- Please provide a brief description of your STEP Signature Project. Write two or three sentences describing the main activities your STEP Signature Project entailed.
My STEP Signature Project was an Education Abroad experience to Seville, Spain through OSU and Connecting Worlds Abroad. I was there from January until March, however the program was shortened due to COVID-19. I was there to study Spanish exclusively with native Spanish speakers in my home and in the classroom., and I also participated in a program-led weekend excursion to Madrid and Toledo to explore the country better.
- What about your understanding of yourself, your assumptions, or your view of the world changed/transformed while completing your STEP Signature Project? Write one or two paragraphs to describe the change or transformation that took place.
While completing my STEP Signature Project, my assumptions about the country of Spain itself changed because I was able to witness the culture on a first-hand basis. My idea about religion in the country changed the most because most people from the United States imagine Spaniards to be very religious, when in fact only about 10-20% of the country are practicing Catholics. Citizens see Catholicism more as part of their culture and not a religion to be practiced like it was in the past.
I also got to see the lifestyle of Spaniards, which was similar, but definitely not what I thought it would be. I knew they were a little more relaxed in their day-to-day lives than citizens from the United States, but it was more than I thought I had more time on my hands even as my class-load increased, which is not something I am used to. I am used to always having something on my list of things to do throughout my day. I was never bored as I found new ways to occupy my time, but it definitely took some getting used to. Now that I am back, I realize I miss that kind of lifestyle, because it fit my personality better than I thought it would. This aspect of the project has definitely changed my understanding of myself and who I am.
- 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? Write three or four paragraphs describing the key aspects of your experiences completing your STEP Signature Project that led to this change/transformation.
My relationship with my host mom Lucia gave me the best indication of the lifestyle of citizens who live in Seville specifically. She was an older woman who had a very spunky personality and loved to cook. My roommate and I took a little time getting used to the later eating schedule, but we loved our host mom’s cooking. It was with her that we also got the best use of our Spanish. Lucia was the bridge between the lifestyle and culture of the United States and Spain, and her relationship with us was crucial to the adjustment period. She told us places to explore in the city, and was genuinely interested in what we were up to while we were exploring with our friends, If I had been able to stay the full five months, I can’t even imagine how much better our relationship would have been with each other. When I told her that I had to leave so suddenly due to the global situation, her face fell and it was then that I realized how much I cared for her and how much living with her had helped me adjust and fall in love with the culture.
In every new culture and every study abroad program, you forge new and strong relationships with people you know are going through similar things to you. That happened with my closest friends and I after we took a random trip to Portugal. Neither of us knew each other very well, but after that weekend we were all inseparable. We saw each other outside of class almost every day after that trip, and we went through so much together. Although they may not have known if I was struggling to adjust or vice versa, they made it easier to get through the hard days because I knew they were there for me, and in a similar position. We also had plans for the remainder of the program we did not get to experience, but when we all had to come home, we still called each other often and continue to talk almost every day. It may not have turned out the way any of us wanted, but our friendships helped us adjust to the new culture and to the old one when we got home.
With the program itself we took a weekend trip to Toledo and Madrid. There we saw museums, cathedrals, and Carnival While in Toledo, I visited one of the oldest synagogues in Spain and got to show that side of me to my friends. Seeing the synagogue was also important as it demonstrated the presence of other religions. I knew they were present in Spain; however, everyone thinks of Catholicism when they think of Western Europe. Seeing other places of worship outside of Sevilla (where Islam is a great influence on architecture) helped shape my idea about religion in Spain. We also went to a free carnival concert which was one of the highlights of the trip as a whole. This is because we got to experience how they celebrate important holidays. They were all so energetic that we got just as excited even though we had never heard some of the music.
In Madrid we took a tour of the city and got to see the royal palace, giving us a close-up of the governmental structure of Spain. This trip showed me a different part of Spain that I may not have otherwise seen, helping me adjust to the culture even more and showing me how much I truly loved it. Getting to see the lifestyles of Spaniards in other parts of the country exposed me to the culture that the country of Spain holds. Each autonomous community is different, but that does not stop each citizen from embracing their culture as Spaniards. Having the opportunity to travel outside of Andalucía and Seville itself showed me that although lifestyles may be different in other parts of Spain, the culture as a whole is not.
- Why is this change/transformation significant or valuable for your life? Write one or two paragraphs discussing why this change or development matters and/or relates to your academic, personal, and/or professional goals and future plans
This transformation is very valuable to my life because I gained irreplaceable memories that shape who I am now. My Spanish-speaking skills may not be where they could have been had the program continued as normal, but I am significantly better than I was prior to living in Spain. I feel more confident and know that I could continue my skills in the right environment at school and in a career post-graduation. Taking a European Union class in a member nation has also increased my global awareness. I know how the EU works better and I wouldn’t have been able to do that as successfully had I learned about it in the United States. This class has helped me figure out geographical areas I would like to work with in a future career in international affairs. I have always been interested in European global affairs but knowing more about how those affairs are handled have helped me see I want to be a part of that process in any way I can. My knowledge of the EU ad Spanish will greatly increase my chances of doing something like that in a professional capacity.
