Hello! My name is Connor and I identify as a queer first generational non-traditional student studying Spanish at the University of Oregon. In relation to my identities, I found that studying abroad here in Oviedo was a bit of a relief as Spain overall tends to be more inclusive to queer people. Keep in mind, however, that while Oviedo is considered a city, the overall feel to it is more of a small town with not a lot of variation in terms of the different kinds of people. Being an American will put you more outside of the norm than being queer. With this being said, I feel much more comfortable being queer in this country than in the United States as it is overall a much safer country when it comes to queer related issues. People here can be very direct, but as long as you are comfortable in your skin you will have an absolute blast here.  

My first impression of the city was that it was much safer than back home. The level of crimes in Oviedo is very low and it feels as if the odds of getting hate-crimed are much lower than in Eugene. This city is very beautiful with a lot of older architecture and with many artists on the street most days. After being here for a few days I genuinely wanted to move here and am low key planning my move.  

This trap has had some challenges, one of which being most notable was upon arriving my passport fell out of my bag, which was scary, but the issue was resolved easily. After going to the US embassy in Madrid I was able to process receiving an emergency passport in about two hours. This just goes to show that even in the event of a crisis that it will resolve itself.  

One thing I would recommend is to get out of your comfort zone and travel abroad. It can be a daunting thing to imagine but going through this program has shown me that it is much easier to travel than I thought before.

Connor Gabor, Diverse Ducks Ambassador

Spanish Language in Oviedo, Summer 2023