We continue traveling with our athletes abroad with junior Amelia Shelley on the softball team. Ameilia is studying at La Universidad de Salamanca in Salamanca, Spain, which is about two hours west of Madrid. She is a double major in international studies with a focus on business & global trade and Spanish. Here is her report on how her experiences have been so far. 
 
My classes in Spain:
I'm taking five classes, but my favorite has to be either my class called Lengua Española, which breaks down the grammar of the Spanish language in a way I've never learned before, or my criminology class because it's just been a completely new and interesting experience.
 
Other visits I've done:
I've visited some small cities around Spain on weekends, including Zamora, Toledo, Segovia and Toro. This weekend I'm going to Sevilla and Granada. I've also visited Barcelona and Madrid. I also have trips planned to Lisbon, Amsterdam, Dublin, Ciudad Rodrigo (in Spain) and hopefully Italy to visit my teammate, Hanna Caiola.
 
My favorite trip so far has been something called the Camino de Santiago, which is a hike that spans throughout Europe and ends in Santiago de Compostela in the northwest of Spain. Over five days, some friends and I hiked 100km, which is about 62mi, through all kinds of weather, from Saria to Santiago de Compostela. It was a very tiring journey, but an incredible experience that I would highly recommend to anyone.
 
What made me want to go abroad?
I've wanted to go abroad ever since I can remember, and I've always wanted to study in Spain. I knew that living here in Spain for a semester during my time in college is an opportunity I will probably never have again, so studying abroad was never something that I might do, it was always something that I knew I would do.
 
How am I training for softball?
Even though I'm in Spain, I still work just as hard for softball as I would at school. One of my friends here is actually on the Gettysburg lacrosse team, so we go to the gym together to do lifts just like we normally would at school. We have also been taking spin classes to get our cardio workouts in. Here, no one plays baseball or softball, so I go to a basketball court near my house that has a high cement wall and I have a catch with the wall and a tennis ball. Nothing beats having a catch with a teammate, but the wall is definitely a huge help. A group of friends and I also regularly get together to play soccer at the university, which is always a lot of fun. Don't worry team, I'm staying in shape!

Any words for my team?
Where to begin, where to begin? If I could tell my team anything, it would be firstly, and probably most obviously, that I miss them, and that I'm sorry to all the people who had to learn to play my position (catcher) because I wasn't there hahaha I know it's not easy. I know that they've worked so hard this fall, and will continue to do so every day. I'm so proud of them, and can't wait to get back to work with them when I come home. AW YEAH, BERG YEAH!
 
 
Photo on right: Shelley with friend at the Camino de Santiago