Why, oh WHY is this summer so long??

As you can tell by the title of this blog, it is about my time studying abroad in southern Spain. Am I there yet? Unfortunately, no. Still got 26 days to go.

So seeing as I can't really blog yet about anything in Spain, I though it would be helpful to write about how I chose my program, location, length, etc., since lots of people have asked me over the last 8 months. For those who don't know, I attend University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, VA, majoring in History and Spanish. Pretty nifty. I'm studying abroad with API (Abroad Programs International) in Granada, Spain first semester (end of Aug till Dec) and second semester to Cadiz, Spain (Jan to May).

I started researching pretty early, like, beginning of Freshman year. Unnecessary. I'm pretty sure the study abroad office wanted to club me in the head. I wanted to go for a year, because I didn't think a semester was long enough. My goal is by the end of the year, I want to feel like a native. Like a resident. I knew I wanted to go to Spain, and started off with the idea of Sevilla (you know, southern Spanish weather, flamenco, bugs bunny). But when I started to talk to people who'd been there, although they loved it and thought it was a beautiful city, I kept hearing time and time again that there were a lot of Americans there. Sad :(, the city I've fixated on for years, might not be the city for me. I like places off the beaten path, authentically Spanish.

They have this really awesome book in the office with every single program in every country. I just went through every city in Spain, looked at it on a map, and then looked it up online. My school had only one program they offered directly: in Bilbao. No disrespect to Bilbao, I'm sure it's a wonderful city. But there's 3 reasons I would never study abroad in Bilbao:

1. They speak Basque, a weird form of Spanish. The lisping is hard enough!

2. They just happen to be home to the ETA, a cheery group of fellows who get their giggles from putting bombs in trashcans.

3. Crappy weather. (I know, it shouldn't be that important, but seriously! It makes a difference... or maybe I just suffer from seasonal depression).

Sooo... cities in Spain, that are a.) in the South, b.) authentically Spanish with a small expat population, c.) speak normal Spanish (although it's all kinda weird), d.) And is a medium size, not too big, like Madrid or Barcelona, but big enough so that I have stuff to do.

I found Granada first, which seems amazing. It's definitely in the South, in the Sierra Nevada mountains, and has the awesome aspect of having lots of Moorish influence, pretty groovy for a history buff, and is home to the Alhambra, the most visited site in Spain. Ok. Done.

As I was going through the rest of the cities, I recognized most of the names: Cordoba, Valencia, Malaga, etc. But what's this? Cadiz? Where/what is that? *google maps* "oooh, ahhh". Done. Just wiki/google map it. Seriously, you'll understand. And, no, it has absolutely, positively nothing to do with the fact that it's on the beach. Nothing at all. And not many tourists! Perfect! API is one of the only companies that offer a program in Cadiz, and they conveniently offer a program in Granada as well. Save $500 from going on two programs? I think my inner Dutch just reared it's stingy little head.

So my selection process may not have been what a study abroad advisor would have told you to do, but hey, at least I'm being honest!