The Life of Spain, Alicante!!!

I studied abroad in Alicante, Spain for the summer of 2023, and went for sessions one and two. Being in Spain was an amazing life experience. I love that I finally have gone to Europe, and see the different ways that people live there than the people that live in the US. It was eye opening to see the cultural differences in Europe and get used to their culture. There are so many different festivities that they do in Spain, and it was so much fun learning about their festivals. If you are doing session one or two, I recommend going for session one. There are a lot more festivals that happen in June, and the weather is less hot in June than in July. There is the Hogueras, and then there is a full week of fireworks on the beach. There are multiple parades and events full of Spain’s special foods. The streets are always full of people, and you can walk everywhere. For example, you can walk to the store, to the beach, and to restaurants. They also have multiple availability of public transportation. You can take a taxi, the bus, or even the subway, by using the transportation card that you are given within the program. The subway can take you to many other cities that are near Alicante. For instance, it can take you to Altea, Benidorm, El Campello, Costa Blanca, La Villa Joiosa, La Isleta, Sangueta and many more. The subway also takes you to their university, which is a gorgeous, huge campus. They have a library, computer lab, a nice café, etc... Some of the lifestyle that is different in Spain is that you have to pay for water in restaurants. Whenever the servers ask if you want bread before bringing out dinner, you also have to pay for that bread. It is also not usual to give the servers tips. Usually, people bring their own bags when grocery shopping, and if you don’t bring one, then you have to pay a few cents for each bag you get. Their breakfast is usually very light, and their dinners are very late, usually around 11:00 is their dinner time. A fun class that I recommend is that you join sailing. You will be out in the ocean about 3-4 times a week and the instructor will teach you how to put up and down the sail. The instructor is cool and will show you how to change the direction of the boat, let you sail the boat on your own, and let you jump in the ocean, which he calls a “bath”. The water can be unpredictable so every day it is different, but the instructor tells stories that are funny and makes sailing entertaining. Alicante is a safe, and wonderful place to be, and it will forever be my second home!!