My name is Rayna Kauffman and I’m a junior majoring in nursing and minoring in Spanish. During summer 2024, I had the opportunity to study abroad in Valladolid, Spain, through the Iowa Hispanic Institute program. A group of Iowa students traveled with University of Iowa faculty leader, Ana Rodríguez-Rodríguez. In Valladolid, we attended the local university taking classes in Spanish to gain credit towards our major or minor. While abroad, we visited Segovia and Madrid as a group to immerse ourselves more in the culture and customs. In this specific program, students have a long weekend to travel and are allowed one week of individual travel at the end of the trip as well.
My host country, Spain, offers more than one can even imagine. The customs, festivities, and culture there are endless. Each city has a unique feature that shows their culture in a different perspective than another. Segovia and its historical aspect made it different from our visit to Madrid, which is the capital of Spain, so it had a city feeling to it. The custom I liked most about Spain was the “built-in” nap or relaxing time the country unofficially has where stores close for a couple of hours so the workers can go back home and eat lunch with their friends or family.
"At first, I felt like an outsider but overtime I learned to accept that it is okay to feel like that and to keep in mind the reason why I decided to go there: I wanted to learn about other cultures and experience life outside the United States."
Overall, choosing Spain as my host country was an amazing choice; the slower pace of life allowed me to take in each and every experience I gained and live in the present. The one aspect I loved most about being abroad in this program was getting the opportunity to live with a host family in the city I stayed in for five weeks. Each student gets paired with someone else from the program and is assigned to stay with a host family. Every family was different from the other, and it ended up being one of my favorite aspects of the whole trip.
My family in particular took us in with open arms and treated us like one of their own. We ate meals together, went shopping together, had family movie nights, and so much more that helped us feel comfortable. Before this trip, I was scared to live with a host family and did not know what to expect, however, keeping an open mind and positive attitude made the experience unforgettable.
Being abroad you don't just get to learn about the world around you but also yourself and get to grow as a person. This trip was my first time internationally traveling away from North America and I went into it with no expectations. An aspect of my identity is being an American so going abroad it is noticeable to locals and Spaniards. At first, I felt like an outsider but overtime I learned to accept that it is okay to feel like that and to keep in mind the reason why I decided to go there: I wanted to learn about other cultures and experience life outside the United States.
Whether you are studying abroad for a week, month, or semester, I would suggest keeping a journal with you, even if you don’t write in a journal normally. Writing down the important things that happen abroad or things you have learned along the way and having it in one space to look back on is a special concept. I included printed out pictures as well to show my friends and family back home. Overall, though, my journey studying abroad in Spain and getting to travel all over was an unforgettable experience. Each person's time abroad will be different in a good way. To the person that is reading this, just do it! Exploring the world will open new doors for opportunity. Good luck on your journey and I hope you get to experience something so special!
LEARN HOW YOU CAN APPLY FOR A GLOBAL ACCESS AMBASSADOR SCHOLARSHIP
The Global Access Ambassador Scholarship program provides awards to study abroad for a summer, semester, or academic year. The scholarships are intended to support students who study abroad with the intent to serve as Global Access Ambassadors upon return to the UI campus. Upon completion of the study abroad program and return to UI, award recipients are asked to submit a photo and an open letter to prospective students or suggest an alternate means of sharing with prospective students.
Please note that the opinions and views expressed by ambassadors are solely those of the students and do not reflect or represent the views of International Programs or the University of Iowa.
International Programs (IP) at the University of Iowa (UI) is committed to enriching the global experience of UI students, faculty, staff, and the general public by leading efforts to promote internationally oriented teaching, research, creative work, and community engagement. IP provides support for international students and scholars, administers scholarships and assistance for students who study, intern, or do research abroad, and provides funding opportunities and grant-writing assistance for faculty engaged in international research. IP shares their stories through various media, and by hosting multiple public engagement activities each year.