Having a Routine Abroad

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Antanisha Vargas

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Antanisha Vargas

<i>Pronouns:</i> She/her <i>Home Institution:</i> Lehman College <i>Expected Graduation:</i> 2024 <i>Major / Minor:</i> Sociology / Economics <i>Study Abroad Location:</i> Seville, Spain <i>"Hello" in your host country's language:</i> Hola <i>Program Provider:</i> CCIS <i>Identity:</i> Hispanic/Latinx, First-Generation American, First-Generation College Student <i>Future Career Goals:</i> I aspire to become a lawyer working with immigrants and refugees to help integrate them to communities within the U.S. where nonphysical borders may be present. <i>Top 3 Goals for your time abroad:</i> I want to immerse myself in a culture that is different of my own, push myself out of the realms of comfortability by meeting new people and having new experiences, and become more independent.

I absolutely love being abroad and living in Spain. Seville is such a beautiful city to me. I love that there are many things to do here and it did not take me long at all to get accustomed to life here. I have class from Mondays to Thursdays, on all of these days I have class from 4pm to 7pm, and on Tues-Thurs I have class from 11am to 1pm. I honestly like this schedule. It gives me the chance to sleep in a little bit and do anything I have to do before class.

Living with a host family and having a set class schedule allows me to have some sort of routine in my everyday life. I feel like having a routine makes adapting to life in a different country easier, especially if you are struggling with culture shock. Everyday I get up and I have breakfast at 10am. After breakfast, I usually tidy up my room and then I’ll go outside to roam the area a little bit or simply work on homework. Then I have a big lunch at 2pm with my host family and then I am off to class at 4pm! I always feel like there is something to do throughout the day and I never feel like there is a dull moment. I understand that when you are in a new country there is pressure to explore, but if you ever feel tired and need to rest, do not be afraid to take a rest day. Not every day that you are abroad is going to be the most exciting day ever and that is perfectly okay.