Abby Hiler: Hello! My name is Abby Hiler. My pronouns are she/her/hers, and I got a bachelor in pharmaceutical sciences. And I attended the Advanced Spanish in Santiago de Compostela program.
Juliana Mesa, CGIS Study Abroad Advisor: Why did you choose to study in Santiago Compostela?
AH: Well, I was deciding between Alicante and Santiago de Compostela, both because they were upper level programs, because I had taken a bunch of Spanish classes before and I ultimately chose Santiago one because Professor Lorenzo Garcia, I believe, is his name. I love Lorenzo. He really recommended it. He said it was really great, because the community that you build there is amazing and because Santiago is a little smaller of a town. I prefer small towns, and I prefer the connections that you can make with the professors and with the host families and everything. So that was the ultimate reason why I chose Santiago, and it just looks so beautiful. I mean, every [town] in Spain looks beautiful, but it looks extra beautiful there.
JM: That’s great! Speaking of host families, were expectations fulfilled? How was being in a homestay? Did you have a roommate?
AH: It was amazing. I loved my host family. I did have a roommate. My host family had 2 Airbnbs, and so we stayed in the one that was kind of more connected to their house. My roommate and I had separate rooms. We had a kitchen, a living room, and a washer (if we wanted to use it.) We also had one and a half bathrooms. And then we would have pretty much all of our meals with our host family. The meals were like an hour and a half long, which is not what I was used to, but it was fun because we just talked about our day, classes, and such. The two little sisters were still in school, so they were talking about how their schooling system was and it was just a lot of fun. The meals were always really good. I don't know about other people, but the food was always amazing [in my homestay]. Everything that they got was always fresh. Because I lived a little bit further off campus, [my commute was] about a 40 min walk or a 30ish minute bus ride, depending on traffic and stuff. Still, it was pretty fine. The bus [stop] was right outside our house, so it wasn't a problem. My host family was very accommodating. One day, I had said that I prefer ice in my water, and literally the next day, I opened the freezer, and [there were] just bags of ice. In Europe, [cold water or ice] is not really a thing. This was a really small [gesture], but it meant a lot to me. It was just so sweet.
JM: Very glad to hear that you had such a good experience with your host family. You were talking about meals. Is there one meal that was a big highlight or one that you were very surprised to try but it was really good?
AH: Yeah, we had fried sardines.. They were sardines fried in a very light batter, and they still had, like all the bones and stuff in them, which is something that I wasn't used to. They were so good. My host family explained that you can eat the little bones. I was very put off [at first]. It was very odd. But I ate it, and it was amazing. It was almost like comfort food. That's what it felt like. Really good. They also made the Tarta de Santiago. And it was so good. It's very simple. I made it when I came back to the States. [My host family] really loved their sweets with my host family.
JM: I love that! How amazing. So you were also talking about your daily commute. Can you elaborate on that? We tell students that some people will be closer to campus (within walking distance), but others will be a little farther out. Was [the longer] walk doable? Did you mainly take the bus?
AH: It was really nice. One thing that surprised me about public transportation is that Google Maps does not include the bus routes. I had no idea that was a thing. My host family [explained that] all you have to do is take line 4, and then you end up on campus. But if my host mom hadn't physically taken me and my roommate to [campus], I would have not believed them. We ended up finding this other app. It's called Moovit App. It's a really good app. It has all the bus routes [in Santiago de Compostela]. You just have to watch ads. The walk was really doable. I did it a lot. It was slightly uphill, like the entire way. But it wasn't bad. It was a straight shot, super easy. I couldn't get lost even if I tried. And there were really nice parks on the way. There's beautiful mountains across the street from me. It was totally fine even when it was blazing hot. It was a very beautiful, nice walk.
JM: Glad that went well. What about [the University of Santiago de Compostela] campus? How was Campus Vida?
AH: Yeah, it was pretty nice. It seemed like a typical campus building. I would compare it to one of the older-ish buildings on our campus. It did get kind of hot in one of the buildings. The only complaint that I had, and it has nothing to do with the building [itself], is the fact that [the classroom] was right next to where everybody would sit and smoke outside. So that was my only complaint, because we would want to have the windows open to give ventilation because it was hot.
JM: That makes sense. I do remember the instructors mentioning that you guys got a new room in the last two weeks of the program.
AH: Oh, yeah. That was nice.That one was on the second floor, and there wasn't anywhere for people to stand and smoke and stuff like that. So that room was very nice.
JM: Nice, that's good to hear. What about your day-to-day schedule? How was that while you were abroad?
AH: I would basically wake up at like 7:30 every day. And then our host mom would prepare breakfast for us. We weren't able to have breakfast with her and the family, because everyone's schedules were different. She would just make us breakfast, and then either go back to bed or do whatever. [My roommate and I] would have breakfast, and then we'd go to class. One [culture] shock that we had and I wanted to mention was the fact that Spanish professors go the whole 2 hours with no breaks. We did not realize that on the first day, and he just kept yapping away, and it was totally fine. It was very interesting content. But it was just like ‘Whoa.’
JM: Ah yes, it's intense. Very different teaching styles.
AH: Yeah, yeah. And then [the break between classes] was always really nice. I went to the cafeteria right on campus pretty much every day. Sometimes I would get something, sometimes I would just sit and hang out. Then we would have our second class. [After class] I would head home. I liked to have lunch with my host family every day. Some people didn't do that, or their host family wasn't around as much. But I would have to leave class pretty much like right away and then go back, and I would have about 30 ish minutes. I wouldn't have a ton of time. We would have lunch, and then I would have to go back to campus for the excursion. After the excursions, I immediately went right back because we would have dinner, and then I would go to bed. Sometimes I didn't have a ton of time to do homework. I would have to do it in the mornings, just because it's like travel time. But it was my choice. I wanted to have lunch with my family. I could have stayed on campus, and studied there.
JM: That's really good to know. We do try to balance things out, but it's good to know so we can make changes, allowing you to have more balanced weeks. Now, you were talking about the cultural activities. Were there any highlights, any activity you like the most? Also, if you have any comments about the overnight excursion to El Camino, it would be great to hear from your experience.
AH: Yeah. I really liked the excursion to Ría de Arousa. I had no idea what to really expect because there were minimal details about it. I just knew there was a beach but then I was surprised with the party boat. That was fun.. Our tour guide was amazing. I loved him. He was so funny, like he really knew how to keep us engaged and everything. So that was fun. I really like the cooking class. I wish I could have done more cooking classes just because it was a lot of fun.The [cooking instructor] was very nice and very, very informative. Clearly knew what she was doing. For El Camino, everything was great. All of the accommodations were great. The hostels were really, really, really nice. Our tour guide was really nice. The food was always really good. The pack lunches that they would give us were always really good.
JM: That's really good to hear. Do you have any other anecdotes, experiences that you'd like to share anything like other highlights?
AH: While I was there I went to one of the bookstores, and I bought a book in Spanish. It's Bridgerton. I would recommend just buying a book where you kind of know the plot a little bit, or something like in Spanish. I felt it really helped expand my vocabulary. Oh, and something else. That was really funny, that I knew, but didn't think of so my entire Spanish career has been learning Latin American Spanish. And so I went to Spain, and they use the vosotros form. It was in the back of my mind but I didn't, like, register it until my host family was talking to me and my roommate. Both of us were like ‘We don't know what you're saying, because we don't know [the conjugation of] the verb.’ I think if I would have prepped a little bit more with the vosotros, it probably would have helped a little bit. Other than that, everything was great. I've [even continued] messaging with my host family on Whatsapp.
JM: I love that. I'm glad that you get to stay connected with them. Was there anything cultural or identity wise that you think is worth highlighting for prospective students?
AH: My host family and everyone that I encountered in Santiago was always very accepting of everything. I have a sticker on my laptop and it says ‘Woke up gay again’ with a rainbow on it. [One day], I was doing work in my room, and my host sister came in and she saw the sticker. She was like: ‘What does that mean?’ She [only] knows a little English. So, I told her it means I'm a homosexual. Like, I don't like boys and that sort of thing. And she was just like: ‘Oh, okay, that's really cool.’ Then I had said something about my girlfriend to my host mom, and she was like ‘Oh, do you miss her?’ They were just very sweet about that.
JM: That's very nice to hear. I’m glad you felt comfortable and safe there.
AH: I always felt very accepted, like I was part of their family.
JM: That’s reassuring. Because Santiago de Compostela is a Catholic town, or at least is the epicenter of El Camino de Santiago which is a religious pilgrimage, people have certain reservations about going on the program. So it's good for people to be aware that Catholicism may be part of their identity, but also they can be very welcoming and accepting of very different identities. Is there anything else about your experience that you'd like to add?
AH: Oh, something that I would like to add is the attire. At least in Santiago, it was very, very chill. I was really worried about standing out, like the American on the street. On campus, I would say people did dress more in business casual, but everywhere else in Santiago was very comparable to how we dress here. My host mom and sisters would wear just like athletic tennis shoes and Jean shorts or athletic shorts, crew-necks sweatshirts. All the things that you would see here. But yeah, the only [difference] was like on campus. I guess people would wear like blazers or dress up for school days. Sweatpants are more acceptable in the States, but not really acceptable in Spain. [Clothing] was something that I was really worried about. But it ended up not being a problem at all.
JM: That's a great tip for people to be aware of. [Students ask] a lot of questions about packing (what to pack, what not to pack.) Thank you.
Students may contact Abby at hilera@umich.edu if they have any questions!
Learn about Advanced Spanish in Santiago de Compostela Here!
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