Caitie Glance Immerses in Bilingual Field Work in Madrid

Caitie Glance studied abroad in Madrid, Spain during the fall semester of 2018 (Photo courtesy of Caitie Glance).

Caitie Glance studied abroad in Madrid, Spain during the fall semester of 2018 (Photo courtesy of Caitie Glance).

By Lizzie Hobbs, Staff Writer

Caitie Glance ’20 spent the 2018 fall semester participating in an International Education of Students (IES) study abroad program in Madrid, Spain. Glance studied at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid and lived with a host family in a homestay residence.

Glance explained that the homestay was located about half an hour away from campus, but that was not the only long commute she became accustomed to during her time in Spain. While in Madrid, she took the opportunity to complete an internship through the education department, teaching English at a public school an hour away from her house.

“The internship meant that I really got to improve my Spanish, because I was forced to use it on a more regular, conversational basis,” Glance said. Throughout her internship, Glance spent over 100 hours teaching English to more than 100 students. Although she was incredibly grateful for the field work experience, Glance confessed that the opportunity was “exhausting and a lot of work.”

Glance’s busy academic schedule meant she had little time for extensive travel; however, she did get the opportunity to visit Barcelona, San Sebastian, and Amsterdam. She described her weekend trip to San Sebastian as her “favorite day abroad,” which she spent exploring the city and enjoying the beach.  Glance caught the travel bug while abroad and now plans to visit Lisbon and other parts of Portugal this summer.

She described her time abroad as “wonderfully stressful.” Despite wanting to explore and become acquainted with the culture, Glance said that she went into her semester abroad “with motives and objectives. I had work there I knew I wanted to get done.”

All in all, Glance said she grew to love her city, explaining that she felt she “didn’t have enough time there” and “definitely needs to go back” to explore some more.

Author: Gettysburgian Staff

Share This Post On

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *