Hola! Hello! My name is James, and I am a 24 year old traveler from LaGrange, North Carolina. This year, I am studying and teaching in Alcalá de Henares, a historic city in central Spain famous for its university (the Universidad de Alcalá), its wildlife (storks! parrots!), and its literature (Miguel de Cervantes, who wrote the first Spanish novel, was born and lived here)! I can’t wait to share some of what I’m learning with all of you.
This is actually my third time in Spain. When I was still in college--Carleton College, in Minnesota--I had my first opportunity to travel outside of the United States. I went to London, where I studied theater and English literature. “That’s not Spain, James,” you may be thinking. You’re right. But while I was in Europe, I knew I wanted to take advantage of how many different countries were so close to me. I had been studying Spanish in school, I started in high school and had continued at Carleton, so I really wanted to try and spend some time in Spain.
While I was in London, I won a special award called a grant that gave me money to travel to Madrid, Spain for some research over the summer.
