of not knowing anyone and also adjusting to being so far away from everything I know. Most of all I’m scared of being robbed! I have heard that in touristy areas pick pockets and con artists run rampant, so it’s definitely a fear of mine, but nothing will stop me from taking my chance to study abroad.
What are you going to miss about living in the US?
Obviously I’ll miss friends and family, but something tells me I’m going to miss my frequent trips to Whataburger and Raising Canes after a while away. Also I’m sure that I’ll miss air conditioning, that’s something we definitely take for granted in the US.
Are you planning on traveling to different parts of Europe?
Yes! I hope to visit Italy and France for sure. Some of my friends want to go to Oktoberfest in Munich and others would like to visit London and Amsterdam but we’ll see what my budget and schedule allow!
Briefly explain your career goals and if you feel that this study abroad experience will benefit those goals, please elaborate. And if you also see the personal growth from it as well, elaborate on that as well.
As an International Relations major and a Spanish minor, my semester in Madrid will be very relevant to my degree! So far my career goals include applying and interviewing for the Archer Fellowship program, which takes accepted students to D.C. for a semester to study and intern with an agency or organization of their choosing. I’d like to work in the non- profit sector or do humanitarian related work, so I’d love to intern for Human Rights Watch. My time in Madrid will help my Spanish skills, I am already fluent but I never went to school in Spanish. I feel that the constant immersion in the culture and language will help me gain a global perspective while polishing my Spanish: useful for my career and completing credits!
On a more personal note, this trip could not come at a better time for me. I recently ended a long term relationship with my ex-boyfriend and I have come to realize that while I am capable of being independent, there are many things I don’t know about myself because I have been in a relationship for years. I want to really enjoy my time being single and become more self-aware. I know that my time in Madrid will allow me to discover how I adapt to culture shock and being far away from what is comfortable and familiar to me which will in turn help me grow and develop as a person.
I have never been more excited and ready for change!
Why Her Campus?
As founder of Women in Leadership at UTSA, I am a major advocate of feminism and female empowerment. I believe it is especially crucial to give collegiate women the sense of capability and drive that they sometimes lack or suppress in contemporary society. We are strong, motivated, creative, and beautiful and we need to lift each other up!
A friend introduced me to Her Campus one day by pulling up the instagram page and I fell in love. I knew I had to be a part of this myself because Her Campus perfectly defines what I actively promote and believe. I felt so passionate about being involved and here I am- incredibly grateful and honored for the opportunity to participate.