Spotlights
Keylaiha Brown, Spain
Kaixo! My name is Keylaiha Brown and I’m a senior double majoring in psychology and Spanish. I’m currently studying abroad in Bilbao, Spain to fulfill my Spanish requirements. My study abroad program is through the school’s partnership with the CIDE program at the University of Deusto. CIDE is an amazing program, since I’ve been here, we have taken day trips to Portugalete & Getxo in Spain and Bayonne & Biarritz in France. There are also more places that I’m going to get a chance to visit through the program, such as Madrid and the Game of Thrones place.
Before coming here, I’ve never heard about Bilbao, but it’s so amazing! Bilbao is a part of Basque Country and they have their own language, Euskara. Euskara is very unique because the origins of the language is unknown, it doesn’t derive from Latin like many languages. Due to this, it’s very difficult to learn, but I’ve picked up a few words and phrases to show my respect for the culture.
I live with a host family, which has helped me integrate into the culture. My host mom tells me about the things that are considered “common” here all of the time and I share with her the different ways that the US differs. My favorite part about staying with a host family are the delicious meals. The food is healthier here. There are a lot of local shops with fresh ingredients.
I’m in a gastronomy class to learn vocabulary related to cooking as well as how to cook some of the local dishes here. Last week, I learned how to make Marmitako, which is a fish and potato soup, and Pimientos Rellenos de Bacalao, which are bell peppers stuffed with fish and other ingredients. Nevertheless, my favorite dish here is definitely tortilla de patatas!
A typical day for me is walking past the Guggenheim Museum in order to get to my first class of the day by 10am. I am usually done with my classes by 2:30pm. This is important because lunch is the most important meal of the day here. Stores often close from 2pm-5pm, so people can spend this time with their families. My host mom asks me many questions after we’re done eating, but still sitting at the table. This conversation is known as “sobremesa”. After lunch, I usually meet up with friends and explore the town. There are buses, trains, and trams, but many people prefer to just walk around because everything is so close. I love walking to el Casco Viejo, which is just an older neighborhood that has a lot of little shops and bars.
Overall, I’m just really enjoying my time here.
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