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Memory of the smell of Iberian ham wafting from the old street shops of Salamanca would draw Abigail Culver back to Spain in a minute. The sound of a street performer coaxing tunes from an accordion will forever remind the Bloomsburg University senior nursing major of her winter studying abroad in Spain.

Culver said her goal with this educational adventure was to excel in a second language, “especially Spanish” to propel her odds of caring for future Spanish speaking patients as a nurse. The added benefit of hospitals and graduate schools ranking Spanish speaking job candidates is a huge factor in her thoughtful plan of adding study abroad to her resume.

Needing one more class to finish a Spanish minor, fellow nursing major Ellen Davis chose the Spain abroad trip to fulfill the requirement. Complementing her educational obligation for the minor is the wonderful engagement in Spanish culture, she said. Madrid, Salamanca and other Castile and Leon cities offers up museum visits, monuments, and delicious cuisine.

Davis says the architecture is “more detailed and impressive” than her imagination could conjure.

“Several of the altars I’ve seen in cathedrals are covered in gold and have extreme detail in paint and sculpture,” Davis said.

According to both nursing students, immersing themselves in the culture and with the intensive Spanish classes during their stay fluency will be immensely improved when they return to campus for the spring semester.

Culvers’ time in Spain was spent learning about the language, yes, but she also had opportunities to learn about the culture. Not just about the culture, but to become more culturally aware, broadening her perspective of a different lifeway.

Museum visiting is a common activity used for the understanding of the culture of such a trip. Culver enjoyed the Modern Art Museum of Spain in Cuenco and looks forward to exploring the Prado where she will search out “Goya, Velazquez, and El Greco.” Outside of the museum, she reflects that the ancient architecture of the Cathedral in Salamanca is her favorite, by far.

Culver learned that nursing is a prestigious calling in Spain, giving her yet another reason to embrace the country’s culture.