Ron Iacone is a third- year law student. Outside of school, he loves doing anything outdoors, including fishing, hiking and traveling. He hopes his story demonstrates the power of studying abroad.
On my way to the study abroad office of my alma mater, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, I had one recurring question in my mind: How can I maximize my experience abroad? The beautiful pictures of landscapes and architecture from other countries made me realize that studying abroad would allow me to see the world. Little did I know as I stepped foot into the lead adviser’s office that studying abroad would change my life.
My experience began in fall 2007, during my junior year of college, in Santander, a city in northern Spain. I attended the University of Cantabria with a group of eager Americans, fueled by energy for adventure and exploration. For them, the next four months passed quickly and, before they knew it, they were on a plane back to the U.S. I had different ambitions, as my journey was just getting started. In fact, Santander was just prep for the two months I spent living out of a suitcase traveling through Europe.
When this came to an end, I started the spring semester in Madrid, attending another Spanish university, which ultimately led to a trip to Granada, where I spent the summer. I lived in three different cities, each one with its own distinct culture, and traveled to many other countries.
The end of my year abroad wasn’t actually the end at all but, rather, one chapter in the book of my new, cultured life. When it came time to find a summer job, there was one thing on my mind: which country will I visit next? This time, I found myself working as an intern in a law office in Zihuatanejo, Mexico, a quaint fishing village featured in “The Shawshank Redemption.”
Working in Mexico allowed me to further improve my Spanish and get a feel for Latin American culture. Mexico ultimately prepared me for life in South Florida while giving me the tools necessary to understand, from a business perspective, the interrelatedness of Hispanic culture and successful professional practice as a lawyer.
Before moving south from North Carolina to law school at NSU, I decided to spend one more year in Spain — this time, in Seville, working as a teacher’s assistant at a high school. My goal was to become fluent in Spanish and use this to my advantage in South Florida. I wanted to make myself as marketable as possible.
I was able to participate in the NSU law center’s dual-degree program in Barcelona and with the help of the law school’s study abroad, I again crossed the ocean to pursue higher education in Spain. This time, I enrolled in classes with other Spaniard students taking a full load of credits. I successfully completed the first phase of the program just this past spring and have the option of returning for the second phase. This part would require one year at the University of Barcelona, plus one semester to earn my masters.
Completing this program will allow me to practice as a certified lawyer in Spain, with the possibility of practicing in the European Union. In addition, because European law is mostly based on the civil system, as opposed to the U.S.’s common law system — I will even be able to practice as a lawyer in some countries in Latin America. This is how I maximized my study abroad experience. Obviously, going for just one semester, as most people do, wasn’t going to cut it for me or my goals. As I saw it, the longer I stayed, the greater the benefits.
I wasn’t just another American tourist enjoying the life of a young student in Spain. I made an effort to live like one of the locals and engage the community. At first, this was tough, as my Spanish wasn’t any good, but throwing myself out there really was the best way to learn. It took a bit of courage, deciding to wander the streets alone and stay away from the American group, but every time I did, I found myself meeting a lot more people.
I made it a point to live with Spaniards and other Europeans. In Santander, I stayed with a host family: a grandma, mom, two sons and a daughter. I had breakfast almost every morning on their porch overlooking the bay with snow-capped mountains in the background. In Madrid, I lived in an eight-bedroom apartment with two French girls and a guy, a British couple, two Italians and an American. In Granada, I found an ad online about a room open and called to inquire. I spoke with Maria, a girl from the Canary Islands, who said she, another Spaniard, and a German lived in the apartment; I said sign me up.
The other Spaniard, Pedro, who is now my best friend, took me many times to his village of 3,000 people. I spent Christmas at his house and picked olives from the olive trees that covered the village’s barren landscape. Taking them to the village factory to watch them get squeezed into extra-virgin olive oil was very rewarding.
In Barcelona, I lived with a Venezuelan and a Spaniard. They introduced me to their friends and I immediately became part of the group. I only spoke English with my parents on the phone. All other times, I spoke Spanish and Catalan, whether going to the beach, rock climbing or eating one of the many lunches we cooked for each other. At the university, I made it a tradition to have my café con leche at the school cafeteria with the other students. There, I met many friends who would show me the ins-and-outs of Barcelona and even drove me to adjacent cities.
Being in class as an American was pretty cool as well. Many students at the law school had deep questions about the U.S. and all expressed how badly they wanted to visit. Interestingly, one question they asked quite frequently was whether America is really like the movies portray it to be: the big yellow school busses, bright red stop signs, massive restaurant portions and shear enormity of the country. I noticed in class that almost everyone, especially the younger generations, already knew a lot about America. This made me a target for many questions, comments and, of course, healthy debate.
Immersing myself in Spanish and European culture made my travel experience much better. From licking the wall of a salt mine in Poland a few hundred feet below the ground to attending a Barcelona soccer game, my experience was well rounded. Walking on old cobblestoned streets lined with ancient cathedrals older than America never stopped mesmerizing me. Doing this while speaking another language made it all the more magnificent.
Having the chance to study abroad made me a better American. I am now a smarter, stronger, more culturally aware and marketable person. But there’s still a lot of world out there, so next stop: Panama.
