IES Abroad Granada – Liberal Arts & Language

I’m super fascinated by flamenco dance. I started flamenco in Denver and my teacher grew up in Granada, so I decided to go study flamenco further in depth in Granada. Andalucía is the province to go for flamenco, and it is an incredible art form. I learned so much in a semester in Granada. I was able to take amazing dance classes, see lots of performances, and IES Abroad helped me find an internship with the Lucía Guarnido dance school.

One of the main reasons why I chose to study abroad was because of my decision to dual-major in International and Intercultural Studies (IIS) and Hispanic Studies. As part of my IIS major, I must have a regional area of focus. Therefore, I chose to focus on Spanish-speaking countries, especially given my seven prior years of studying the Spanish language. However, even with that many years of Spanish under my belt, I wasn’t confident in my language skills. It wasn’t until I was in Granada, completely surrounded by Spanish in every aspect of my life (in my home life, school life, and social life), that it all started to click. Now, I am much more comfortable speaking Spanish with native speakers, as well as reading and writing in Spanish.

I really wanted the opportunity to travel to a new place. I am native to Redlands, California and decided to attend the local University because it provided me with the most financial assistance. Conveniently, they also have one of the most expansive and supportive study abroad programs. This really brought my vision of seeing the world to fruition.