Granada: My Second Home

Words cannot express my semester in Granada, Spain. The city welcomed me with open arms, as did the staff of my CEA program. Though I was a nervous wreck trying to bumble my way through Spain in my first few weeks, the CEA staff was there to guide my new friends and I through, what would turn into, the greatest journey of our lives thus far. I know that sounds incredibly dramatic, but it is true.

Granada was my city of choice because my greater focus was to better learn the Spanish language and culture. I felt as though this smaller city would be able to assist me in achieving my goals, and it did. The academic program that CEA and Centro de Lenguas Modernas offered me pushed me to be my best, practice my Spanish all the time, and immerse myself in the Spanish culture. Also, with the city being on the smaller side, English was harder to come by; therefore, I was forced (and gratefully so) to utilize my Spanish skills.

During my five months in Granada, Spain, I was able to truly know my city, begin a life there, develop an incredible friend group, and grow individually. However, much of that is thanks to CEA. While they were not too involved in my daily life, they were an incredible support system. I became very ill shortly after being there for a month and needed to go to the hospital, and without question my CEA staff was there to take me to the hospital and help me through it all. On another note, I lived in an apartment (most choose a homestay, but I did not) with one roommate who was also in the program. While I greatly enjoyed the independence I had in my apartment (that was super awesome), any issues I had were gracefully handled by the wonderful CEA staff. I appreciated their willingness to help and fix any issues I had.

With the combination of the CEA program and staff and the city itself, I had the most amazing experience. If someone offered me a plane ride over there tomorrow, you can guarantee that I would be on it.