Comments on: Study Abroad in Spain

By: Jaffe

Jaffe — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 03:08:00 +0000

Hi, Nice stuff. I found a cool news widget for our blogs at www.widgetmate.com. Now I can show the latest news on my blog. Worked like a breeze.

By: Jordan Conn

Jordan Conn — Wed, 21 Mar 2007 21:29:00 +0000

The federal government may be recognizing what many students have known for years — studying abroad changes lives.

A bill introduced to the United States House of Representatives last week aims to increase the number of students studying abroad from 200,000 to 1 million.

Perhaps the most dynamic aspect of this bill is that it will encourage the establishment of programs in “nontraditional study abroad destinations.”

Translation: poor countries

Rather than adding to the students partying in the Italian Riviera, this program wants students to expand their worldview and visit areas of need.

It is potentially revolutionary.

By: sophia

sophia — Mon, 19 Mar 2007 13:54:00 +0000

As far as traveling goes, I was on a shoestring budget, so I couldn’t afford partying at resorts in Ibiza or Sevilla with some of my classmates on a weekly basis. I quickly became an advocate of “off-the-beaten-track.”

Sleeping in hostels, taking overnight trains, eating in hole-in-the-wall dives (food is cheap and delicious everywhere). I made it a sort of personal game to find the best deals. Of course, you never want to put your safety at risk, but be willing to get a little dirty (sometimes literally). It makes for good “life experience,” and I like to think it made me a little more grounded.

My favorite Spanish spots were Toledo and El Escorial, a castle right outside of Madrid. And it takes a while to get there, but Lisbon was definitely worth the effort. If I had some extra time and money, I would have loved to see Alhambra in Granada, Valencia, and Barcelona.

By: sophia

sophia — Mon, 19 Mar 2007 13:45:00 +0000

I studied to Salamanca with the intentions of improving my Spanish and experiencing a new lifestyle. If that is your goal, listen carefully: Stay away from other English-speakers!!

That may sound extreme, but in a new environment, the natural tendency is to stick with your comfort zone. And the tourist areas cash in on this—you’ll encounter bars and clubs that cater exclusively to North Americans. Avoid at all costs! Not only will you get ripped off, but you miss out on what makes study abroad special. Wait until you come home to eat Big Mac’s and dance to 50 Cent.

The key to getting the most out of your study abroad experience is swallowing your pride and becoming comfortable with embarrassing yourself. If your goal is to become proficient in a second language, get into the habit of practicing it all the time, even when you know you’re struggling through it—natives are surprisingly helpful. Not to mention, you’ll catch all sorts of idiomatic expressions and slang you’d never learn in class. I tell everyone that I learned the most Spanish haggling at ticket counters and the local bar next to my apartment.