Juliana Mesa, CGIS advisor: Thanks for doing this interview with me. Please introduce yourself.
Jonah Perttula: I'm Jonah Perttula. My pronouns are he/him. I'm studying International Studies and Spanish. I went on the CGIS: Advanced Spanish and Culture in Granada, Spain program.
Juliana Mesa: Why did you choose to go on this program?
Jonah Perttula: Well, Spanish being one of my majors, I always wanted to go to a Spanish-speaking country and really immerse myself. Spain was at the top of my list, due to its proximity to other countries in Europe. I chose Granada specifically because I wanted to do something unique. I know a lot of people go to some of the bigger cities, and there is an Advanced Spanish and Culture program in Madrid, but I chose Granada because I thought I'd be able to be more immersed in the local community: participating in volunteering or an internship like I did, playing soccer, interacting with locals, making Spanish friends, and really working on my language skills.
JM: Hopefully, it met your expectations on all those different aspects. I agree that you get to have a more immersive experience and get to learn a lot from Spanish culture by being in a smaller city and a smaller program.
JM: In this program, students have to take two tracks to fulfill the local immersion course requirement: either an internship placement (including a seminar) or a class at the local university. Earlier, you talked about your internship. Can you talk a little bit about the internship placement process and your experience abroad? How was your day-to-day like?
JP: Yeah, definitely. Before I went on the program, I chose to do an internship, because I thought it would be a great way to become more immersed in the community in Granada, and there was a list of possible industries or types of jobs [in which] you could look for an internship. You get to pick 2 or 3 that are most interesting to you, and then you have to send in your resume in English and in Spanish. IES has a wonderful internship coordinator who works with reviewing those documents and trying to find the right placement for you in Granada. I was placed in a school called El Collegio, Virgen de Gracia. It was about a 20 minute walk from the [IES Granada] Center. I had it on Mondays and Wednesdays. I would finish class in the morning and then walk over and get to the internship around 10 am. I'd assist an instructor in 4 consecutive classes; the ages of the kids ranged from around 9-10 to up to 17-18.
JP: I couldn't recommend it more. It was really a great experience. I had a lot of freedom in the classroom to walk around, talk to students, and help them with their English. We had a lot of cultural discussions, too, where I would lead sessions, talking about different traditions or aspects of American culture and American society. Then, we would compare our two cultures. It was really great for the Spanish students to learn about a different culture from a different perspective and compare that to their own. I think it allowed for real growth in terms of mindset and perspective on cultural differences and appreciation for cultural differences.
JM: I am very glad to hear that you were able to lead and engage in those discussions. That is such a meaningful experience. What about the internship seminar? How many times a week do you have to meet with your instructor? Was it a lot of work outside of the internship placement that you were describing?
JP: We would meet in an internship seminar once a week for about 1.5 hours. It was cool because it was time to reflect weekly on what had been going on in your internship, and within the class, there are people doing all different sorts of internships. One of my friends was working with a veterinarian and another one in a business environment. So, people have all different types of experiences and get to share what's been going on in their internship and what they've learned. It's really interesting to be able to share all our different experiences and hear about others'.
JM: What about your other IES and U-M courses? Can you talk a little bit about that experience? What courses did you take?
JP: I was placed into a Spanish language course based on some testing before the program began. I also took a U-M class taught by Professor Gareth Williams called, “The Contemporary Crisis in Mexico.” It was very interesting. I love that class. I also took a few other IES courses, including an Islamic Art and Architecture class and a History of Spanish Cinema class, which were also really great.
JM: That’s great! What about the classroom facilities? Did you stay at the [IES Granada] center to do your homework? They have study spaces and there is a terrace with a view of the Alhambra.
JP: Yeah, the terrace is probably the highlight of the whole building. It's a beautiful open space on the top deck, and you do have great views of the Alhambra and the plaza. People would just go out there, especially if it's a sunny day, and sit out there. They have guitars or other instruments that you could take out there and just be with friends and enjoy yourself. There were a few study spaces, although I will say, I made such good friends in the program that whenever I was at the [IES Granada] building, I'd have trouble focusing because I wanted to talk to them and hang out, as opposed to do my work. But there were a few times where I had to focus, and I was able to. In the classrooms, there are pretty small, personal classes. You get to develop a really good relationship with the teacher and the other students in the class, which I really appreciated. Yeah, the facilities are beautiful. I mean, there are windows that open up to the plaza. [The IES Granada center] feels inviting and is a great environment for learning.
Juliana Mesa: What about your housing and the daily commute that you had to the [IES Granada] center?
Jonah Perttula: I lived in a residence hall, Carlos Quinto, and it was wonderful. I chose a residence hall in line with what I've been saying earlier: I wanted to be immersed in an environment with other Spanish students and foreign students from all over the world. There were Spanish students, German students, and Swedish students living on my floor, along with American students living there with me from my program. It was really cool. Every day, I'd go to the comedor (cafeteria) and we'd all eat together. I made some really good friends that way, and I lived in a single dorm with my own bed and own bathroom. I really appreciated having my own space.
JP: In terms of the commute, Carlos Quinto is probably the farthest residence hall from the [IES Granada] building. So by walking, I'd say it was about a 30 minute walk, but there's a great bus system. The bus would pick you up right outside of the cafeteria and take you straight down to where classes were, in the center of town. The bus only took about 12 minutes, I'd say. That was a quicker option if you didn't feel like walking, but the walk was nice, if it was a nice day out and you didn't have much to do. It was beautiful.
JM: That's good. Granada is a very nice, walkable city. Another thing that students like to know about is regarding the cost of living. While the program fee includes the housing, and in the case of the residence hall, it includes most of the meals, you'll have to eat some meals out. How was your experience managing your budget while abroad?
JP: Yeah, it's honestly very affordable, assuming you don't go overboard. If you wanted to skip a dining hall meal once in a while, which I often did because they did get repetitive, you would go into the town and get a sandwich or a coffee, which usually wouldn't cost you more than €5-6 (~$6-7). It was pretty affordable, especially compared to the United States. When I came back and ordered a glass of wine for the first time or got a sandwich, I was shocked at how much more expensive things are here than over there. In Granada, you were able to do a lot without having to worry too much about overspending.
JM: Did you look into it before going abroad? Did you create your own budget?
JP: Yeah. In terms of travel—because that's when it can get really expensive—I planned out where I think I might have wanted to go beforehand. It is a little difficult, because you meet people in your program, and you want to go on trips with them. You also might think you want to meet up with your friends from outside of Granada, but that gets a little more difficult, because everyone's on their own schedule in their own city. Although it can be a little more expensive, I would recommend waiting until you meet people in your program, even if it's just a short trip within Spain. That happened to me: I had some of my best travel experiences with people from my program in Spain. I met two of my buddies, who also go to Michigan, in Granada. We went to Barcelona and got to see all the famous sites there. It was a really great time, and we were able to do it for pretty cheap, because we got together and booked it a few weeks into the program for later on.
JM: Nice. That's good advice. It is good to take into account that you will meet people there and would like to travel with them.
Juliana Mesa: Another opportunity offered through the program is cultural activities and the overnight trip to Morocco. Do you want to talk a little bit about a specific activity?
Jonah Perttula: Yeah, definitely. I think the trip to Morocco was definitely a highlight of my whole experience with this program. It's really special. For this trip, [IES] has a pretty set-in-stone itinerary, and it's cool because they take you to all these places that you wouldn't have been able to go to otherwise and do things you wouldn't have been able to do. For example, when you get to Rabat, the capital of Morocco, you stay two nights in a homestay in the Old Town with a local family; that was really special. Two of my buddies on the program and I were staying with this family, and they had their whole extended family come over—grandparents, cousins— and they cooked a delicious couscous meal for us to all eat together. Most of their English wasn't great, but a few of them spoke a little English, and we were able to communicate. It was a really special experience. I'd say that was the highlight of the trip, being in the Old Town with the local family, and eating their home-cooked food.
JM: That's great, and I'm glad you had the opportunity to live with a host family, even if it wasn't in Spain. It gives you a very in-depth intercultural experience. That is not to say that in the residence hall you wouldn't get that—after all, you are living with some Spanish students. But it's just a different type of experience.
JM: On a different note, were there any instances of culture shock while you were in Spain that you’d like to share?
JP: Yeah. One thing that stuck out to me in a very positive way was the fact that everyone seems to be out and about more often, whether at a cafe or a bar, just sitting out with friends, playing cards. There's a community of being outside, as opposed to just being at home with your immediate family. Often, when I'm back here, I like the comfort of my own home, being with my family. But people there seem to, instead, meet at someone's house. They also meet out at a park, or they meet at a cafe, and they just hang out in public. You have a big sense of community when everyone's out in public together. Walking through the streets, whether it’s at 9 pm on a Wednesday or during the work week, there are a lot of people out and about, enjoying themselves. They worked the next morning, but they're still out—I think that's a cool cultural difference that I didn't realize would be there.
JM: Was it weird coming back and experiencing a faster pace? Or perhaps, you will notice more differences once you're back on campus.
JP: Yeah, I definitely noticed it right when coming back. It partly has to do with how spread out most American cities are. I live in Los Angeles, and it's one of the most spread out cities in the world. You can't really get around without a car, and that's just very different from what I was experiencing for months in Granada, where you could walk everywhere. You could walk 5 minutes and meet different friends at different places. But in the U.S., it's more of a commitment to go meet friends out somewhere, as opposed to just walking down the street and grabbing a drink. I think that was definitely a shock, coming back and not seeing the same sort of community of just hanging out in public.
Juliana Mesa: Is there anything you'd like to share with prospective students? Any tips or suggestions that you think you would have liked to know, and didn't take into consideration before going?
Jonah Perttula: Prospective students are sometimes on the fence about coming to less well-known study abroad destinations like Granada, as opposed to a bigger city like Madrid or Barcelona. But [this program] really offers an immersive experience that is not attainable in Madrid or Barcelona. I traveled to both, and they were great cities; but, you really have a hard time finding people to have long and in-depth conversations in Spanish with, because everyone [there] reverts to English, being in such big, touristy cities. In Granada, people speak English, but a lot less than in the bigger cities, and you really have to connect with them in Spanish. It's such a cool feeling, being able to connect with someone in their native language. In Granada, you're able to do that to a much greater extent than in anywhere else I traveled to in Spain. So, to prospective students, I would say that there's great value in coming to Granada and being in a community of people that really enjoy themselves.
JM: Thank you for sharing that!
