You’re probably sitting in your room or at your kitchen table, or wherever you set up camp to think about and plan for important decisions. You’ve started reading through brochures and packets pondering if you want to do some studying abroad and if so, where. Having spent a semester in Pamplona, Spain, home of the Lost Generation classic The Sun Also Rises and the festival of San Fermín (you know, the one where bulls chase people and vice-versa), I am willing to offer 12 compelling reasons for you to choose Spain as a destination. We know 12 isn't a nice, round number like "10" or "20," but Spain is not a country to do things conventionally, so it didn’t seem fitting to make this a conventional list either.

1. The Lifestyle. It will take a while to get used to for those used to the constant rush of the super-involved American college student. Most big cities won't shut down for siesta as was once custom, but if you're living in a smaller location, be prepared to not be expected to do anything productive between 1 and 4 p.m. Pretty much anywhere you go, the pace of life is slower, more relaxed. Meals are centered around the sobremesa, or the idea of engaged conversation while you digest. You're still there to get an education, but it will be the least-stressful semester of your life and a lot of that has to do with the pace.

2. The People. It's hard to define an entire country's people in a paragraph, especially in a country where every region has its own identity and personality and one which is rapidly becoming more multicultural. There is no such thing as a typical Spanish citizen The one thing I feel safe generally saying is that most Spanish people we met were friendly, outgoing and true livers of life and will find any reason to celebrate.

3. Get your festival on. The Spanish people wear their culture with pride, and they love to party. One of the best ways to experience Spain is to travel around and take in any number of colorful and unique festivals. In the spring and summer months, each city, from the major world capitals to the small, rural pueblos celebrates their city's feria, most often associated with a patron saint or similar figure. Most involve parties in the streets, live music, bullfights and plenty of booze, but a few festivals stand above the rest for their unique, and often daring, customs. Valencia's Las Fallas, a celebration of the feast of St. Joseph the Worker held every March, involves the construction of giant, Disney-like fantastic sculptures, all set on fire on the final night. On the last Wednesday in August, the small Valencian town of Buñol observes La Tomatina, a giant, raucous tomato fight. And thanks to Ernest Hemingway, the whole world knows about Pamplona's Fiestas de San Fermin, whose bull runnings have become a staple of many travelers' bucket lists. Spain is also becoming a popular destination for major European music festivals––Barcelona's Primavera Sound featured headliners Neil Young and Sonic Youth last year and the Festival Internacional de Benicassim, held on a beach between Barcelona and Valencia, is one of the continent's best summer 'fests.

4. There's more than the Döner Kebab. Spain is at an interesting place and time in terms of its culinary development and is home to some of the best up-and-coming chefs. But it's not all pretentious––eating well and adventurously is feasible without destroying your wallet, if you know where to go (ask the locals for affordable favorites or consult a budget travel guide and always look for the menú del día option). And, unlike the States, you can get a great bottle of wine for only a few Euro. And if none of that convinced you, the pastries––churros con chocolate, garrotes, magdalenas––will.

5. Art and architecture. Picasso. Velázquez. Dalí. Ribera. Goya. Need we say more? Spain often takes a backseat to neighboring France or Italy in piquing the interest of art aficionados and art history majors, but Spain may be the best choice for those looking for a less orthodox art experience. Bilbao's Frank Gehry-designed Guggenheim Museum houses lots of challenging contemporary art, as does Madrid's Centro del Arte Reina Sofía, best known for housing Pablo Picasso's Guernica mural. But what makes Spain's art scene so captivating is the amount of art museums and exhibitions that delve into the lives of the artists: the Sorolla Museum in Madrid houses the artist's private collection inside his palatial home; the Museu Picasso in Barcelona encompasses all periods of the illustrious painter's life, including some lesser-known forays (pointillism, pottery and his variations on Velázquez's Las Meninas, to name a few); and the Chillida-Leku just outside San Sebastián is a vast, natural sculpture garden curated by the artist, Eduardo Chillida. Absorbing art is typically a pretty affordable endeavor in Spain: the art museums that aren't free nearly all have student discounts (The Prado is free on certain days and the nearby Reina Sofía recently implemented a daily free admissions).

6. Learn your history (and someone else's, too). Spain has a long and fascinating past, having been ruled over centuries by a number of peoples, cultures and ideologies. Chances are, wherever you end up, there will be some site with some historical relevance to someone, from the Moorish outposts in Granada to the university at Salamanca, which features the room where Cristobal Colón (Christopher Columbus, for you English speakers) planned his trip to the New World with Ferdinand and Isabella.

7. The language immersion opportunities. With the number of Spanish-speakers rapidly increasing in the U.S., more and more employers are looking for prospective employees who know the language. The most effective way to learn a language is to be immersed in it, to have it as part of your daily life.

8. Fútbol. The excitement of professional soccer is impossible to escape––it's practically a religion here. With 20 teams in La Liga representing most major cities, matches are accessible and depending on the teams playing and point in the season, can be very affordable. The enthusiasm is contagious: even going to a quiet bar with some friends to watch a match can turn into an exuberant party.

9. Beaches. The nice thing about living in a country on a peninsula is that, although it might take you a while if you're living in the middle of the country (Madrid area), you're pretty much always within a fairly quick bus ride (or budget airline trip) of sand and surf. If you're living in Andalucía, near the Costa Blanca or Costa del Sol, or in the northern part of the country, it will prove especially easy to catch a bus for a sponatneous beach daytrip (bus schedules can be found at http://www.alsa.es). Up north, there's the crisp, blue Bay of Biscay, along whose coast lie many of the favorite resort towns of the madrileño elite. Santander and Gijón are popular destinations, but the crown jewel might just be San Sebastián (Donostia) in País Vasco, a city renowned for its art scene and international jazz and film festivals, along with a pair of great (albeit often crowded) beaches. The Mediterranean Coast has a ton of beach options, from big cities like Barcelona and Valencia to the laid-back but touristy Costa Blanca beach towns (Alicante, Benidorm) to the travel guide-lauded Costa del Sol in the south (Málaga, Nerja, Torremolinos, Marbella). Last but not least, of course, there are the Balearic Islands, including Ibiza, a favorite of rowdy spring breakers and a popular LGBTQ tourist destination and the more relaxed, margaritas-on-the-beach island of Mallorca.

10. Gettin' some religion. Pretty much every city has some important religious landmark––be prepared to spend a lot of time taking pictures of churches. Although the country has developed a considerably more secular attitude in recent years, Spain's contributions to Catholicism cannot be ignored and those seeking to learn more about Christianity or Catholicism can learn much from the country's religious history. But Spain's rich history means contributions and impacts on other religions as well––many regions, especially Andalucía and the Madrid area, have important sites relating to Judaism and Islam (the old synagogue in Toledo and La Mezquita in Córdoba are musts for students of said religions).

11. Traveling out loud. Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students looking for a hospitable study abroad experience will find most of the European Union to be very welcoming, and Spain is no different. Spain is one of the most progressive countries in the European Union in terms of LGBT visibility, thanks in part to sweeping reforms from the administration of José Luis Zapatero, who legalized same-sex marriage in Spain in 2005. Favorable national attitudes towards same-sex marriage and LGBT adoption rights are higher than the EU average, and Spain's major cities hold some of Europe's biggest Pride celebrations (Europride was held in Madrid in 2007). The country is home to some of Europe's most popular destinations for gay tourism, including the beach cities of Valencia, Ibiza and Torremolinos. Spain's LGBT population has garnered much of its visibility through film (the country's most recognized and internationally-acclaimed filmmaker, Pedro Almódovar, is gay) are LGBT film festivals in Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Bilbao and Zaragoza, as well as the Balearic and Canary Islands.

12. Gettin' back to nature. If you're one of those outdoorsy types, there's plenty of opportunities to brave the elements (pending your location, of course––Madrid, for example, is flat and landlocked): rafting, surfing on the coasts, skiing and hiking in the Pyrenees and plenty of national parks and reserves for exploring (Extremadura is the largest area for these). Students interested in conservation and sustainability efforts in the U.S. will also learn a lot from looking at environmentally-friendly efforts in Europe––recycling and wind energy are huge in Spain. Those with an eye for the eco-friendly will be presented with a great learning opportunity about a number of ways to reduce the ol' carbon footprint.

I could probably go into a number of other reasons as to why you should choose Spain for your study abroad experience. But if I haven’t convinced you yet with the ones above, friend, I bet I can with four words: ham-flavored potato chips. The novelty alone is worth the venture.

By Lindsay Eanet