Taking Your Passions Abroad

Written by: Maggie Neuman

Major: Business

Location: Burgos, Spain

As it gets colder and rainier here in Spain, I’m finding myself falling into some of my habits from back home since it’s harder to convince myself to go outside when I can’t even see the sun. However, I still subscribe to the idea that you should adapt your life to where you are living while studying abroad. Thus I am here to teach you (and remind myself) how to take your passions abroad, or in other words, how to keep doing the things you love from home but use them as a way to explore the new culture you currently inhabit. I have some different categories of passions that I will share along with suggestions on how to modify them to fit your life abroad, many of which will give you an opportunity to be more social which never hurts in a new place for absorbing culture.

1. Working Out I know how much some of us college students love working out but unfortunately gyms are really more of an American concept and are fairly uncommon in other parts of the world, at least in Spain. Attending a gym while studying abroad could be very expensive and time consuming which isn’t ideal when you want to spend your time and money on other things. I personally have found that dancing is a good substitute in Spain for more traditional workouts because nearly everyone does it on the weekends so it is a great opportunity to meet people. If you are more of a sports person, take studying abroad as an opportunity to try out a new sport that is more common where you are living! This again will likely help you meet some locals which never hurts. Don’t underestimate what just walking can do for your health either. I walk everywhere which leads to me walking anywhere from 4-10 miles on a normal day. This also has allowed me to see a lot of the beautiful city I am living in which is a definite perk.

2. Art Many artists have a distinct style but when abroad, use where you are living as inspiration for your art! It could also be fun to try out some different styles of art based on famous artists from where you are living. This would also be a way to learn about the history and culture of where you live. I personally am more of an observer of art but there are plenty of ways to do that while abroad as well. They just put up an art installation along the river in Burgos which helped fulfill this love for me as well as get me out of the house even when it’s cold!

3. Cooking If you love cooking, don’t be tempted to just cook the things that you love to cook and eat at home. Try cooking something distinct to where you live maybe that you tried in a restaurant. If you are staying with a host family, offer to cook with them! Then you can learn some of their family recipes and get to know them better.

4. Reading This tip is more intended for language students but if you are studying abroad, try reading books in the language that you are studying! It’s not easy to commit to as it can be mentally exhausting, but it does wonders for language learning. I’m currently reading Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone in Spanish which is great for me as I already know and enjoy the story in English which helps clear up language misunderstandings I encounter while reading.

5. Passions for your major This may not be possible or relevant for everyone studying abroad but I have felt a little lost this semester as I have taken all Spanish classes and no business classes. However, my university offered to let us attend classes relevant to our majors to learn the vocabulary in Spanish. If anyone is in a similar position, I highly recommend doing this because it will let you keep up with your studies back home as well as connect your language studies with your other majors. I recognize that some of these suggestions were a bit redundant, but I highly recommend taking them to heart. You don’t want to miss out on this amazing opportunity by spending all of your time on the same things that you can easily do when you return. Take advantage of this amazing opportunity and absorb as much of the culture as you can!

Categories: Passions, Business Broncos, Tips