Spain: Caitlin Fox (A Day in the Life)

I connected with the Spanish culture by trying to speak Spanish as typically as possible. After 7 weeks, I left so much more confident in my Spanish-speaking abilities. I love trying new Spanish food, especially tapas. Tapas are free food that come with your beverage, but they are only free in Granada! When possible, I liked to watch the news with my host mom and talk to her about issues that are happening in Spain and hear her perspective on these issues. Everyone who studied in Granada lived in neighborhoods, so this helped us see parts of the city that we normally would not have visited if we were just a tourist.

A place that was part of my daily routine was the river Genil. Near my host moms house, the river is wide and runs very fast. At night, I loved to sit next to the river and listen to the rushing water. The water reminded me a lot of Wisconsin because there was always more green vegetation near the river. During the daytime, you could see the Sierra Nevada mountains sitting in the distance. One day, my friends and I walked an hour up the river to a secluded spot and laid there for hours. I will miss the river here!

My other favorite place was el mirador de San Nicholas. The overlook had an amazing view of the Alhambra. People were there at every hour of the night usually playing some flamenco music. Towards the end of our program, we all went there to watch the sunrise before getting churros and chocolate at Café Futbol.

Caitlin Fox 

Hometown: Viroqua, Wisconsin

Major: Spanish and Health Promotion and Health Equity

Program: Illinois in Granada, Spain

I chose this program because I have traveled to Granada before, and I absolutely loved it. The Alhambra, a beautiful monument, is here along with lots of other amazing architecture. I also decided on this program because it was the longest one offered for the summer and I wanted to be abroad for as long as possible to learn Spanish. Between the Sierra Nevada mountains in the distance, the tapas, the siesta, flamenco, and nice people– Granada is the place to be. My mom is from Nicaragua, so as a Latina, I feel very at home even though the culture is different.