Making the decision to go abroad can certainly be difficult. Living in a different country away from your family and friends for four months is daunting and overwhelming. I had always thought about going abroad, but when the time came to actually go, my nerves were uncontrollable. Especially because I chose a program that wasn’t very popular at Fordham. I decided to spend my time abroad in Alicante, a small beach town in the south of Spain. I was going with not one other student from Fordham which made the journey that much harder, but halfway through my time here, I feel as though I made the best decision possible. It might be hard to apply to programs that aren’t popular at FU, but I can only say that I have had the greatest experience. I have made some amazing new friends and seen the most exotic places. The decision to spend a semester abroad is hard, but it is also the right one, no matter what you are leaving behind, home, your boyfriend or your friends, GO abroad! And if you choose to go to Spain, consider Alicante.
Alicante is a beautiful, small city located right on the beach. It is November here and I am still comfortable in shorts and a t shirt. I can’t wait to go back to the Bronx and have my friends be jealous of my tan. With the CIEE program we had the option of living at the University of Alicante or with a family, the popular choice is to do the homestay and so I am writing this article from my bed. All of my friends here have had nothing but excellent experiences with their families and you have the opportunity to get significantly better at the spanish language. Spanish mothers can be a little overwhelming, but awesome at the same time. Lupe (my madre) does my laundry for me and makes me a beautiful meal everyday. They take me out to eat and to visit their beach house, not to mention they have the cutest Pug dog on the planet named Tyson (after Mike Tyson). They let me come and go as I please and joke around with me when I wake up at 1:00 pm after a night out. The homestay experience also helps to ward off homesickness. Home cooking, a clean room, and fresh sheets do wonders for your level of comfort. CIEE also takes you on a number of trips throughout the semester that are already included in tuition and these are great ways to see all of Spain. Although Alicante is lesser known, there are ways to get anywhere you want to go; I’ve already been to Sicily, Italy, London, England and I will be traveling to Dublin, Ireland at the end of this month. Not to mention Alicante is cheap! It is a walking city and food and drink is incredibly reasonable. Hopefully you will all be hearing more from me and what an excellent experience going abroad is, but for now here are some pictures of Alicante and my experiences to drool over. After seeing these I guarantee it will be hard for you not to consider Alicante as your abroad destination.
The pier that juts out into the ocean with an amazaing view of both the city and the sea.
The Esplanada, or main walkway that runs parallel to the marina and beach.