Marissa Montoya- Blog Abroad

Blog #1

Before I left New Mexico for my study abroad, my friends and family kept telling me how wonderful it will be and how much fun I will have. I’m such a realist that I kept thinking, “what if it isn’t wonderful?” And so what? What if it isn’t? That’s life, right? Well, my friends and family were right…but so was I.

My flights and train rides to Spain went smoothly and I found an apartment immediately after I arrived and every corner of Salamanca’s city center is beautiful. It’s called the Golden City because in the evenings, the yellow stone buildings turn gold in the rays of the setting sun. It is a small city so it isn’t difficult to navigate and everything is within a 20 minute walk. The city was built around the University so it’s as if the University and the city are one in the same. It is also the first university in Spain and one of the first in Europe, with the city being committed to maintaining the history surronding the school. They even leave up the centuries old red letters “VICTOR” painted in bulls' blood by university graduates of the past. Yes,that's right, real bulls blood! They also have a legend that says if a student can find the rana (frog) in the ornate stone carving above the doors of the original university entrance, they will pass their exams and be successful in their education.

Despite finding the frog pretty quickly, my experience at the university was not as successful at first. I’ll spare you the long list of troubles I’ve had, but just know it was enough to make me want to consider dropping out of the program. I spoke to my advisors at UNM and I want to say that our UNM advisors are pretty great. The level of understanding and support they offered was enough to encourage me not to want to give up on the program and my time here in Salamanca. The feeling of disappointment in only being in Spain for a month and possibly going home was real and I didn’t want to give up.

I came here with the main intention of learning Spanish and so I began to think of ways that I could still make that happen. After a couple of weeks of back and forth and running around the city to different offices and having meetings with advisors, I found a way to stay to accomplish my goals as well as be comfortable with staying at the University!

What I have come to find so far is living and studying abroad is wonderful, but life is just hard sometimes and things happen that are discouraging and frustrating. However, this isn’t a reason to give up, it’s only a queue to ask for help and remember that I don’t have to do it alone. I came here for a purpose and I chose to push through the challenges and find a way, even if it doesn’t look exactly how I thought it would look or how my friends and family thought it would look. It is all worth it!

Blog #2

Coming to Spain to study abroad can feel a little lonely sometimes.

I have been here for three months and in that short time, I have had some not so fun days. Recently, I got sick with the flu and not having my family and friends around was hard. Even though it can be lonely, traveling solo also forces me to meet new people. As an introvert, making friends can be a challenge, but for some reason, when I travel alone, I easily find connections with other travelers. They understand what it is like to be away from home, in a different country, where you don’t know the language and customs. I have also met some of the most fun, generous, and sweet people who are also in Spain for school. Recently, I went on a group trip to a region of Northern Spain called Asturias and I met a group of girls that made the whole trip so much more fun. I have met a few local people, like my neighbor who has shown me some cool local spots and my friend César who wants to learn English and has become a great person to practice Spanish with. I think it is important to find even those few people to tell stories, see the sights, and share meals with.

The best thing to do is build a community in this home away from home to make the experience a little less lonely. Wherever I am in the world, what makes it beautiful is the people I meet.

Blog #3

Did anyone hear about the fog that a lot of cities and countries experienced during Christmas week? It was so strange. Salamanca was covered in thick clouds for a week. I tried to get some photos, but it just didn’t quite capture how bad it was. Then, on New Year's day, it all cleared up and we could finally see the sky. It is like a metaphor for the first day of the year, all clear and sunny. I hope it is a sign of the year to come.

Because I am abroad for two semesters, I decided it was too far and too expensive to go home for the holidays. So, I took a trip to Edinburgh, Scotland instead where ironically, there was no fog but there were plenty of clouds which gave me what I thought were very stereotypical and picturesque Scottish winter days.

One of the reasons I chose Spain for my study abroad was so I could be in Europe and travel around a bit when I can, so I was grateful to go on this little excursion and at such a special time of year. I was only there for three full days and it definitely was not enough because there was so much on my list to see and I hardly made a dent. Also, I expected this but, it was Christmas so a lot of things were closed on Christmas day and boxing day. Staying in a hostel is my usual go to because it’s less expensive and it is easier to meet people. It’s a good tip if you travel alone but want to have the opportunity to make friends. One morning, I met a girl in the lobby of my hostel and we went on our own little Harry Potter walking tour of the city. J.K. Rowling wrote a lot of the books there in Edinburgh, if you didn’t know. As a fan of the books and movies, it was awesome because it was like being in Harry Potter world! I don’t always want to return to countries that I have visited because there is so many other places to see, but I definitely want to go back to Scotland and see more of the countryside too. I missed my family, for sure, but during this trip I made a few zoom calls to them which was a nice distraction from the homesickness. Plus, I got to take a little break from Spanish haha!

I am learning so much Spanish, but it can be mentally tiring sometimes.

Anyway, I made my way back to Salamanca and spent the New Year with my friend and his family. I am so grateful that they invited me. I felt like I was…part of a family…which is so missed being in a foreign country alone…the feeling of family. That is why it is so important to make at least a few connections while abroad. It is also helpful if you can find a local friend for this reason, so if they happen to invite you to spend time with their parents, siblings, and nieces and nephews, you can say yes! Even if you don’t speak the language well and they don’t speak yours, because it made all the difference to me. It was one of the best New Year’s Eves I’ve ever had and one I’ll never forget it!

You might know that one of the traditions in Spain is to eat 12 grapes to countdown the last 12 seconds until midnight. So, you might be wondering if I completed the challenge. And well, no, I didn’t haha I was three grapes short! I think I should have practiced before because it was much harder than I thought. Anyway, it was so fun and funny and I think I will take this tradition home with me!

It's almost time to get back into school and the sometimes tediousness of homework, but what an adventure it is to do my homework in Spain!

Happy New Year <3