By Sophia Dunstan

Kia Ora, my name is Sophia, and I’m about to spend the last semester of my BSc in chemistry at the University of Alicante in Spain! Since high school, I have wanted to go on an exchange, so I’m thrilled to have this opportunity! I have been learning Spanish for seven years now, with it being one of my degree minors, so it was an easy choice of which partner University I wanted to go to.

My hope for this exchange is that I will be able to fully immerse myself in the Spanish culture. I’m so excited about the whole experience, but what I think I’m most excited for is the chance to be able to use the Spanish knowledge I’ve been learning in a space where I will be able to improve the most. I’m also super excited about the opportunity to travel around Europe while I’m away. However, I’m also a bit nervous about moving to a Spanish-speaking country, particularly because I’ll be doing some courses only in Spanish. Overall, I’m very excited for my exchange and all of the skills it will give me!