Study Abroad Spain - Falling Back in Love

Having taken Spanish as a language off and on throughout my grade school years and then choosing it as one of my majors in college I’ve come a crossed a variety of teachers from many backgrounds and countries of origin. Each of these instructors gave me a new perspective and angle into learning Spanish and understating the culture of the many countries. But the crowning experience so far in my journey towards graduation has been the summer study abroad opportunity in Spain. This has been a completely immersive program with every intention of improving a student’s Spanish no matter the level. On this trip I’ve been lucky enough to hear the roar of the crowd in the Plaza del Toros in Seville as the matador gracefully dances around the 2,700 lbs bull. I’ve walked the ancient halls of Alhambra where sultans and Spanish kings alike fought for control of this ancient and beautiful country. The ancient halls of La Mesquita in the ancient city of Cordoba left me speechless at the lengths man was willing to go in the pursuit of beauty. But the best experience by far of the whole program was the opportunity to meet all new people; to share their stories and come together as one. People from all walks of life willing to share their life story with you all in an attempt to help you truly understand them and their culture and their ancestors’ stories. This program has strengthen all resolve I have when classes become difficult and helped me to fall back in love with the language. 

- Nicholas McKenna, Junior, Modern Language major, Palmetto Battery Company 

Study Abroad Spain - Seville & Valencia

I studied abroad in the cities of Seville and Valencia in Spain. Each city was very beautiful and had its own unique characteristics. Seville was an older city and had many massive beautiful cathedrals. It had a river running right through the middle of it and at night you could sit on the bridge and look down the river and see the lights of the tall building reflecting off the water. It was one of the most beautiful sights I’ve ever seen. During the day you could kayak down the river or if you are brave enough you could try jumping in like we did. Most of the streets are coble stone which is really cool to walk down and fun to watch bicycles struggle to ride down.  Valencia was a more modern city. The buildings were much bigger and the city it self was much bigger. The downtown are was older and had some beautiful architecture. If you love to exercise then Valencia is the place to go. Running through the middle of the city is a park that has bike paths, walking paths, and exercise equipment. It’s the perfect place to get a run in. And then probably the best part about Valencia is the beach. The sand is almost pure white and the view is amazing. You look down one side and you see massive sky scrapers and then the other way you will see a huge port with towers and cranes, a sight to see. The food in both cities is amazing. It can be alittle pricy at times but as you learn the city you will find the best places for the best amount of money. We found a little sandwich shop with sandwiches ranging from one euro to about three. Pretty good deal, but on Wednesdays and Sundays the entire menu was one euro…so I bet you can guess where we were on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Spain is defiantly a beautiful place that is like no other and I promise you that you will enjoy the trip and be amazed by what you see.

- James Blocker, Sophomore, Business major, Romeo Company

Group of cadets in Plaza de Espana

Cadet Blocker

Cadet Brunson

Cadet Blocker

Study Abroad Spain - El Oceanogràfico

Valencia is an absolutely beautiful city. It is very different from Seville. I would say Valencia is a more modern city because Seville had more historical sights whereas Valencia seems more like a tourist attraction. This week in Valencia I took a tour of the city like we did in Seville and learned a little history about it. 

I also went to El Oceanogràfico (Aquarium) and El Museo de las Ciencias (Museum of Science). I live right near both of these attractions so I pass them every day on the way to school and the view from the bridge is amazing. I went to the museum on Thursday. It was so much fun interacting with the science experiments. I felt like a kid again! It was four floors of non-stop fun and experimenting. The aquarium on Saturday was even more fun because it is one of the largest in the world. It is all outdoors except for some exhibits which is an interesting touch. We even got to see a dolphin show! 

So far, it has been a fun-packed trip. I could write forever about how much I love Spain. I kind of don’t want to go back home but I guess I have to. I am definitely going to see all that I can see during this last week in Valencia.

- Joshua Dvorak, Sophomore, Computer Science major, Band Company

Study Abroad Spain - Valencia

After spending 2 weeks in Seville, the group traveled by train to Valencia. Upon arriving Sunday night, we met our families. My roommate Vinnie and I were assigned to an elderly woman named Maria Angeles and her 18 year old son, Fernando. We soon found out Fernando is not as we had anticipated. Fernando stands at approximately 6’5 inches, thus plays competitive basketball. Vinnie and myself befriended Fernando and even went out with Fernando and his friends Thursday night. His friends speak very little English, but were excited to have us tag along. As a result, I was forced to speak Spanish the whole night, though Spaniards were very willing to slow down and work out our linguistic differences in order to communicate.

Yesterday I did some exploring on my own andtook both a train and a bus in order to get to the “new-age Bioparc.” The Bioparc is a zoo that aims to allow animals to live in large habitats together, allowing the animals to feel more comfortable in captivity. 

 

Afterwards, I went to the Science Museum where I played with many exhibits intended for ages 14-16, though they proved to be very informative. Ending my week, I went to the festival of “Corpus Christi” where I managed to stand in the very front row to watch the procession go by. Different groups of all ages passed by, occasionally stopping to perform a quick dance routine. To end the day, I enjoyed my first taste of paella on the trip, ending a very cultural and exciting week in Valencia.

   

- John David Raad, Junior, Pre Business Administration major, Charlie Company

My latest adventure here in Spain was attending the Festival for Corpus Christi in Valencia, Spain! The feast of Corpus Christi is a Catholic Feast day that is about the Body of Christ and it's presence in the Eucharist, wine and bread during mass. This Feast is publicly celebrated in many countries around the world. Spain is one of the unique countries that celebrate this feast day publicly due to its history. Spain has a long history that has strong Roman Catholic roots. This is why there are many old churches, chapels, and cathedrals throughout the country!

The festival in Valencia takes place in front of the Cathedral in the old part of town and in the surrounding area. I walked from where I lived to the cathedral around 3:45 PM. Not long after I showed up, I saw a procession of horse drawn carriages with various statues of religious figures and ornaments mounted on them. People were beginning to take their place along the route that the procession follows around that time. Just before the procession began, there was a performance in front of the cathedral. Shortly after, the performers lead the procession of people in various costumes through that part of the city. I saw people who represented Romans, priests, and other significant people in Spain and Catholic history. Among the procession was the flag of Valencia being carried by a large group of participants. 

While all this was happening people lined the streets and the balconies of houses to watch. Needless to say, I had to get a quick education on the alleys/small streets in an effort to get to the front of the crowd to get a good view!

Many shops set tables out so that people could order food while watching the parade.(By this point I was walking for about 5 hours so I had to take advantage of the that!) 

This is one of the many experience that I have had the opportunity to enjoy while here in Spain. Since day one if the this trip I have been eager every day to do something new or just experience life here!

-Rod Lucas, Junior, Political Science major, Romeo Company

Study Abroad Spain - Plaza de Espana

This week my classmate and I were exploring Sevilla and noticed two high towers. We thought this must be a church but instead stumbled upon Plaza de Espana. This is an extremely tall, large and grand building. It has tower large towers on either end of a grand square. The building itself curves around a pond. To get to the building you have to cross over one of the bridges that are well painted with whites and blues. In the center of the plaza there is a large fountain that has many unique designs carved into it. There are two floors to the building both with very high and decorated ceilings. The plaza was made showing the different provinces of Spain with a map of the region and a painting of something famous that has happened in their history. This is along the right wing of the Plaza. It was constructed in the 20s and I’m not sure if it has any practical purpose or if this grand palace was constructed to show of the pride in each of Spain’s provinces. The plaza has been used for two movie sets that I know of these are the dictator and Star Wars. They make the plaza appear like it has a lot more Arabic influence then it truly does in the dictator adding large domes and adding people with Waydian flags. 

- Jonathan Eveler, Junior, Criminal Justice major, Palmetto Battery Company

Ryan in Spain - Plaza de España & Maria Luisa Park

Ryan and his family ventured out to Plaza de España and Maria Luisa Park and here is about their day from Ryan. 

Feeding the ducks.

The Park and Plaza are in the southern part of the city, which was redeveloped in the early 20th century to house the Ibero-American Exposition of 1929. Essentially it is a patchwork of gardens, parks, and grand boulevards--what better place to spend an afternoon of play? We knew there would be lots of playgrounds and fun things to do, but we had no idea how great it would be. The plaza itself houses several government offices and is a giant monument to the various provinces of Spain. It is seriously one of the most beautiful buildings I've seen.

Maria Louisa Park was way bigger than I thought it was. There were long promenades with vendors and snacks, and little quiet playgrounds and gardens spotted everywhere. We really tried to enjoy the opportunity to be tourists while we were here. Right off the bat we rented a boat to row around the Plaza's moat. I must clarify, WE rented a boat so that I could row us around the moat. According to the owner of the boats, there was no other options--this is a sexist country. Seriously, though it was a lot of fun.

Next, Miko wanted to see the Island of Ducks, so we took a stroll through the park to find it. Almost immediately we were distracted by these giant 4 wheel bike/cars. Very intriguing and only 10 euros for a half hour. Now THIS was possibly the most fun I've ever had in my life, once Rachel stopped screaming profanities at me concerning my driving skills. We spent half an hour tearing through the park and the plaza terrorizing innocent tourists. I was at the wheel, Miko was on bell ringing duty (also yelling "KOO-DATO!" at pedestrians as we whizzed past), and Rachel was helping pedal and making sure no one fell off. This is something the pictures will not do justice to, but it was absolutely the best way to see the grounds.

After our time was up, we found the Island of Ducks and let Miko do her duck thing for a while. This was also her first interaction with swans, which we had to warn her are MUCH meaner than they look. Once we felt like the birds were adequately terrorized, we strolled back through the park and plaza on our way out. After all this fun it was time to catch the train and find a bite to eat on the way home. Dinner ended up being from a small fried fish place not far from our house where they pretty much specialize in selling cones of fried fish by the kilo, chips, and drinks. Simple, effective, and delicious. When we got there it was unbelievably loud and crowded which made ordering an adventure, but it was also one of the most pleasurable eating experiences I've had since I've been here. It was a lovely end to the night.

Plaza de España.

Rowing the boat.

Our transportation.

Dinner.

Study Abroad Spain - Snails

During our time in Spain my roommate and I have been fortunate enough to be placed with a host family that was generous enough to show us how true Spaniards eat. While in Sevilla, our host mom not only took us out to traditional Spanish restaurants, but she also cooked us very traditional Spanish meals. For example, during our last week in Sevilla we went to a restaurant that specialized in snails. Being from the United States snails were not an ideal finger food to consume. It took a little grit to get over the fact that we were eating snails. Once our host mom found out that we thoroughly enjoyed the snails, she decided to cook a large dinner that revolved around a very large pot of snails. To be honest, it was the best meal that my roommate and I had the pleasure of eating during our time in Sevilla. Although our time in Sevilla has come to an end, I look forward to being able to continue trying different traditional Spanish foods while in Valencia. 

-Hayden Gamarra, Biology major, Oscar Company

Ryan in Spain - First Days

Here are some photos from Ryan and his family's first days in Spain.

First day in Madrid.

Ryan, his wife and daughter on the plane to Spain.

Walking thru the streets of Madrid.

Chocolate and Churros in Madrid.

They then took the train to Sevilla.

Playing cards on the train.

First day in Sevilla.

Locked out of the apartment.

Tapas restaurant.

Study Abroad Spain - Alcazar & Alhambra

THE ROYAL ALCAZAR OF SEVILLE (El REAL ALCAZAR DE SEVILLA)

Thursday, and a little bit Wednesday, we went to Alcazar. Alcazar is an old palace with many gardens to walk through and look at. I say we went for a little on Wednesday because we were originally planning on visiting it then. On the map, Alcazar covers a pretty good amount of space. Not really planning exactly where we had to go, we decided to head over there after a little shopping near the cathedral. Because we didn't have a great plan going into the day, we went to the wrong side of Alcazar. We ended up walking all the way around the perimeter of the property for probably close to an hour. By the time we finally arrived at the entrance gate, where of course they make you pay to get in, we only had about 45 minutes until closing time, so we decided to wait another day before we visited.

Thursday right after school, we grabbed lunch at a restaurant and went straight to Alcazar. We probably didn’t pick the perfect time. The high temperature for the day according to The Weather Channel App on my phone said there was a high of 102 with “Extreme High Temperature” warnings throughout the day. The palace was beautiful nontheless.  Originally it was an Islamic palace, however later it was taken over by Spanish Christians.

My favorite part about it was the architecture. I don’t really know anything about architecture, but even I can see and think it’s cool how you can notice the different additions and styles of architecture from different times when different people had power of the palace. Another very interesting thing I observed about the palace was the room temperature. We walked through different rooms that used to be used as bedrooms, meeting rooms, or in various other ways. With it being so hot outside, I could really tell the difference in temperatures between rooms. Some rooms were sort of hot while others were a little cooler and the bedroom was the coldest of all. The bedrooms had no windows or any way for air circulation. Because they were made completely out of tiles, stones, and never received direct sunlight, they were able to stay so cool. I think it is very interesting how well planned and detailed the palace was to maximize the comfort for royalty.

If you ever go to Sevilla, Alcazar is definitely one of the historical places you need to visit. According to Trip Advisor it is the second most valued tourist attraction in Sevilla, and I would agree with them on that.

-Austin Todd, Junior, Business major, Alpha Company

THE ALHAMBRA IN GRANADA

How does one describe Granada, words and pictures can do little justice to the magnificence that is the city itself. I will do my best to convey the atmosphere and the sites that were seen. Among those sites two stand out above the rest; The Alhambra gardens and the Alhambra Palace, both of which are heavily influenced by Arabic art and religion.

The first thing we were greeted with was a climb to the top of a small mountain, from our direction it was a seemingly regular trip with no sites of major significance to be seen quite yet. Once we reached our destination we were greeted by one of Spain’s many biker gangs who happened to be visiting greeted us with the growl of engines and the shrill sound of horns.

Shortly into our guided tour of the gardens, the absolute beauty of the region began to show itself. The climate is perfect for the growth and maintenance of elaborate gardens such as the ones found within the Alhambra. Lavish overhangs and in-ground arrangements were quite the site to see. However, this was not the pinnacle of the experience.

The Palace itself is something of a wonder as its influences are heavily Arabic as well as traditional Spanish. Words cannot describe the intricacy of the building at even the most simple of levels. Aqueducts and plumbing in virtually every area supplied cool air and refreshment even hundreds of years later. Vast open areas with gardens, statues, and other visually stunning aspects exist in any area not occupied by a building or the fortress.

The fortress is a grand structure much like our own Citadel. Walls 5 to 8 stories high prevented foreign invasion and a garrison of several hundred troops manned the defenses long ago. The guns have since fallen silent and now only the remains of the interior remain, but the wall stands high as it did in the past. Once we crested the tower, the full view of Grenada came to light, a packed urban area with virtually no large buildings lying in a valley surrounded by small mountains. Beautiful sky and earth all around, Granada was and still sits in my mind as a grand wonder in Spain.

-Michael Arthur, Senior, Political Science major, Romeo Company

Ryan in Spain - Intro

Meet Ryan Leach, a veteran day student who was a recipient of our SHSS Study Abroad Award. Ryan is traveling with his wife and daughter to Spain with the Citadel's program.

This won't be Ryan's first trip abroad, he spent his childhood traveling the world as an Air Force dependent, visiting many different states as well as Korea and Germany. After graduating high school he enlisted in the US Army where he served 6 years as a Military Police Soldier assigned to the 1st Cavalry Division and was deployed to Iraq for a total of 27 months, first serving as a Protective Service Agent and later as a adjunct position with Blackhawk Troop 1-7 Cav.

After a few years in the Pacific Northwest, Ryan moved his family down to Charleston and enrolled at The Citadel. He  is an Honors Student with a double major in Political Science and Social Studies Education, and is also pursuing a minor in Southern Studies.

We look forward to seeing his travels with his family in Spain!

Photo by: Stacy Pearsall

Study Abroad Spain - Bullfighting

Before we left Sevilla I decided to take a tour of the great Plaza del Toros.  For those of you who do not know this is where the bull fights take place and perhaps Spain’s most famous sport.  Like most great sports it is slowly falling apart due to politics and mainly everyone becoming a lot more caring about almost everything unlike our danger-seeking death defying predecessors.  That is why this trip is such an honor, because that means that Sevilla’s Plaza del Toros is one of the last of a dying breed.  I learned many things on this tour ranging from what occurs in the fights, who takes place, and the public’s response to the sport.

The fights are exactly as you’d imagine: morbid and thrilling, after all it is a fight.  However, the Spaniards have a brilliant talent in turning something so horrible into something beautiful.  The guide explained the fight as not so much as a battle, but a dance.  As she continued to explain I could see how they perceived this, as the suavely dressed matador moved his cape like a flamenco dancer over the bull as its power and strength broke through the mirage. Or, if you don’t have a great imagination you could take it as what it is which is men in colorful suits stabbing a cow. 

There are four waves that the bull has coming at him, first he has the picador which is a man on an armored horse who carries a big spear and uses it accordingly.  Next, are the banderilleros who have quick feet and “banderillas” which are like smaller gafts for fishing. Then the big name guys come out the youger Torero’s, who tire the bull out more with flashy moves of the cape and continuous movement.  Finally, the main man, the Matador, the face of Spanish culture, comes out looking like a complete stud and finishes the bull off.  The uniform of the matador is filled with flashy colors and gold and artistic designs so he looks qualified and honorable enough to do his job.  Spanish people honor Matadors and revere them as national heroes.  Honestly, I would love to be a matador only if I did not have to kill such a great animal, or maybe I just want to wear that awesome uniform.

As I stated earlier the world is getting softer and people are starting to take action in stopping this sport, only about 30% of people from Spain approve of this sport and only 15% attend the actual fights, the rest are tourists.  Seats are like Mets games, pretty affordable unless you want to be as close as you possible can, and you usually don’t leave the stadium constantly disappointed.  Regardless, it is a once and a life time experience which I think everyone should at least watch or learn about.

I understand why people do not like bull fighting; I am an animal lover just as much as the next person but this is culture and in my opinion culture is the most important thing there is in a country.  A country’s culture is what defines who they are as a people and what has long past them.  Culture allows countries to succeed and compete in markets in which otherwise they would fail, it creates jobs and produces income.  It may not be a big difference but culture is the reason there are all those tourists in the seats of the arena.

- Vincent Bellaran, Senior, Modern Language major, Mike Company

Study Abroad Spain - All Things Seville

After living in Seville for two weeks, I had seen and done most everything that the city had to offer. I had gone to all the major sights such as La Catedral, The Archivo General de Indias, Plaza de Espana, and the amazing view that the Metropol Parasol had to offer. 

When I wasn't in class, which was only four hours each day, I was out meeting other students from around the world or playing soccer at a local recreation center. Normally we would get a group of people from our own school to play a couple games of soccer, but eventually we got to know some locals from Seville and started a couple pick up games with them. 

Personally my favorite part of being in Seville was getting to know a lot of different people my age from all over the world and learn about how they see things it seemed like a very large melting pot for students to travel and study. 

As for the food in Seville, I without a doubt tried some of the most delicious dishes and tapas during my stay such as Rabo de Toro, Pulpo, Jamon, Navajas, and Txpirones, which I would have never been exposed to or had a chance to try without visiting Spain. 

My host mother in Seville also made a lot of common dishes of Spain, for instance Tortilla Espanol, Paella, and Gazpacho. After dinner, which was usually around 9:00pm, I would head out to see the night life of Seville with new friends I made from different countries, and needless to say we always found something to do or a place to relax and talk about the differences from our own countries and customs. 

My time in Spain has encouraged me to travel as much as I can whenever I have the opportunity to, and it has helped me to better appreciate the things I have back in the United States.

- James Grimm, Junior, Political Science major, Bravo Company

Study Abroad Spain - Seville

We asked the head of each of our study abroad programs to have their students write about some of things they are seeing and learning about abroad. Our group from Spain is sharing about their travels in Seville.

¡Hola a todos! The past week in Sevilla has been absolutely enchanting. After classes we have plenty of free time (with the exception of siestas of course) to wander the city and absorb as much as possible. The first day of class we were given a tour that took us throughout the various barrios of Sevilla so we could become better acquainted with the city. We saw some gorgeous views on the ground and some even more impressive ones on top of La Torre de Oro, an old tower that was a prison during the Middle Ages that overlooks the Guadalquivir River. We were also able to take a walk around La Catedral de Santa María de la Sede, a beautiful Gothic cathedral that happens to be the third largest church and the largest cathedral with a sitting bishop in the world. Pride for España was evident from the many flags and other patriotic symbols we saw, including numerous statues of famous matadores and toreros, or bullfighters.

                With only one more week in Sevilla until we travel to Valencia for the remaining two weeks, we are eager to continue experiencing all that Sevilla has to offer. There are more sights to be seen, more pictures to be taken, more fun to be had, and more cuisine to enjoy. ¡Adiós!

- Kaiya Narayan, Senior, Criminal Justice & Modern Languages major, Band Company

One of the places that I visited while in Seville was the Cathedral. It was one of the most magnificent things that I have ever seen. The Cathedral in Seville was one of the largest structures that I have seen in person, and one of the most detailed. I saw the Cathedral while on a small tour of Seville and it took my breath away. Not only is the Cathedral a work of art, but it also a piece of history. One interesting fact that I learned since I have been here in Seville is that Christopher Columbus is buried within the Cathedral, and if you go inside you are able to see his tomb and where he was laid to rest.  Another interesting fact about the Cathedral that I learned is that looking at the Cathedral you are able to notice that there are there different types of architecture that makeup the tremendous structure. The three different architect types that can be seen on the Cathedral are Roman, Arabic, and Gothic. I know that I have stressed the fact that the Cathedral is an absolutely mind rattling structure in the terms of beauty and history, but if I had to recommend you see one thing while you are in Seville it would be the Cathedral. It was one of my favorite things that I encountered on my adventure to Seville.

- Josh Terry, Junior, Computer Science major, Kilo Company