As my first plane ride embarked from Tennessee to Madrid, I knew that I was about to begin one of the greatest adventures of my life. This past week, I traded views of the Appalachian Mountains for castles and countryside with a group of students who have become almost like a second family to me as we experience the fullness of what this country has to offer.

I am participating in a program led by Dr. Jose Cano called UA in Spain, which immerses students into a Spanish culture and offers Spanish courses. In my two classes I learn about Spain’s vast history and the multitude of monuments that exist here, while practicing my Spanish speaking skills along the way. In the program, each student is paired with a conversation partner who is native to Spain and converses with them almost daily. This near-constant practice of Spanish, along with speaking Spanish with my peers, has already increased my abilities in the language by a great deal.

In the mornings we have classes, but in the afternoons and weekends we take excursions to nearby areas and explore monuments and cities that I had never even dreamed of visiting before. I truly feel like my Spanish 
abilities have advanced, and Dr. 
Cano brings energy and fun to the entire program.

One thing about this trip that still continues to amaze me is how quickly our group of students has grown together. I knew few people on this trip, and after nine days I have not only made lifelong friends but also have great international friends, like my conversation partner, Victor. I wouldn’t trade my study abroad experience for the world, and I can only imagine what great things we have in store in the weeks to come.

John Clary is a junior majoring in chemical engineering.