“If you have a boyfriend or a girlfriend, break up with them now! You’ll find love here, and we have people who can prove it.”
Welcome to studying abroad in Cáceres, Spain. Students often hear this proclamation within hours of arriving in Madrid from the ISU Spanish point of contact, Toñi Paín. Most people giggle at the thought, but there are a few who proove Prof. Paín right. We see these love matches across study abroad programs, and we’d love to share their stories them with you!
Kelsey Finn and Zach Swailes
What did/do you study at ISU?
Kelsey: Nutrition and Spanish
Zach: Marketing and Spanish
On which study abroad program did you meet and when?
Cáceres, Spring 2016
Do you think that meeting during a study abroad had an impact on your relationship?
Yeah we learned how to travel together which made our relationship stronger and allowed us to learn more about each other. Also it was hard to be abroad and away from family and familiarity so I feel that our relationship kept us comfortable and gave us an extra something to look forward to every day. I (Kelsey) left during the summer to come home to the States and Zach stayed abroad for another program in Valencia. This really tested our relationship and helped us realized that if we could do 3 months apart we must have something special!
What is your favorite memory together from abroad?
Aside from the many adventures we went on with all of our friends in Spain, our favorite individual memory between just the two of us was our champagne and fruit date to the local park, El Parque principe. This was one of our only “dates” alone and it was so good to take time to chat and get to know each other. We were lucky to have such amazing friends while abroad that we spent a large amount of our time with. Through these encounters Zach and I really became best friends before anything else which I love about our relationship!
Do you have any advice for those getting ready to go on a study abroad program?
Go in open minded. Don’t make expectations of what will happen. Make genuine friendships and value those while abroad. Experience all that you can while abroad. Remember to enjoy the place you are studying in rather than getting caught up in all sorts of other places to travel to. Embrace the culture and find ways to put yourself in uncomfortable situations. Keep your abroad friendships once you get home, they can be lifelong friends!
Mark and Ali Bergstrom
What did/do you study at ISU?
Mark graduated in 2005 with a major in Mechanical Engineering and minor in Spanish. I also graduated in 2005 with a major in Spanish and minor in Military Science (I was contracted to join the Army after graduation).
On which study abroad program did you meet and when?
We met in Alicante, Spain in 2003. Mark and I actually grew up about 30 minutes from each other in the Minneapolis area, then both went to ISU, but it wasn’t until we were in Spain that we finally met. We had a mutual friend and the three of us would often hang out and travel together. The mutual friend and those adventures together provided a way to build a friendship that would last long after we returned home. It wasn’t until more than a year after our study abroad that we started dating, and the rest happened quickly! We dated for 11 months, were engaged for 5, have been happily married for 11 years, and now have 2 little boys. The adventures continue!
Do you think that meeting during a study abroad had an impact on your relationship?
Yes, definitely. Our circles may not have crossed naturally back at school, but being abroad with other students connects you to each other as you explore a culture and way of life completely different than your own. We traveled together on the weekends with other students and these kinds of adventures were a good base for the friendship that started between Mark and me. Our friendship was natural, full of laughter, and drama-free…little did we know at the time that it would grow into what it did!
What is your favorite memory together from abroad?
On the weekends, we explored several other cities together with a few other students, and tried to do it as inexpensively as we could. Sometimes we just brought along cheap packaged cookies or crackers and called it lunch. We found hotels outside of the cities and attempted to navigate the subway systems to see the sights. We once tried to sleep seven of us in one hotel room, but got caught by the management and were asked to pay for another room. And because we had to pay for that second room, the trip became more expensive than we were planning for and we actually just decided to stay up all night on our last night there because we couldn’t afford the hotel anymore.
Do you have any advice for those getting ready to go on a study abroad program?
Be open-minded, be respectful of the differences in culture, try to see as much of the country as you can in your time off of school, don’t be loud and obnoxious, and try new things.
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While these two stories are from Spain, this is a phenomenon that can be found around the world. We’d like to hear from YOU about your experiences abroad! Share with us at wlc@iastate.edu , on Facebook , Twitter or Instagram! We’ll leave you with a photo of Mark and Ali Bergstrom 14 years and two children after they first met.
