Judges Abroad: Emma Bartlett '20 in Granada, Spain

Emma Bartlett '20 in Granada, Spain
Emma Bartlett '20 in Granada, Spain

Judges Abroad is a series of blog posts written by Brandeis student-athletes who are spending part of their junior year studying abroad. To read more entries in the blog, click here!

¡Hola! My name is Emma Bartlett and I am a junior here at Brandeis majoring in Economics and Environmental Studies with a minor in Hispanic Studies. I am a middle blocker for the women’s volleyball team and am currently spending my spring semester in the beautiful city of Granada, Spain. I am excited to have the opportunity to share a bit of my experience living and studying abroad.

Trying to choose where to spend a semester is not particularly easy for someone like me that frequently “panic orders” food when I cannot make a decision at a restaurant. Having never been to a Spanish-speaking country after taking years of Spanish, I knew that immersing myself would advance my Spanish in a way that is difficult to replicate in the United States. Looking at the location of Granada, set an hour from both the tallest mountains in Spain and the Mediterranean coast, and its smaller size, I felt that I could easily make the city feel like a new home. In addition, there is a rich history of significant events in Granada. Most notably it functioned as the last stronghold of the Moorish Empire before the Catholic Monarchs assumed control of the city in 1492. These dates seem completely distinct from my reality, as the establishment of Boston begins over a hundred years later though civilizations such as the Moors have resided here in Granada for thousands of years.

There are also a number of field trips included in the program, which was an enticing point in my decision. Over our 10-day orientation, we had the opportunity to travel to Ronda and Sevilla and in the future we will travel to Córdoba and Cabo de Gata as well as Morocco. Certain courses also include field trips. This past weekend, one of my favorite courses, Mediterranean Ecosystems, set out on a 2-day excursion through two major natural parks, el Parque Natural de la Sierra de Grazalema and el Parque Natural de los Alcornocales, down to the Strait of Gibraltar at an incredible beach town called Bolonia. 

I am currently living with a single grandmother and one other student from my program. We eat a typical Spanish breakfast of toast with either butter and jam or a more traditional oil and tomato. Thankfully, after having years of experience with American students, my host mom also has peanut butter that I readily use. Lunch is certainly the most important meal, typically eaten at around 2:30. We’ve had everything from the classic paella, to pollo asado with french fries, to pasta with calamari. For dinner I’ll make something small at the house or go out for tapas with friends.

There are numerous opportunities to stay active in Granada. There are many places to hike and run as well as pickup soccer games. However, it is certainly difficult to create your own schedule to run or complete lifts by yourself, especially without the convenience of having a free weight room just a couple minutes away walking. Fortunately, through the intercambio, or “exchange”, program between students at IES and the University of Granada, I have found an opportunity to play some volleyball with local students while still practicing my Spanish.

My experience in Granada so far has been unforgettable and I cannot wait to see what new memories I will make here!

Hasta luego,

Emma