While I was studying abroad in Salamanca, Spain, I experienced the horrifying ordeal of being sent home for the COVID-19 pandemic on top of ordinary challenges like homesickness. Not all your memories will be positive, and that’s okay! The friends I made helped me through everything.
Outside of my host family, the people who had the greatest impact on my Costa Rican experience were the seven lovely women I had the pleasure of exploring the country with and two amazing members of the ICDS team, Naya and Nina. The special bond created with each of them is one I will cherish forever.
Studying abroad in Morocco and Greece introduced me to friends from many different backgrounds who expanded my life perspective beyond the Emory bubble. They became my abroad families, and they continue to influence my worldview today.
I can easily say that the reason why I loved my time abroad was because of the kind people I met. My host mom, the Emory students and advisors in my group, and students in my classes created a supportive community around me, making every day exciting and memorable.
People (and food with said people) must be the most important aspect of my time in both London and Seoul. Though I spent most of my time alone, wandering around shops and writing papers in the library, I also made several acquaintances who made my time very memorable.
A study abroad experience isn’t one person, one place, or even one experience. It’s a culmination of everything that results in something you’ll never forget. My time in Salamanca, Spain left me with memories I’ll have for the rest of my life, and everyone involved in the program helped achieve that.
For every study abroad trip, there is always one factor that is impossible to prepare for: the friends who will be studying alongside you. Whether they are newly made friends or ones brought from home, they will define your experience one way or another.
I arrived in France feeling extremely jet-lagged but also excited for my semester abroad. I had lived in Brooklyn and Atlanta my whole life and wasn’t sure what to expect living in a country that seemed so far from home.
Community is a vital part of Spanish culture, and what better way to establish community than through food? From the pastries to the tapas to the home-cooked meals, food was involved in just about every social interaction I had in Salamanca, always making it taste so much better.
During my time abroad, food was always more than just food. It was a chance to be with friends, have conversations with locals, learn culture, and, in the end, say goodbye to the most important people to me in the program.
