Junior middle distance runner Larkin Geyer is studying abroad in Granada, Spain during the 2008 Spring semester. The two-time Academic All-Big 12 honoree checks in with TexasSports.com periodically to discuss her Spanish education and European travels.
Hello Texas!
For those of you who don't know me, my name is Larkin Geyer and I am a redshirt junior on the UT Women's Track and Field and Cross Country team.
This semester has a lot of exciting changes in store for me as I am studying abroad in Granada, Spain! This is an incredible opportunity for anyone to have
Studying in Spain has always been on my radar and I was fortunate enough to have Coach Kearney's and Coach Sisson's understanding in this venture. I still correspond with Coach Sisson to get workouts and am putting in the work during this semester.
Granada is a beautiful city with great weather and ample places to run. I love to explore the town and that makes the long runs that much more appealing! Granada is located in the south of Spain with constant panoramic views of the Sierra Nevada, Spain's largest mountain range. Tourists notoriously come to Granada for its array of tapas (AKA small, delicious munchies complimentary with food or beverages), the option of skiing and going to the beach in the same day, and its main attraction, the Alhambra (A palace and fortress complex of the Moorish monarchs). Granada was the last Muslim city to be conquered by the Christians, and thus has a large Islamic component to present-day life, unlike the rest of Spain. I am learning more and more about its complex history all the time, and hope to share some of my experiences with ya'll!
I am here for four months with an American affiliate program comprised of about 60 other students from all over the U.S. My roommate, Margaret, (also my roommate in Austin) and I live in a residencia (or dorm) in the center of the city. It's an all girls dorm and the residents and staff ONLY speak Spanish, hence we are constantly immersed in the culture and language.
I am taking four classes (all are in Spanish) Monday thru Thursday and have long weekends that are packed with traveling. We have already been here for a month and have been to so many places! So far, in Spain we've seen Madrid, Toledo, Cadiz and went snowboarding in the Sierra Nevadas.
My favorite trip was this past weekend to Italy. I spent Valentine's Day drooling over the Colosseum and other famous Roman hotspots and then bounced to Venice early the next morning to watch gondola after gondola navigate through the maze of narrow waterways.
Hasta Luego!
Hook 'Em,
Larkin
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