Meet Brianna Shore (she/her)

Program and Location:

Spring, Spain: Barcelona SAE

Major/Minor:

Business Administration with a concentration in the Supply Chain

Why did you choose to study abroad?

I chose to study abroad because I am minoring in Spanish, and I felt like to truly understand Spanish I needed to be in a Spanish speaking country for a while. I had studied abroad in Sevilla in High School, and I noticed my Spanish improved significantly while I was there. I was only in Sevilla for a month so I knew that if I was able to study in a Spanish speaking country for a semester I would improve even more.

What did you learn about yourself?

I learned to be more patient with myself and others. When communicating with my host family I had to use a lot of gestures at first and it could be really frustrating when I couldn’t figure out what they were asking. And I’m sure it was frustrating on their end when they were trying to figure out what I was trying to say. However, over time my Spanish became better, and we were able to communicate a lot better.

What was one of your favorite parts of your program?

My favorite part of the program was the freedom we had to travel. I made a group of friends while abroad and we travelled all over Europe together. The program didn’t have classes on Fridays, so we would leave early on Friday and come back late on Sunday.

What advice do you have to future study abroad students?

I would say to get as into the culture as you possibly can. Living with a host family forced me into the culture in a way that living in an apartment wouldn’t have. I went to local restaurants with my family, hung out with some of their friends and family. They even included me in on one of their holiday traditions, which I would have had no idea was happening if I didn’t live with them.

How were your classes abroad different than if you would have taken them at NC State? Did you take any field trips or do anything outside of the traditional classroom?

My classes were longer than ones taken at NC State, but they didn’t have much homework. Most of the work was done in class and if we had homework, it was just to read a page or two about what we would be discussing next class. We did take a lot of field trips to explore around Barcelona and learn more of the culture and history.

Would you do it again?

Absolutely! I had the time of my life!