Week 2

¡Hola a todos!

I’ve now lived in Segovia for two weeks, and life is moving fast. This week was all about building relationships and rapport with my teachers and classmates. With the dust settled and the first week of classes under my belt, I felt more comfortable stepping out of my comfort zone in how I interacted with the novel people and places around me. I tried new walks and routes around town, spoke more casually with my professors and the other students, and my Spanish speaking skills felt less rusty.

On a last-minute whim, five of the other students and I booked a weekend trip to Malaga, a beach town in the south of Spain. Although I felt apprehensive at first about going (I worry about saving money here and am not yet good friends with the other students so 48 hours with them didn’t sound very appealing), I am so glad I bit the bullet and went. The trip succeeded in my goal to bring myself out of my comfort zone. I think it was equally important to build rapport and bond with the other students as well; I left the weekend feeling much closer with my cohort.

In terms of Spanish, I find myself able to understand more and more of what my teachers and host family are saying despite their rapid speaking pace, and at times, strong accents. I am remembering more vocabulary which has allowed me to focus on my grammar and proper use of tenses.

Segovia is feeling more like home and I am discovering lots of new walks and places to connect with nature, something I love about my home in Oregon and that is very important for my mental wellbeing.