Mixed Paella

Sienna Wareham

Business Administration major
University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain

I had the opportunity to spend three weeks Studying Spanish in the Canary Islands. Currently, I am majoring in Business while earning the Spanish Certificate. This was an amazing opportunity for me. The University prepared so many activities for us, but the event that I will always remember is the last Friday of the course. In total, there was 17 students participating in the program. To celebrate us earning our certificates, we had a party in class but later, we wanted to do something more special. All around Las Palmas were restaurants that looked and smelled amazing. We picked a restaurant that served paella and we had a meal together.

This moment was special to me because as I sat and looked around the table I felt as though I was a part of a family. Each of us came from different countries, but we all had one goal: to learn Spanish. It was humbling to see everyone getting along. We ate together and during the meal I realized how lucky I was to be able to sit here. Even though the primary purpose was to learn Spanish, I got to learn more than that. I got to learn about relationships in Korea, learning English in Russia, school systems in France, and so much more. This has been the best experience I have had abroad, and I can’t wait for the chance to visit my new friends again.