Daniel Saunders, Business Major

I have been interested in the Spanish language since I began studying it in elementary school and continued when I came to Marietta College and I decided to pick up a Spanish minor. With the several Spanish courses I was taking, combined with the global leadership courses through the McDonough leadership program, I quickly became further enthralled with the idea of living in a different country.

To test the idea, I decided to go abroad for two weeks to Madrid with Dr. Richard Danford during the school’s 2006 J-term. From the very beginning of that trip until I arrived home the only thing I could think about was how different, yet amazing Spain was and why I had not experienced this before. I finally realized what a small and skewed view I had of the world I live in and how little I knew about other cultures outside the United States.

When it came time to start deciding where I was going to study abroad, I decided that I would want to be somewhere where I could immerse myself with the Spanish language. I knew that I wanted to be in Europe so that I could easily travel to many other countries that were of interest to me. I also knew I wanted to be in modern country with cosmopolitan cities.

With all this in mind, combined with the love I developed for Spain during my first visit, it was not long before I chose Barcelona. I would find myself just sitting in the study abroad office reading about the many different options and all the programs that offer a Barcelona experience. With Dr. Danford’s guidance and the literature I had been reading, I was able to decide that I wanted a program that included the option of an internship. This way, I could fulfill the requirements needed for my business major and get some real hands on experience with a Spanish speaking company.

While I most certainly was apprehensive about leaving home for so long and being so far away, I knew it was something I needed to do for myself. During my time there, I lived in a residence hall of the University of Barcelona and had two Spanish roommates. I would take classes at my program’s learning centers four days a week and had the opportunity to travel on most weekends. Some of the highlights of my trips were visiting London, Paris, Brussels, Morocco, and traveling all around Italy.

The most difficult part of the whole experience was coming home again and adjusting back to my old life. However, enrolling in more Spanish classes while continuing to practice the language with my peers, proved quite helpful with my reverse culture shock. Studying abroad has been a journey I can look back on for many years to come and one in which I can honestly say I have no regrets towards.

What I learned and experienced in Spain during that one semester has been invaluable. Not only did I form strong relationships with individuals from a completely different culture and life style, I became confident in a language and gained a broader understanding of global community. Internationalism is a concept that I never quite grasped the importance of until living in Spain.

International programming and the study abroad department at Marietta College are two phenomenal assets of this institution that have greatly aided me during my exploration. It would behoove every student to take advantage of these departments and familiarize themselves with all that they offer. Thus, my study abroad did far more than just allow me to explore an overseas culture and foreign language; it provided the opportunity for self-exploration and discovery.

Going abroad allows one to not only witness the vitality of another culture and language, but also get hands-on experience with the challenging, eye opening educational courses and endeavors that they deserve. I feel far more confident with myself and with my international knowledge now than I ever thought possible and have Marietta College to thank for it.