Last fall I studied abroad in Barcelona Spain and this LEAD fellowship helped me achieve this by providing me with a generous scholarship. I was able to take classes with the IES program for 14 weeks. I took classes that coincide with my Psychology major, with my Sociology minor and Public Health minor. For example, I was able to compare the European criminal justice system with the American one. This class was very interesting and helped me gain further interests in ways to improve our criminal justice system by following examples of Northern European countries. I also took a Spanish for Global Health class in which I was able to learn about the different healthcare systems around the world. This class helped strengthen my desire to work in the healthcare field and work towards improving it to resemble what is present in Spain and many other European countries. I also took a Migration and Economy class which helped me learn more and get a new perspective on current hot topic issues such as immigration in the United States and around Europe. This helped me come to sense with the current political climate here in America. During my time studying abroad I was able to improve my Spanish as I took courses in the language and lived with a host family. Living with a host family also allowed me to gain a cultural understanding of Spanish society, which I found to be very similar to my Mexican heritage.
There was some political conflict as the Catalan people of Barcelona where fighting for independence from the Spanish government. It was interesting to learn about both sides of the political argument and see how the people of Spain handled differing opinions and beliefs. I did not know much about the Catalan culture before I arrived Barcelona, but after a couple of months I had become an expert in the culture, food and even understood some of the language. While I was studying abroad I also had the opportunity to travel to many countries around Europe! I was able to spend time in places like Portugal, Paris, Italy and Switzerland: I could not have been able to do this without the help and support of the LEAD Fellowship. By being able to travel to all of these different countries I learned how to navigate myself in new cities, talk to new diverse groups of people and learn a little of the local history.
It was challenging for me to be away from home for such a long period as time as I am very close to my family and I attend school close to home. But, being abroad for four months helped me with my sense of independence. I learned how to navigate the city by myself and improved my Spanish. That was one of my main goals and I was able to reach it: I can now more fluently and clearly communicate with my family from Mexico. My experience abroad helped shape my professional goals and led me to become a more independent woman. I can now say that I am a global citizen who is conscious, conscientious and compassionate.
