Spain

If you are given the opportunity to study abroad ... then take it and run with it. 

-Daniel Robles '13

Studying is only half of the abroad experience

A reflection of Daniel Robles' experience studying abroad in Spain.

It won’t fully sink in until your last hours, when you’re sitting in a bus watching your home disappear in the distance.  You won’t realize you’re one of them, a local, until your picturesque life abroad begins to come to an end.  This is when, with a grin on your face and a tear in your eye, the countless good times will flash before your eyes, the many voices you heard will clamor in your ears, and the soft summer breeze will caress your skin goodbye.  Yes, it really is like that. 

The life I lived whilst studying abroad hardly seemed like real life at all, the real life I knew involved dull moments, heavy traffic, busy schedules, and the lack of the concept of leisure.  For a year, I lived a life unlike I had ever lived before. My home had changed, and so did my friends and diet, but this, I can say, was in every way for the best.  Having spent a year studying in Granada, Spain, I was not only able to advance in my studies, learn about a new culture, and perfect my Spanish, I was also able to travel to ten different European countries, taste numerous exquisite dishes, see the history books come to life, and most of all, I was able to meet an innumerable amount of some of the most genuine and best people I have ever met, who became true, life-long friends. 

I can, and actually want to, write a book about my experiences, but rest assured, this isn’t it.  For now, I leave you with this: if you are given the opportunity to study abroad (which, if you’re a student reading this you have already been given it), then take it and run with it.  Know it’s not impossible. You will not fall behind, and even if you do a bit, believe me…it’s worth it.  If it’s money that concerns you, don’t let it, it comes and goes, however experiences like this, they just go; and besides, if you’re going to pay for another year of studies anyway, why not do it abroad?  It doesn’t sound easier than it is; really, it’s easy, sometimes even cheaper than studying here at our little CSUSB.

Sure you’ll miss a few holidays with your family, some trips with your friends, and an occasional party, but in reality, you’ll discover new festivities with your new family, you’ll embark on incredible trips, and party. Well, let’s just say studying is only half of the abroad experience.

-Daniel Robles '13

What Students Say

Mediterranean Studies Academy Student Travelogues about Spain