Universidad de Sevilla (US)

The courses I chose to take placed me directly where I needed to be. I had taken 3 years of Spanish at the University of Texas before arriving to Spain and felt well prepared to speak and understand the language. My classes taught me to feel even more confident communicating with others which proved to be essential in Sevilla. It is hard to differentiate between the material learned in class and the matters learned outside of class. Combined, the proper grammar, the southern accent, and the slang taught me to communicate in the most effective way possible.

I found that the dialect in Sevilla was a little difficult to crack at first, because the people speak so quickly. But I had lived in other foreign language environments before (living/working in Paris) so I didn't find it too disorientating! The spaniards are REALLY friendly and make a great effort in easing any difficulties you may have while trying to communicate with them. This is very rewarding.

Overall, I am lucky to say that I had an incredible study abroad experience. I lived with a great family, learned a lot, partied a lot, met my future husband, became fluent in Spanish, and am now looking to move back for a few years. I was the best 6 months of my life!