Hola!
After our ‘Semana Santa’ or what we used as a spring break, we stayed local and just enjoyed time with other students at the university by doing day trips places and going out and doing fun activities. We had a bit over a month left when we realized that this could be the last time we saw many of the people that we did, so we did everything, saw everything, ate everything, to really enjoy the final times together. The food in Asturias never got old, it got heavy, but not old. I ate as much “Fabada Asturiana” (Famous bean dish that is arguably my favorite food) as I could. As we met many new friends, American, Spanish and other Europeans we tried going to nearby towns as much as possible so that we could soak up as much of the atmosphere as we could.
The time was an incredible time in Oviedo. As this was my second time studying abroad (Rome was the first), I found this to be good and better for all the opposite reasons. Rome was very fun as there were many things to do and see, but the tourism and ability for so many to speak english, it was hard to escape it. I used as much Italian as I could, when I could. But, still no where near where I wanted to be. While Oviedo was quite the opposite. I was hearing, seeing and speaking Spanish all the time. The town where I was had things to do in the town, but the beauty was the ‘estado’ of Asturias. The towns and areas around Oviedo are what made me fall in love and have great appreciation for Spain. About a 30 minute bus ride from the coast, hour and a half drive to ‘Picos de Europa’ and countless massive green hills makes for an adventure junky, like myself, very very happy. I will recommend this program to all of my friends and I will even try to promote it to people I do not know as well. But, the experience here has been phenomenal. I am still here and in Europe and a bit eager to go home, but will one hundred miss this place.
Hasta luego!
Patrick Rhinehart