Studying abroad is all about cultural immersion, and what’s more immersive than going on dates with people who are from the very place you are studying and speak the language you are learning! I talked to three of my friends from IES Abroad Granada about their experiences on the Spanish dating scene.
Friend #1:
My first friend tells me all about the University of Granada student that she casually dated during the semester.
How did you meet? “We met on Tinder”
What was your first date like? “We walked up to San Miguel Alto, a viewpoint where you can see the whole city, to watch the sunset. we got along really well and spent a couple hours talking up there.”
Did you face any sort of language barrier? “I was worried that language might be a big barrier but actually it was a great way to practice speaking and learning new words and phrases. His English was also very good so if I needed a translation he was more than happy to help. With any local friendships or relationships the other person just has to be willing to be patient and understanding of language gaps. A lot of the time they might want to learn English from you too so it goes both ways!”
Friend #2:
My second friend tells me the story of meeting a Spanish guy from the nearby city of Málaga who was spending the weekend in Granada.
“We were at Playmobil…”
Playmobil Club is a Playmobil themed indie music pub.
“…and his friend came up to me and was like do you like boys? My friend is interested in you. Then we tried to talk and realized that we were not really able to understand each other. And he couldn’t understand my broken Spanish and he didn’t really speak any English. Then my best friend was there and understood him and he could understand her, so basically she just acted as a translator for the whole night.”
Friend #3:
My third friend ended up dating a Spanish student from her residence hall.
How did you meet? “We met through a mutual friend in the dorm that we lived in.”
What was your first date like? “Our first date was really cool because we went to a rooftop bar/cafe and sat and talked for a while and there were really pretty views of the city.”
Did you face any sort of language barrier? “The language barrier at times was a bit difficult because his English was about as good as my Spanish but it was really good practice for speaking Spanish because we usually spoke in it.”
These are just three of the many experiences that my friends at IES Abroad Granada had in the Spanish dating world. As you can see, while there can at times be a language barrier, communication was often not as difficult as people expected. There were also so many different ways that people met locals: from bars and clubs to dating apps and dorms. Overall, if one thing’s clear, it’s that studying abroad romance is alive and well.
Jaden Ferraro
Jaden is a sophomore studying Sociology and Spanish at Tufts University. He loves the beach and lakes, hiking, biking, cooking, and playing video games.
