Lauren's Reflection

I came to Spain with so many goals and things I wanted to do, and looking back at the trip I really accomplished everything that I hoped I would.  I learned so much about Spanish culture not only from the class we took at the University but because I lived it for two weeks.  I got to experience what it's really like to live in Spain while also studying there and learning the language better.  My skills have improved so much in Spanish.  I used to never want to talk in Spanish because I thought my accent and pronunciation were off and I made so many mistakes and couldn't always say what I wanted to say, but now I feel comfortable enough that I spoke to someone in Spanish here that didn't speak English well.  Even though I learned so much in Spain, it didn't feel like a school trip.  We were given freedom to explore Salamanca and see places that the school didn't take us to which I really appreciated even though I enjoyed the school trips.  I'm so glad I got the opportunity to experience another culture.