Makenna Privratsky in Morocco with Pearl the Camel. Photo courtesy of Makenna Privratsky

Ever wondered how travelling abroad could change your education and life experience? Makenna Privratsky, a junior at the University of Minnesota Duluth, had the opportunity to study abroad in Bilbao, Spain last semester. She shared her insights on her experience abroad and the lessons she learned.

Privratsky is studying Spanish and Marketing/Sales at UMD. “Obviously it worked for me to come to a Spanish speaking country, and I have always wanted to study abroad in a Spanish speaking country,” Privratsky said. When deciding what city to travel to, her options were Madrid, Barcelona and Bilbao.

“I chose Bilbao because Madrid and Barcelona are a little too big for me,” Privratsky said. Privratsky said the study abroad process was easy at first, but getting a visa was a bit trickier since she had to travel to Chicago.

When thinking about living in a different country, there will be obstacles to overcome. “At first it was the language barrier, because the Spanish they teach in the U.S is such a broad teaching of Spanish and in Spain the Spanish is much different,” Privratsky said.

Something that really stood out to be different for Privratsky was the meal schedules. “They eat breakfast whenever, whatever your schedule is, but then lunch is 1-2 p.m. Lunch is like their dinner, like the most important meal, their big meal. Dinner depends on the family but it is between 8:30 and 10 p.m.,” Privratsky said.

While there is still schoolwork involved in studying abroad, Privratsky said “the work-load is nothing. It’s like there's no school.” Ideally, the schools want students to be able to get out and travel during their study abroad experience and not be locked in a classroom all day. Privratsky said they only have class Monday through Thursday.

One of the things that stood out to Privratsky the most was the family feel that Bilbao has. Bilbao is a part of the Basque country, which contains northern Spain and some of France. In this Basque country they speak their own language, the Basque language.

The main struggle that Privratsky found is the transportation system in the city. “The public transportation ends at like 11 or 12 p.m. … It's either not on time or it leaves me where I am,” Privratsky said.

Nightlife in Bilbao is a popular way for students to spend their free time and provides a space for them to socialize. “Club life is very different from the U.S.,” Privratsky mentioned, saying how early bars open and close here, and how late they are open in Bilbao.

If you are interested in studying abroad, email the UMD Study Abroad office at studyabroad@d.umn.edu or set up a meeting with a peer advisor on their website https://studyabroad.d.umn.edu/.

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