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| In front of the Palacio Real in Madrid |
¡Hola todos! My name is Andjoua “Jo” McLemore, a graduating senior
here at the University of Arkansas. I am a triple major studying Psychology,
Spanish and Latin American Studies. I was fortunate enough to have studied in
Madrid, Spain for ten weeks during the summer of 2016.
While in Madrid alone I was able to explore until my heart’s
content. I toured the Palacio Real, the official residence of the royal family.
I got my share of souvenirs at El Rastro, the weekly flea market. And I was
even able to scream my lungs out at one of Royal Espana’s soccer games.
Needless to say Madrid over the ten weeks became my home, and after a while it
was wonderful to see how my friends and I became locals; offering directions to
tourists, becoming regulars at a local bar, and even getting involved in
Spanish politics and attending different campaign events.
Although stationed in Madrid, we were able to travel throughout
other historical cities in Spain. We spent a day trip in the historical city of
Segovia where we got to see the influence of Romans in the aqueducts that have
been standing since 112 AD. We spent another day in the city of Toldeo, known
as the ‘City of Three Cultures” because of its visible influence of Christians,
Muslims and Jews within the cities architecture. As a group we even went to the
city of Valencia for a weekend, where we spent long days in the sun on the
Mediterranean shore. I loved being able to experience different Spanish cities
with the faculty-led program.
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| Day trip in Segovia, Spain |
While in Spain I learned so much about myself and in my own
Spanish speaking abilities. Spain taught me to trust my own knowledge and
experience, and gave me a lot of time to develop as a Spanish speaker. Not only
were my professors at the University of Nebrija amazing, but I also gained more
proficiency by just spending time with my host family. By being able to live
with people for more than two months that spoke almost no English, I was able
to live in the language. My goal was always to study abroad somewhere that
would increase my fluency and I believe that my summer in Madrid helped me to
achieve that!
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| My beautiful host mother and host grandmother |
In the future, I would love to travel a lot more. Spain was my
first trip out of the country and I thoroughly enjoyed it. While on break
between sessions I went to London for a few days, and just love exploring new
places and specifically touring through food.
I hope to someday travel to different countries in Central and South
America as I progress in my bilingual experience. I even plan on applying to
the University of Puerto Rico’s law school in the fall!
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| On the London Eye in front of Big Ben |
My best advice to any students wanting to study abroad is to know
your limits and more importantly know your potential. Every place isn’t for
everybody but if you go a little out of your comfort zone you’ll be surprised
as to how time in an unfamiliar place can truly help you to discover the best
parts of yourself. As a peer advisor I promise to help you the best way that I
can in finding that program that is absolutely perfect for you. ¡Hasta luego y
buena suerte!
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