Student On Study Abroad Relieved He Has Yet To Associate With Any Foreigners

Story by Erik Mellgren 

| Published Feb 23, 2010

University of Nebraska-Lincoln student Doug Bryant, currently studying abroad in Sevilla, Spain, announced yesterday he was “relieved” that two months into his stay with the International Studies Abroad (ISA) program, he has yet to socialize with any “foreigners." Bryant, who arrived in Spain in early January, has been living in an apartment with other ISA students from the United States.

“This whole trip has been great so far. They’ve got this whole strip of bars in town and you don’t even have to ask if anyone speaks English,” Bryant said. “I’m here to get the whole international experience. I mean, just last week I met some Canadian backpackers at one of the bars.”

Bryant reported that he has had to buy some groceries from a “Spanish dude” every week, but other than that has successfully avoided what he considers to be the worst part of studying abroad: interacting with the locals. Luckily for Bryant, ISA specializes in study abroad trips where the student is surrounded by other Americans without any opportunity to experience the local culture.