After almost a decade of Spanish language study and practice I was awarded the opportunity to study abroad in Bilbao, Spain this past spring, thanks to Mentors. Having never had the financial means to study outside of the country–and having always had the desire to–the Mentors study grant truly made a lifelong dream of mine come true.

Bilbao is the largest city in the Basque Country, an autonomous region in northern Spain and southern France, with its own language and government independent of the French and Spanish governments. As a result, the people are extremely prideful and nationalistic of their heritage, learning the Basque language, Euskera, before they learn English.

Unlike other large Spanish cities, the portion of Bilbao’s population that could speak even basic English was quite low, which made it a phenomenal place to learn and practice Spanish, simply because there was nothing else to rely upon.