My name is Keisha Gonzalez, and I have already spent my first three days in my study abroad program in Trujillo, Spain. I have started my CSCI 300 class and my internship opportunity with Solar Drone. This is my first time traveling internationally, to a place I have always dreamed of, and it has been an amazing experience so far. I believe that being natively fluent in Spanish has helped me connect with my sweet host family, who mostly speak only Spanish. I have loved the culture, lifestyle, and family and community dynamics in my short time abroad.

Some examples of cultural differences I have noticed from living in the United States and my childhood in Puerto Rico include the specific times for daily activities. For example, I am used to eating breakfast in the morning (which is the same in Spain), having lunch around 12:30, and, because I am Puerto Rican, my family eats dinner around 4 or 5 in the afternoon. I have been able to easily connect with my host parents, Lorenzo and Pilar. It is different here because I don’t have any siblings like I do at home.

A typical day in my new country looks like this: I wake up around 8 am, take a shower since the weather is very hot and varies from the 80s to 90s, and then I start my internship around 9:30. After the internship, I walk to “La Coria” at around 12 and my fellow classmates and I have a break or “La hora del café.” Then, from 1 to 2:30, I have my CSCI 300 class. So far, I have had a lot of fun trying different restaurants and just walking around the beautiful place that is Trujillo.