Experiencing Life in Spain with Your 5 Senses

Living and studying abroad in Spain is about taking in your new surroundings and noticing things with all your senses. It’s about letting the beauty of new sink into you. Slow down, look around, and let yourself notice things, you just might be surprised!

Taste/ Gusto

When you think of Spain and their wonderful cuisine, what pops into your head? If you thought of bread, jamon, tortilla de patatas, or colacao… You just might be from Spain!

If you’re in Spain, jamon is a must! You can’t get jamon like this anywhere else, and lots of families here have a cured pig’s leg in the kitchen where they slice their own fresh jamon. My host family doesn’t have one, but most of my friends do.

Equally as popular is and eaten at every meal is bread. It’s not a complete meal without it! In fact, it’s kind of a must, my host mom doesn’t like it if we don’t eat bread.

Colacao, however, is very typical Spanish but I don’t drink it because I don’t like milk. It’s like hot chocolate but not as chocolaty and very milky.

Last but never least, tortilla de patata, the most typical Spanish food out there. We eat it for dinner or cut it up and put it in a bocadillo (sandwich) for school. Sometimes my mom will make it with spinach or asparagus inside. It’s super easy and really yummy!

Smell/ Olfato

When walking the streets of Villanueva de la Serena, my dear home away from home, or really any Spanish town, especially Sevilla, you are bound to smell oranges. There are orange trees everywhere! I’m basically in heaven, I love fruit, especially tropical fruit!

We constantly have oranges in the house and my host mom makes us fresh squeezed orange juice all the time. What more could one want in life??

Sight/ Vista

One of my very favorite parts of being in Spain is watching the sunset every night. We stay out late enough each night that I get to see it everyday, and everyday it’s perfect. It’s like a piece of art painted in the sky.

Some nights it’s orange, others purple, others pink, and it never fails to amaze me! It’s my little piece of beauty I can count on each day.

Hearing/ Oido

There are a lot of things to hear here in Spain. One might think the most noticeable thing would be hearing Spanish, but I’ve gotten used to that. The noise I wake up to, go to school with, and also go to sleep with is birds.The park in front of my house is home to a ridiculous amount of birds.

There are so many of them that it’s like a wall of noise. I’ve never heard so many birds at once. It’s pretty noise, but it’s constantly there. There are also a lot of pet birds here, and I got to hold one!

Touch/ Tacto

Louise with a friend in Spain.

In Spain, you greet everyone with dos besos (a kiss on each cheek) every time you see them. Usually boys with other boys just do a handshake. It is something to get used to because back in the States we aren’t as affectionate with everyone, but I like this tradition because it’s a way of acknowledging everyone you’re with.

About the Author:

Louise Plever is 15 years old and lives in Asheville, North Carolina. Her goal during her study abroad program in Spain is “to become fluent in Spanish and make friends that will last a lifetime.” Follow Louise’s adventure in Spain on her blog post updates throughout the year.

Where have you traveled that have inspired all your senses? Share them in the comments below!