Lucy Farr
Education Abroad
STEP Reflection
My STEP Signature Project was a spring semester study abroad program in Granada, Spain. I attended the University of Granada and took classes about Spanish grammar and culture.
Before traveling to Spain, I was really worried about my level of Spanish and leaving all my friends and family. I was not sure I would be able to understand my professors or place into a high enough level for the program I needed. To be fair, I was right about the placement test. I was one level too low, but luckily, I talked to the professors and they let me go up a level. However, I underestimated my Spanish ability. I understood my professors better than I anticipated and I communicated with my host mom very well. I really should have believed in myself more, but I was too scared of failure. I used to be nervous about speaking in Spanish, but now I want to practice it more and improve. I even began to watch Netflix shows in Spanish to practice daily. I realized I want to go back to Spain to become more fluent. I did not realize how incredible my passion for this language was before going to Spain and utilizing it.
I have become a lot more confident due to my study abroad program. Before going abroad, I was uncomfortable meeting new people and would not try to get very close with them, for fear that they would not like me for me. My mom always laughs when I get excited about making new friends. She thinks it is so funny how surprised I am when I become friends with someone. It takes me a while to be comfortable enough with a person to call them my friend, so I get excited when I have established a good relationship with someone. This semester helped show me that I can be accepted and appreciated for who I am. I do not have to change myself to fit into a friend group. I can simply be me. I forced myself to go out and hang out with people I was not 100% comfortable with, and it really paid off. I was so proud of myself for putting the effort in and stepping out of my comfort zone. This social aspect of my program really improved my confidence myself as a person. Moreover, this confidence transferred over to assertiveness when traveling with new friends. If there was something I wanted to see, I made sure to speak up and find the time to fit that activity in our schedule. I was not going to miss out on a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity because I wanted to go along with everything my new friends wanted to do. This semester I became confident and assertive, but most importantly, became myself.
During my semester, I lived with a host mom and another college student Allison. However, after March, Allison’s program ended, and she had to go back to the U.S. This was very sad, but it provided me with two opportunities: to talk with my host mom more and to branch out and make new friends. Allison was the more talkative one of the two of us, so she would get to practice her Spanish more at the dinner table than I did. Once she left, however, I had to be the one to step up and make conversation. This greatly improved my Spanish and my relationship with my host mom. I felt so much more comfortable speaking Spanish and I was not embarrassed to ask questions when I did not understand my host mom. I even met my host mom’s extended family and talked with them even though it was a bit difficult to keep up with the conversation. I really challenged myself in my last two months in Spain, since I had to be “on my own” without Allison.
Furthermore, I had to be more social. Allison and I enjoyed chilling out at home and watching TV together, so once she left, I had to get out of the apartment. I made myself go to social gatherings and hang out with groups I would not normally hang out with. Allison, again, was the more talkative and social one of the two of us, so I had to speak up and become more social on my own. It was a bit uncomfortable, but I made some lifelong friends that I hope to see again in the future. In fact, I began to hang out with three girls who want to return to Spain and teach for a year, as I do. We all plan to live together for this experience. I never would have made these friends and these plans if I had simply stayed home where I was comfortable. Now, I am more confident in making plans with people I do not know very well in order to get to know them better. It is safe and easy to just stay home or stay with my same group of friends, but incredible opportunities and experiences happen when you branch out.
One of the things I experienced during my time abroad that I had never experienced before was traveling alone. I only took one solo trip, but it was still quite an experience. I planned a trip to Barcelona for the weekend and made sure to fill every day with activities so that I would not get bored or lonely. I was nervous to travel by myself, because if I missed a flight or a bus, I would not have anyone else to brainstorm solutions with. Furthermore, I had to navigate through a foreign city on my own and not be afraid to ask questions when I needed help. This experience helped my confidence because I was not sure I would be able to plan and execute a trip all by myself. It required a lot of scheduling and time beforehand. Afterwards, I was very satisfied with myself and my trip, and I am now confident that I can accomplish big things on my own.
This transformation is valuable for my life, because I had not realized how much I enjoyed Spanish until I went abroad. I thought I would be embarrassed to try and speak it like I was in the United States. However, this was not the case. I wanted to practice it and try to have a real conversation in Spanish to improve my fluency. I truly enjoy this language and I want to use it to communicate with Latino families at my future school. This enthusiasm for the language with help Latino families feel more comfortable with me and hopefully feel more welcome in the community. This semester has ensured my love of Spanish, and I am determined to return to Spain to improve it even more.
Moreover, this transformation is significant because I like to stay in my comfort zone. I enjoy doing what I know and what is easy. However, that does not lead to the most fulfilling life. Although it was difficult, I reached out to new friends and I challenged my Spanish-speaking abilities. Challenging myself and pushing myself are important skills in my academic, personal, and professional life. I want to keep working at my Spanish, so I am going to practice using more difficult grammar instead of the basics. I will not always have the same group of friends, so I am going to push myself to be more social and form my own friendships. I want to help kids and change their lives, so I am not going to give up on the ones that are more difficult. If I am to accomplish anything in my life, I cannot fall back on what feels safe. I now have the confidence to accomplish my goals.
