A Conversation with Maddie: Advanced Spanish and Culture in Granada, Spain

Why this program?

Juliana Mesa: Why did you choose to go on this program?
Maddie Wood: I chose the Granada program because I really liked the idea of having a U-M professor who would go with us and teach our class while in Granada. I was really drawn to the idea of being able to touch base twice a week with a group of us from U-M. I didn't know fully what to expect when I was choosing to study abroad, and I thought this could be a nice bridge between U-M and Spain. That's what first got me drawn to the program; then, I started to research a little bit about Granada, the city itself, and I was instantly in love with the idea of the South of Spain. When you hear about studying abroad in Spain, you may think of Madrid or Barcelona, but I'd never heard of Granada before, so I started researching and fell in love with the whole city itself. I thought this was a sign that I needed to go on this program.
JM: Thanks for sharing that. I’m glad that you liked having a U-M faculty member. That's definitely a highlight of the program. Like you said, it is such a good way for [students] to have an easier transition into studying abroad. While abroad, you're getting used to a new education system, but having at least one or two classes with a U-M professor makes it more manageable. I also love that you decided to research Granada. We hope that our prospective students do that, not only for Granada, but for any other program when they're choosing where to study abroad.

Housing

JM: On this program, you have two housing options to choose from. What option did you choose? And how was that experience?
MW: I chose the homestay option. I was set on being with a host family; I thought it would be a great way to get a taste of the local culture. I'm really happy that I chose the homestay, because I had an amazing family. I was with a retired couple. I wouldn't have wished for anything else for my host family experience. They were very welcoming and kind. They loved to speak Spanish with me and my roommate—we would just talk for 1.5 or 2 hours every day during lunch. They would cook us really amazing food, make sure that we were having fun and getting to know other local people, and have us try their favorite food places, bars, and restaurants. They have 3 daughters. We met everyone, and it felt like we were part of their family, which was really nice. It was great for practicing conversational Spanish daily. I couldn't have imagined learning so much about them and having my own family abroad, so I'm really happy with my decision.
JM: I'm glad to hear you had such a meaningful language and cultural immersion by living with your host family. You were talking about having a roommate. Was your roommate another U-M student? Did you know them ahead of time? How was that process of getting placed with another student?
MW: I had a random roommate from Scripps in Colorado. We had different perspectives because that's a smaller, all-women's college, and I was coming from U of M. We got each other’s contact information before the semester and just sent a couple of texts. It worked out perfectly. We had a great time. We didn't have any classes together, but we would walk to the program center every day and eat lunch every day together when we would go home. I was a little nervous at first, just having a random roommate. When I got her information and sent the first text, everything was like ‘Okay, yeah, this is going to be great.’

Juliana Mesa: You were talking earlier about the meals that you had at your homestay. How was your experience with Spanish cuisine? How was it having someone make food for you? Was there any dish you liked the most or the least?
Maddie Wood: Yes, my host dad is a retired chef. And so, he was really big into making us a ton of not just Spanish food, but a lot of different cuisines. We had a lot of variety in our meals, which was really fun. I would say his tortilla de patatas was the best tortilla that I had tried when I was in Spain, for sure. Another time, he made a green bean dish with really big green beans and bacon bits, with the beans cooked in the bacon. It wasn't really something that I was like, ‘this is appealing to me.’ But after trying it, I was like, ‘Okay, this is why you should try it.’ So yeah, we had a lot of different food, and it was all great. I think just going into the homestay with an open mind is the key.
MW: At first, it might be weird to have someone cooking for you, if you're not used to that. But it actually is really convenient, and your family puts a lot of love into it. You know what they're making you, or even if they're just explaining to you what breakfast is and you get it yourself. Every meal has something to learn about it, about the culture, about your family, about yourself as well, and what you do and don't like. So I would just keep an open mind, even though some things like the green beans [in my case] might not be that appealing at first. And remember that your family has done this for you, and they're opening up their lives and their home to you—definitely a lot of mutual respect is key.
MW: I think something that I wasn't really prepared for was how my laundry would be done, because I wasn't sure if I was [supposed] to be doing it myself, or if my host parents would take that on. As long as you communicate with your host family, they'll accommodate whatever you are most comfortable with, I think. My roommate and I did our own laundry. We were shown how to do it, and then set it up to dry on the terrace when we were done.
MW: For a lot of people on my program, their experiences with their host families were different, but they all had great things to say about them, so it just varies. I would say, keep the communication open, and just keep an open mind.
JM: Yeah, that's great advice and good points to mention to students. Keeping the communication open from the very beginning with the host family is a great idea. I know that adjusting to the homestay rules and expectations can take some time.
JM: For this program, only two meals are covered in the homestay. For the meal that was not covered, did you eat out or cook at home? Similar to the laundry, some parents may allow you to use their kitchen and prepare your own food while others may be asking you to make a sandwich.
MW: Yeah, exactly. In my house, we weren't really using the stove or the oven or anything like that. My roommate and I would just be making a quick sandwich. We would have things that my host family provided for us, like yogurt, any fruit, any veggie, and then there was coffee, tea, or any drink that was in the fridge. It will depend on your host family. For most people on this program, the kitchen appliances are off limits, like the stove and the oven.
MW: I did eat out a lot, just because [I liked] tapas. On Friday and Saturday nights, I would be going out with my friends and embracing what dinner is to locals in Spain. By getting a drink, not even necessarily alcoholic, you get a tapa that comes with your drink. It is essentially like a small bite, a small appetizer. It is a quick piece of some meat cooked in a great way with some bread. I would do that 2 to 3 times a week, I would say. On the other nights, I would just make myself some quick food.
JM: Thanks for sharing that! It is very good for students to have a sneak peek into the homestay experience.

Academics

Juliana Mesa: Now, let’s transition into the academics of this program. Students have to choose one of two tracks to fulfill the local immersion requirement. Students either do an internship or take a class at the local university. Which one did you choose? Can you talk a little bit about your experience, not just abroad, but also even before going abroad?
Maddie Wood: Sure. I chose the internship track. I did go back and forth on this when I was deciding, but I worked with Trini, the internship coordinator at the IES Granada Center. We emailed back and forth, and she helped me solidify my interest in doing the internship track because the IES Granada staff really work with you to have an internship that interests you, will be exciting for you, and will really fit you during your time abroad. I was interested in being placed in a school, and that's all I knew. I didn't have much information until I went abroad. Looking back, that was actually really nice, because I wasn't obsessing over little details or worrying about my internship. But when I got there, I met the internship coordinator, and she got me really excited about it. I visited the school, and then started my internship.
MW: I went to the school twice a week, for 8 hours a week, and then we had an internship seminar taught by the internship coordinator at the program center. It sounds like a pretty big time commitment, but it was really worth it. It really shaped my time abroad because I was really immersed in Southern Spanish culture, too. My position was as an English assistant, [teaching kids] in different grade levels. I was in second, third, and fifth grade classes. I got to learn a lot from the kids. I learned a bunch of Spanish—I was teaching English, but I was hearing so much Spanish from the children. It was really fun to interact with them in Spanish during recess or in between the classes. I learned a bunch of vocabulary from Spain, which was really cool. I also really enjoyed the teaching aspect of my internship. I loved getting to practice speaking Spanish with them, and then teaching them English.
JM: That sounds great. I'm glad you had a good experience. It's also good that you had that opportunity to learn from different generations, interacting with your older host parents and then teaching kids.
JM: How was your day to day like? How was your regular commute?
MW: On a typical day, I would wake up early for my Spanish language and grammar class, and get a quick breakfast. Then I’d walk to the IES Granada Center. I would have, maybe, one more class after that, and then I would essentially be free. I would stay at the center and do some homework or chat with friends, and then I would head home for lunch. That was around 2:00 or 2:15 pm. The commute to the program center from my homestay was about 15-20 minutes; it really depended on how fast or slow I was walking. In my homestay, I would have lunch around 3 pm for at least 1 hour. Sometimes I didn’t have afternoon classes, so I would hang around a little longer. Or I would walk back to the IES Granada center and have my next block of classes. It might be one class, or it might be two classes. My school day would usually end around 8 pm. Then I would maybe go out for dinner, either a quick bite and a drink with some friends, or just go home and chat with my host family and get some homework done. Then I would go to bed at 10 or 11 pm.
JM: It’s good that you highlighted the meal times in Spain. Breakfast tends to be around the same time, but lunch will be at around 2-4 pm. It ranges between your classes and your host family. Also, some places may be closed between 2-5 pm, because that's considered the lunch and siesta (nap) time. It doesn't necessarily mean that you have to take a nap. During the siesta time, people in Spain do like to take their time to have lunch for an hour or longer. It's not just for you to eat a meal in 5-10 min, but to take the time to also have a conversation. Then, dinner is in the later half of the evening. Most people say the earliest will be at 8:30 pm and some people have it as late as 11 pm.
JM: Another question I have is about your other courses. How were your IES and U-M course?
MW: My IES courses were Spanish Language in Context, Islamic Art and Architecture, Memory and Identity of Sephardic Jews, and the internship seminar. I also took a U-M course, Spanish Civil War and its Legacies, taught by U-M Professor Dr. Gareth Williams. It was a really nice class. I liked having the U-M style of class and a U-M professor.
MW: I also really enjoyed my IES classes. They were different from a typical U-M class; the biggest difference, I would say, was the type of teaching. The IES professors recognized that we were studying abroad and that we were in a new country, in a new city, speaking a new language. We were really encouraged to continue our education outside of the classroom—a lot of field trips, a lot of encouragement to speak to locals, especially in the grammar class. In 3 out of my 4 IES courses, we had to interview a local at some point, maybe multiple times. In that way, the style of classes were different. I actually found it to be very hands-on. The professors were very focused on us experiencing Granada like a local. But [class style] depends on which class you take. You can look at the syllabus when you are deciding what classes to take and see how the professor grades, how the percentages go. But it was pretty common for the exam to be worth more. That is something to keep in mind when you're studying for them, obviously. But [overall], I found classes to be very personalized. The professors were really dedicated to making sure that we were experiencing what it was like to be living in Spain through these courses.
JM: Yeah, of course. I agree that it is great how IES Granada instructors try to incorporate the day-to-day into the classroom and to your experience abroad. It also helps you adapt a little bit better.

Cultural immersion

Juliana Mesa: I also wanted to ask you about the intercultural activities and excursions coordinated by IES Granada. Was there any activity worth highlighting?
Maddie Wood: My favorite trip throughout the semester was our trip to Morocco, because it was very different from what I had envisioned for my semester, in the best way possible. I didn't know how grateful I would be to get the opportunity to travel to Morocco with our program, including some of our professors and faculty from IES. It was honestly a life-changing experience. Morocco is so different from Europe, though it was just a ferry ride away from Spain. I really enjoyed getting to speak with people in Morocco, in the different cities that we visited. We got to meet and speak with Moroccan students and students from other countries in Africa who were studying in Rabat or Tangier. It was a really nice cultural exchange. I met really lovely people. It was amazing to eat their food and learn about their culture, their religion, their families, the way they live. I really liked the homestay experience, too. It was really intimate. You got to learn a lot about the family and have a lot of laughs.
JM: Amazing. That's great to hear. I'm glad that the trip to Morocco was such a meaningful experience, and you were able to connect with a different culture, see those differences, and expand your perspective by having those conversations with the locals. That's such an important part of your study abroad experience. I'm glad you were open to do that, because it can be a bit scary to open up yourself to other people, especially if they're from a different culture. It varies from student to student, but it can be a bit daunting.
JM: Speaking of cultural differences, can you talk about your experiences with cultural expectations or culture shock?
MW: I think it was really amazing to see yourself grow over the 4 months. Granada, being in the South of Spain, is really different from the North. I think the weather really changes the attitude of the people, because it was really nice most of the days. I think the weather really reflects people's attitudes. Everyone speaks back to you in Spanish when you are speaking Spanish. They are happy to see you try, even if you don’t have native proficiency. Granada really felt like a special city in Spain, because of all of the different [cultural] influences it has gone through over the centuries.
MW: Something that may be daunting, though, is the schedule, because most of us like to know what our schedules will be for the semester, and we like to have a set timeline. Sometimes, when you're starting your study abroad, you have to go through some trial and error: what is working and what isn't. In my opinion, it is best to mirror what locals do, because it will get you more involved and more immersed in the country that you're living in. Letting go of some habits will do you good in the long run, because you'll be able to look back after the semester and you'll say ‘Oh, this actually was really great, and I grew so much from letting go of my perception of time.’ The pacing of life is different between the two countries, and we talked about it a lot during our first week there. At U-M, there's a work hard, play hard culture. And then when you go to Spain, especially the South, everything's a little more relaxed. You're kind of living life and that's the point. Sometimes you're just working so that you can enjoy life—you're not working because [work] is your life. It can be really valuable if you take a hold of it, and just let yourself embrace the culture that you find in your [host] country.
JM: That's such a great way to see it. I appreciate you sharing those suggestions and perspectives with prospective students. The point of being abroad, as you said, is to embrace the new culture. I'm glad that's what you took away from it and that you pushed yourself to get outside of your comfort zone.