How to Get the Most out of Your Study Abroad Experience

August 25.2018.

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When it came to my college search, I had three priorities at the time: an exercise science major, some sort of ballroom program, and study abroad opportunities. I ultimately touched down in Elon, North Carolina with all of these goals in mind. I enjoyed college, but my study abroad experiences made the most meaningful impact during my undergrad experience.

I was fortunate enough to be accepted into two of Elon’s programs: Costa Rica: Jungle Service for a month in January, 2013 and Seville, Spain: Liberal Arts for the 2013-2014 year. My year abroad cost me the opportunity of walking at graduation with my friends, but in the end it was worth finishing later. A number of factors played into my positive experiences overseas and are worth considering if you are someone who’s interested in studying abroad too.

Live with a Host Family

Living with a host family is the best way to experience a culture up close and personal. In Spain, we had the option of staying in apartments with roommates, but I knew I wouldn’t have as authentic an experience. The exchange students at my high school were perhaps my biggest inspiration to study abroad.

Part of the family in Sierpe, Costa Rica.

Costa Rica: I lived with two families in Costa Rica, one in Boruca and one in Sierpe. Both families were relatively young with children ages 8-14. Unfortunately, I was sick most of the two days I spent with one of the families, but the other family ironically had a daughter also named Hilary! Of all places to meet another Hilary who only spells her name with one L…The host daughters loved showing my classmate and I around their hometown and made sure we knew how much they loved watching Bring it On on TV. The housing was very basic in each town~made of concrete to eliminate heat with little to no decorations. Their essentials included a fridge, a TV, and one bathroom. They lived simply, but seemed happy and spent most of their time outside.

Most of my host family from Boruca.

Spain: Originally, I was a bit disappointed upon receiving my placement email with a single divorcée and no host siblings, but it turned out to be the best living situation I could have asked for. My host mother used to teach cooking classes and made an incredible assortment of dishes every day. She was flexible with my schedule and didn’t know a word of English, so my Spanish improved a lot! Every day we would watch the news and Saber y Ganar at lunch, which sparked many interesting conversations. She truly treated me like her own daughter. I still keep in touch with her via Facebook and Whatsapp.

Eat the Traditional Food

You can learn a lot about a country simply by what is available in the supermarket or restaurants. If you go overseas expecting to eat stay within your gastronomic comfort zone, you’re missing out on a huge aspect of that country’s culture. Try as many new foods as you can! Exploring lesser-known, slower-paced restaurants may also allow you to have more interaction with the waiters and practice your language skills.

Costa Rica: The food in Costa Rica was unbelievably delicious, especially the coffee! Beans are a staple and are eaten basically three times a day with rice. My favorite food in Costa Rica was the local FRUIT. We ate bananas, fried plantains with a thick creamy dipping sauce, watermelon, and pineapple. One day we even tried sugarcane! The strangest thing I tried was a termite in the middle of the jungle. Our leader found a termite mound and said each of us had to try one if we wanted to continue on the hike. They were very small, and after pinching one with your fingers, they just tasted like grass or mild cilantro.

Spain: Spain is one of the most important culinary destinations in the world. They are famous for their jamon iberico or Iberian ham and delicious wine. Spaniards often eat a light breakfast (tostada, orange juice, coffee, etc.) a large lunch, and a small dinner late at night. It’s easy to try a variety of food in Spain because you can order tapas just about anywhere: small, appetizer-sized plates so you can sample a few before hopping to the next bar or restaurant. Some popular tapas include tortilla de patata, croquetas, garbanzos con espinaca (garbanzo beans with spinach), and bacalao (cod). The strangest thing I tasted in Spain were snails! Luckily they had a spicy sauce to cover up the awkward, squishy texture. I’m glad I tried them, but I won’t be ordering them voluntarily again.

Seafood in Cádiz.

Connect with Locals

There are a variety of ways to connect with people overseas. Now that we live in a technological age, social media is an incredibly powerful tool to find intercambio (language exchange) meet-ups, volunteer opportunities, student activity groups, and hobby-based clubs. The more you put yourself out there, the more comfortable you will feel overall while you establish yourself overseas.

Costa Rica: Our exchange group participated in a few volunteer projects including painting a school and protecting trees from insects. We also watched some local artisans create beautiful masks and spin wool. Local guides showed us around San José, Dúrika and of course our home-stay placements were key in interacting with locals. In Boruca, we learned that less than 20 people still spoke the native language.

Painted this wall purple in our volunteer project.

Spain: I stayed very busy during my year in Spain. Immediately upon arriving in Seville, I signed up to participate in the intercambio program. CIEE matched us with local university students to be language exchange partners. My friend and I matched with two University of Seville medical students and the four of us spent many weekends together observing in the hospital, hiking, and trying new food. I also participated as a volunteer by tutoring elementary students once a week and playing with young patients at Hospital Virgen del Rocio.

With two of our tutoring students.

Go on Excursions

If you are unsure of how to travel around in your adopted country, excursions are a great way to get you started! Traveling in groups isn’t my favorite way of exploring new places, but some of the excursions I participated in introduced me to new cities and gave me some insight into what resources I could use to plan my own trips.

Costa Rica: Our entire group traveled together in Costa Rica, but we had a blast crawling through a mangrove forest, whitewater rafting on our last day, and visiting organic farms.

Visiting a local farm.

Spain: CIEE offered dozens of excursions for students on the weekends. I tried to participate in as many as I could, thus filling up each weekend with history, culture, and excitement! Some of the places I visited on excursions were Aracena, Cádiz, Carmona, Granada, Córdoba, Palma de Mallorca, Morocco, Portugal.

Canyoning in Cádiz.

Document Your Time

Some people prefer to live in the moment and not worry about documenting their time in a new place, but I’m very much the opposite. Growing up, I kept a journal on my trips in the days before technology was the norm. During my time abroad, I always kept notes of where I was visiting, facts and history that stood out the most, PICTURES, and ultimately compiled them into blog posts. I thank myself today for the work I put in back then because it’s amazing how many details you will forget!

Costa Rica: Electricity and chargers were often limited in the remote areas we visited, so conserving my camera battery was a tricky game to play. Each night, I forced myself to write down everything we did with the encouragement of our group leaders.

Traveling by truck. Photo: J.G.

Spain: I took over 5,000 photos while in Spain and tried to write a blog post every couple weeks to share with my friends and family back home. My first blog, Mi Vida en Sevilla, preserved my adventures and Facebook took care of my ridiculous amount of photos. I also held on to brochures, museum tickets, schoolwork, artwork, and books to refer to down the road.

Take Classes Seriously

Some people confuse studying abroad with an extended vacation. While you are indeed visiting a new country and trying new things, studying abroad requires you to continue your schoolwork and use your new location as a source of inspiration, curiosity and education. Use your time abroad as a true educational experience so you can take full advantage of your opportunity.

Studying bats in Campanario.

Costa Rica: Elon University offered short-term, one month winter programs in addition to semester and year-long programs. I had always wanted to visit Costa Rica and getting credit to go there was a bonus! We earned 4 credits during our January term and were required to complete a pre departure course as well as essays and a presentation during the trip. The focus of our studies was conservation and learning to change our lifestyles for the greater good of the environment. Watch this video below of our badass leader from the Campanario Biological Station:

Spain: I took 12 classes during my year in Seville and were all conducted in Spanish. I was so excited to have improved my language skills and be more comfortable in my major. Most of my classes were located at the CIEE Study Center in the city center, but I also tried a couple of courses at the Universidad de Sevilla during my second semester with local students. In our history and culture classes especially, we were able to walk right outside the door and visit UNESCO World Heritage Sites and the attractions that at one time only appeared in our textbooks.

At the CIEE Study Center.

Participate in Traditions & Celebrations

Festivals and traditions are some of the best reasons to study abroad! For years, I had seen pictures of the Feria de Abril in my Spanish textbooks, and studying abroad allowed me to experience it for myself. You can really see the personality of a country or city based on their artwork, architecture, and pastimes.

Costa Rica: Along with observing some handicrafts, our group got to see traditional dancers and learn how to prepare a meal.

Mask carving demonstration in Boruca.

Spain: My favorite festival in Spain was the Feria de Abril or April Fair. Historically, it was a horse fair, but overtime evolved into a 24-hour, weeklong party complete with dancing Sevillanas, wearing colorful dresses, and drinking rebujito (sherry and soda). A few of my friends and I also went to a bullfight, which is a stereotypical Spanish “attraction.” Luckily, this tradition is dying out and even banned in northern Spain. I didn’t realize how hard it was going to be to watch in person. Semana Santa, or Holy Week, was another one of the most impactful celebrations in Sevilla. Spaniards are very passionate about their traditions and will do everything they can to preserve their history.

Walking through La Feria.

Studying abroad opened my eyes to new ways of life and greatly impacted my career path. My Spanish improved by choosing Spanish-speaking countries and I was able to earn credits at the same time. I’ve met some lifelong friends during my time abroad and now work for CIEE to help others have the same positive experiences. Being abroad helps you understand what other cultures and communities value in their daily life and expose you to new ideas. I constantly wish I could repeat my study abroad programs, but as I mentioned earlier, you will thank yourself if you document your time overseas so you can relive it when you’re feeling especially nostalgic.