WHAT'S ONE STORY OR IMPORTANT ASPECT YOU ALWAYS TELL PEOPLE ABOUT YOUR TIME ABROAD?
One of the biggest realizations I had was how great the sense of community there was. If I went somewhere with my host mom and her family, I always felt like I was a part of the family. If I went out to get tapas, other people would be more willing to talk to me, even if there was a language barrier. When I went to the beach one day, there was a group of people who sat near me and I knew English and learning Spanish, and they knew French and a little English. It was very entertaining spending a while with them and learning about each other.

HOW DID YOU ENGAGE WITH THE LOCAL COMMUNITY WHILE ABROAD?
I lived in an apartment with a hostmom, and was able to go places with her. I celebrated her birthday with her family and friends, as well as many trips to different restaraunts and the beach. I was also able to explore the community with my classmates, we went on many excursions and were able to go where we wanted in our free time. I specifically enjoyed going to get tapas with friends and making friends with the servers and people around us.