Samantha Murphy, a junior majoring in English and Spanish with a minor in Secondary Education, spent last semester studying abroad at the Center for Modern Languages at the University of Granada in Spain. Murphy knew since entering college that she wanted to study abroad. The second she stepped onto the cobblestone streets of Granada, she knew she had found her second home.
“I immediately was like, ‘Wow, I love this place,’ which I didn’t expect,” Murphy recounts.
After landing at Federico García Lorca Granada Airport, Murphy strolled around the city, admiring the gothic architecture common in Granada, and stopped at a grocery store for a snack. She couldn’t wait to spend the next 87 days there.
Despite the picturesque views on her daily walk to class, such as the Cathedral of Granada, Murphy’s study abroad trip was not without its challenges. Murphy went to Spain alone, without any friends or Worcester State peers to keep her company.
“Probably a week or two into it, I was kind of hit with that, like, ‘I do love it here, but also I’m really, really far from home, and this is really scary and it’s hard,’ and so I definitely started to feel really homesick around that time. It’s weird being in an entirely new place and with entirely new people.”
The language difference also accounted for some difficulty.
“Even when I talk to somebody in a store, I have to be extra focused to be able to understand and respond,” Murphy explains. “I really had to practice my Spanish every day, which I think was really good for me.”
Murphy overcame her bout of homesickness by shifting her mindset.
“Realistically, this is all what I make of it,” Murphy reminded herself. “If I sit around being sad because I miss home, I’m gonna miss out on the whole experience. So I was like, ‘I’ve got to get a grip and enjoy it while I’m here.’”
From then on, Murphy began exploring the city and all the fun activities it had to offer.
“I went to a perfume-making class and I went paragliding, which was really cool,” Murphy adds.
Between classes, Murphy often visited a language exchange where she was paired with native Spanish speakers to practice her Spanish and help her partners with their English.
“I met so many people through that and it was also a good way to learn slang and expressions and things like that that I wasn’t necessarily learning in my classes.”
Murphy was surprised by the different meal times between the United States and Spain.
“They usually eat lunch around 2 or 3 pm, and then dinner is usually around 8, 9, or 10 pm,” Murphy explains.
Shortly after lunch is siesta time between 4 and 6 pm when all stores, pharmacies, and grocery stores close, another surprise to Murphy. She spent her siestas napping, doing homework, or sitting outside and reading.
Murphy also enjoyed discovering the gastronomy of Granada. She often ate tortillas de patatas, croquetas, and Iberian ham. Murphy also uncovered Granada’s reputation as the “City of Free Tapas.”
“When you order a drink, they give you a free little snack,” Murphy explains. “Sometimes it’s a bowl of nuts, but then sometimes it would be a full quesadilla. One place had whole hot dogs for the price of your drink.”
When reflecting on her experience in Granada, Spain, Murphy shares, “My biggest takeaway is that it’s important to do things that scare you.” She continues, “Going to a new place where I didn’t know anybody was very, very scary. But I learned so much from that experience and grew both as a learner and a person.”
Murphy also touched on the idea of being a tourist in your own city and living in the moment.
“There are really cool opportunities all around you; you just have to find them and take advantage of them.”
Murphy shares a final message for anybody considering studying abroad: “You should do it because it’s a really cool experience. There are not many opportunities where you get to live in a new place for a couple of months and be fully immersed there. So if that’s something you’re thinking about and you have the opportunity to do it, I say do it.”
