As time drew near for my departure to Sevilla, España, I was very nervous. I had begun taking Spanish classes eight years prior, but I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I was asking myself in frustration, “Why did I choose to study for an entire semester in Spain?!” I was unsure if I would even be able to sufficiently communicate my ideas to my host family and my professors.
Within the first few days of becoming accustomed to living in Spain, I realized that, although explaining complicated ideas can be a struggle, I could at least make my thoughts understandable in Spanish. It has also helped that, even when I know that my verb structures make very little sense, my host family and the professors are all gracious and patient.
My experience as a history and Spanish double major in the U.S. has been with professors requiring hours upon hours of homework and projects and only one or two exams for each class. Therefore, the course structure in Spain took me by surprise because school here has been entirely the opposite. In general, each class has a small amount of homework and three or four very important exams during the semester.
Although this aspect was challenging to adjust to, the courses that I am taking here have been some of my favorite Spanish classes thus far. I have learned much in all of them, but I will focus on my two history classes. As a history and Spanish double major, I had never before had the opportunity to take courses that directly combine both disciplines. While I have been here, I have been able to learn about the history of the Spanish Golden Era (El Siglo de Oro) and of Spain in the twentieth century through the teaching of José María. José María is passionate about historical study and is knowledgeable about many areas of Spanish history. His lectures are interesting and understandable to us students who are attempting to learn new material in a language that is not our native tongue.
Apart from the classes themselves, taking history classes in Spain has greatly enhanced my enjoyment of our excursions (visiting castles, cathedrals, museums, etc.) and simply walking around Sevilla. Even though I have taken several European history classes in the U.S., I have
never experienced the excitement of being able to learn about a historical event or person and then walk outside and see the actual places and the physical remains of these events. For instance, one day during Siglo de Oro class, our professor brought the class on a short field trip to a nearby plaza and pointed out the exact locations of the places about which we were learning. José María held an umbrella in the rain and pointed out the location of the historical locations including a prison that is now a bank. Through these history classes, my book knowledge, my experiential understanding, and my appreciation for Spanish history have greatly increased.
