Maren's Abroadventures

 Welcome back to Maren's Abroadventures!            For my final blog, I will be discussing my time volunteering at the local elementary school, Escola de les Aigües. Each Tuesday, I went to this school and assisted my assigned teacher with two first-grade classes, while helping them learn the English language.           This opportunity has been so rewarding since I have gotten to meet so many locals and even make a connection with the students. While it was only a short period of time, I have become much more confident in being able to communicate with others despite the language barrier. Learning how to interact through hand motions and actions has been highly beneficial, making it much easier for me to assist the students in any way I can.            During my time volunteering, I read them many books covering a variety of topics, such as parts of the body and Christmas stories. I discussed Ha...

  Welcome back to Maren's Abroadventures!          This week, I put together a video below about the VIVA Experiences we attended through SAI from our 2025 Fall semester abroad. These experiences were always a fun time and helped me get to know my host city of Barcelona better. My three favorite VIVA Experiences I attended: Cheese and Wine Evening - As a cheese lover and someone with a career focus in food and beverage, this was easily my favorite activity with the SAI group. This was perfect for a smaller group of people, and it was easier to interact with our host. We were fortunate enough to discover the history behind both the cheese and the wine. I love attending tastings since lots of people do it a little differently, and you witness each person's palate come to life while using your senses. Ceramic Workshop - The ceramic workshop is a very close second, because it was so nice getting to meet Jordi as he helped us c...

  Welcome back to Maren's Abroadventures!          This week, I wanted to discuss the importance of connecting with families abroad and to encourage study abroad travelers to reach out to as many locals as possible.            The picture above includes my host mom and dad, as well as my host sister Nerea. I studied abroad in Madrid when I was in fifth grade, about 12 years old. I stayed with my host family for a few months while attending the same school as my host sister. I had so much fun with them whether it was going out to eat, taking a trip, or figuring out my favorite items at the grocery store. Being able to come back to Spain at twenty-one years old and study abroad once again in a new city feels surreal. I have already taken the opportunity to visit and stay a few days with my host family, and their house looks almost the exact same. It feels like I was just living there yesterday.        Whe...