Spain: Mathew Norton (Final Reflections)

Final Reflections

As the final phase of my time in Seville approaches, I’m reminded to reflect upon both my experience thus far and what I’d also like to carry with me and incorporate in my last few weeks here. Although time has generally felt slower here than during a normal semester (when I think back to things at the start of the semester, three months ago, they feel like ages ago), it’s still a little crazy that we’re here. With the remaining four weeks, I hope to make the most of it.

First off: my Spanish. Although I already came in with a solid base, my Spanish has improved dramatically. The concept of “fluency” is often a nebulous one, but at the very least, I’ve gained the ability to read, listen, and speak in Spanish more so just with the language itself. Sure, when a new word pops up that I can’t figure out from context, I might look it up in a dictionary, or if a sentence has complex grammar, I might try to interpret the meaning in English, but I’m able to listen and read the language and appreciate the meaning simply through the Spanish a lot more than when I started on this program. Although my Spanish still often has to warm up in the mornings, it’s less so than before. I still have so much to learn with Spanish, and I’m excited to see how much more I can learn in these remaining four weeks.

The program has not been easy; along with the initial culture shocks and the adaptation to an environment that was completely Spanish-speaking, I felt that it was difficult to make friends for a while. Throughout my time on the program, I’ve been able to connect more with some of the other international students who are also focused on improving their Spanish, and I’ve been able to connect more with university students recently. Putting myself out there and speaking more with natives has been a challenge, but I’ve gotten a lot better at it (both from the language aspect and the social aspect). Being the only international student in my university classes has posed a challenge, but I’m proud of how I’ve done so far given my classes are entirely in Spanish. Although there are only a handful of weeks remaining, I’d like to take what I’ve learned and try to continue connecting with local students.

Despite this difficulty, I’ve gotten so much out of the experience here. Besides the clear linguistic benefits, I’ve been able to submerge myself in a different culture: seeing what university is like in Spain, attending flamenco shows, going shopping, eating at historical restaurants, and learning about history and tradition through the walking tours and excursions. As a STEM double major, I previously hadn’t taken a college history course, and I’ve discovered that I actually quite enjoy it (due in part to my funny and infectiously passionate professor), and I can appreciate it a lot more when the history is all around me. I love the friends I’ve made here on the program, along with the spontaneous conversations with strangers I’ve had along my path. Not to mention some of the beautiful sites I’ve been able to see (looking at you, Plaza de España). Even though I’ve been unlucky in some ways with the way certain things turned out, I’ve been so lucky in others, and I’m so grateful for the many new experiences I can take with me going forward.

Outside of studying for finals these coming weeks (my first one is on the 3rd!), I’d like to do my best to invest time each week to spend time with my friends here, explore more parts of the city, and participate in more of the CIEE activities. I know that I’ll have many stories to tell once I come home for the winter, and I’ll also have so many experiences and lessons here that I’ll carry with me for the rest of my life.

Matthew Norton  

Major: Computer Sciences, Mathematics

Hometown: Hopkins, MN

Program: CIEE Advanced Liberal Arts & Liberal Arts in Seville, Spain