PRESHCO Reunion in Almería

 When people ask me why I chose to study abroad with PRESHCO, I often tell them about how valuable the language immersion aspect has been for me and how much I enjoy exploring Córdoba and other areas of Spain while making new friends. However, as a Wellesley student, I think what sets PRESHCO apart from other programs is the strong connections it has with Wellesley College and the University of Córdoba. During my sophomore year of college, I was able to live in Casa Cervantes at Wellesley College, the Spanish house on campus. Eight students live in the house as well as one language assistant, who is often a recent graduate of the University of Córdoba whose job is to work in the Spanish Department and help put together events that take place in Casa. I highly recommend Casa to any Wellesley student who is looking to practice their Spanish on a regular basis, enjoys being social, and would benefit from being in a small community where they are able to get to know everyone else in their residence hall. 

I have many fond memories of my sophomore year in Casa Cervantes and all of the fun things I did with everyone else who was living in Casa with me. Most importantly, I appreciated how we were all there for each other, whether that be letting each other in when we forgot our OneCard, the people with cars doing grocery runs for those who did not have cars, or putting together birthday parties for each other and giving gifts. I enjoyed living in a residence hall that was small enough for me to bond with everyone else there. In particular, I connected with the language assistant from Almería who I could count on whenever I needed help with something or just needed to step away from schoolwork for a moment. After I felt like I had studied enough for the night, she would watch TV shows in Spanish with me. She would always pause the show whenever there was something I didn't understand so she could explain it to me. We also often ate together in the dining halls and went on excursions to Boston and the Natick Mall. My fluency and vocabulary began to improve a great deal. Given that my junior year was coming up, I began to think about study abroad programs where I could continue improving my Spanish. The language assistant told me about PRESHCO information sessions and explained how she thought the program would be a good fit for me due to the language immersion aspect, the opportunity to live with a host family, the social life, and the plentiful opportunities to explore Córdoba and other cities. PRESHCO held a special place in her heart given that it took place at her Alma Matar and that she used to be a conversation partner for the program.

After attending the information sessions, I knew I would thrive in PRESHCO. I was fairly certain I would go during the fall of 2020. However, COVID hit. I ended up taking a leave of absence during the 2020-2021 academic year. When I came back from my leave, I was unsure if I should study abroad because the pandemic was still going on and I felt like taking more lab courses on campus as a science major would help me for grad school. As a result, I began to doubt myself. I questioned if it would look better on my resume to take more lab courses rather than go abroad. I questioned if my Spanish would be good enough to go attend university in Spain. I questioned if being so far away from my family in Massachusetts would be a good idea. However, with the language assistant's encouragement along with the encouragement of several other friends and family members, I took the leap and did something I truly wanted to do rather than something I felt like I was supposed to do. So I packed my bags and headed to Córdoba in January 2022. 

During my time abroad, I was reunited with my friend after two years of not being able to see her. I saw her in Córdoba during the fair and then in Almería the next month. It was special to show her around Wellesley and then have her show me around her school and city, from where she attended class, to her favorite museum, to her mom's hair salon, to her favorite tapas bar, to her favorite beaches. Thanks to PRESHCO and Wellesley, we both got to experience how the other person lived in their home country, and that brought us even closer together.