Jenna Ebersbacher
STEP Reflection
- Please provide a brief description of your STEP Signature Project.
This summer I spent five weeks studying abroad in Valencia, Spain through the College of Arts and Sciences for credit towards my Spanish major. I took Spanish Culture and Spanish Film through the University of Valencia and lived with a host family.
- What about your understanding of yourself, your assumptions, or your view of the world changed/transformed while completing your STEP Signature Project?
During this trip, my view on the United States completely changed. I never fully comprehended how young of a country we were until I visited Europe. It was life-changing to see the beautiful architecture of the Gothic and Classic time periods, buildings and art don’t really exist like this here. I also was surprised by how many people did not speak English in Valencia. It is the third largest city in Spain, and I assumed similar to Madrid or Barcelona that most people would speak English. I would be lucky if I was lost and could find a person in a store or on a street that could speak English or at least understand my Spanish, I ended up loving this because it really helped me practice my Spanish. Something else I really enjoyed about Spain is that they are not constantly stressed out. Valencia felt very relaxed and happy. People are not always rushing around to get to work or school like we do here, at times this was frustrating because I am used to being on a tight schedule, but once I accepted it, I realized it is actually quite enjoyable to actually live in the present and not constantly be worrying. When you take a step back and slow down you start to enjoy life more, this is how I felt in Spain, and I think it is a lot healthier lifestyle. Heart disease is the number one killer in the U.S. which is often times brought on by stress. Why are we doing this to ourselves when life is meant to be enjoyed, not worried about.
- What events, interactions, relationships, or activities during your STEP Signature Project led to the change/transformation that you discussed in #2, and how did those affect you?
One of the best parts of my trip was living with my host family. We lived across from the beautiful Puenta de las flores with an amazing view from our terrace. I had five host siblings and host parents, none of whom spoke English. Eating dinner with them each night was a fun experience because not only was I able to immensely practice my Spanish, we also sat and talked for about one to two hours each night about our cultures. I learned so much from my host parents, they were both teachers making them very kind and patient and easy to understand, I also felt like I was able to teach them a lot about our culture in the U.S. because they were always asking me so many questions. I really think they shaped my experience in Valencia, I wouldn’t have felt as comfortable as I did if I didn’t have them.
I also was able to learn a lot from my peers. I was in a small group of only seven people which I was very concerned about at first especially because it their Spanish was definitely at a higher level than mine. Once I became friends with them and felt comfortable, I was able to let them help me practice my Spanish. I always felt slightly out of my comfort zone but this was really good for me because it allowed me to grow a lot in this short time period. Because of our size, we were able to have a lot of exciting, intimate experiences. During my trip we traveled to Madrid, Barcelona, Toledo, Peñiscola, Mallorca, Ibiza, Sevilla, Córdoba, and Granada. Some of my favorite experiences included traveling to a farm in Valencia to cook original Paella, visiting Parque Güell in Barcelona, participating in water sports at Gandia Beach on my 22ndbirthday, viewing Roman ruins in every city, climbing to the top of the castle where Game of Thrones was filmed in Peñiscola, attending a Flamenco show in Sevilla, and touring La Alhmabra in Granada.
While this trip may sound like a vacation, I did spend most of my time in class. I had class for four hours each day except Fridays. I really enjoyed my classes, especially the film class, because we learned so much about the history of Spain. I never studied the Spanish Civil War in depth and it was a very interesting yet sad topic. In this class we would discuss different time periods in the history of Spain then watch a movie that accurately portrayed the time period, then we would write a paper analyzing the movie. I felt this was a very effective way to learn because sometimes it is easier to relate to movies. My favorite was La Lengua de las Mariposas because it told a touching story about a teacher that cared so much for his students but was murdered by Franco for being an atheist. This class really made me think and allowed me to practice conveying my thoughts and opinions in Spanish.
- Why is this change/transformation significant or valuable for your life?
This trip was extremely valuable for so many reasons. Firstly, it helped me determine which track I want to take in my Spanish major. Before my trip I was really lost as to which track I should take and chose Linguistics blindly. After this trip, I declared an Iberian track and I am very excited about it especially since I feel like I know so much more about it now. Secondly, I am also an International Business major and have always wondered if I could live abroad in the future, this trip definitely gave me a taste what it would be like including the highs and lows, culture shock, and communication barriers. At first I was very intimidated and homesick but I realized that once I overcame these drawbacks I felt very happy and comfortable. Lastly, it gave me a greater appreciation of home. While traveling the world is an amazing experience and I would like to live abroad someday, there is no place like home. Being with my host family made me realize how much I miss my own family. Cleveland, Ohio might now be a cool as Valencia, Spain but I feel like once I do settle down, it will be somewhere close to my family.
