Reflections on Study Abroad: Spain
Upon my return home from a semester abroad in Spain, during my first few minutes of relaxation and peace, I jotted down the things I learned and thought about during my trip. During this recollection, I noticed that some of my realizations seemed obvious in hindsight. Therefore, I made this list to avoid thinking later on in life that I was born knowing what I had actually learned while living abroad. This would enable me to appreciate just how much I got out of my semester in Spain. This list fits into the following categories: language, reading and writing, gender stereotypes, budgeting, travel, minimalism and food. Click here to find out what I learned about these themes.
Goals for studying Spanish
My primary reason to learn the Spanish language is so that I can interact with people who speak Spanish. After I converse with a Spanish speaker I always find myself motivated to improve my language skills. For example, Carlos was the reason I decided not to give up on studying Spanish. After 6 years of tedious language homework in middle school and high school, I contemplated dropping the class, but then I met Carlos. Carlos is an employee at Cafe Deluxe, where I worked during my junior year in high school. When the restaurant was slow, Carlos and I had the opportunity to talk in Spanish. He told me about his family in Honduras and how he talks to them on the computer every once and a while. He wasn’t sure when he would make enough money to be able to return home and be with them. I was very interested in learning about his situation because it was so different from my own. For this reason, I worked extra hard to communicate with him and learn words I didn’t already know in order to understand him. The next year, I returned to my Spanish with a rejuvenated interest in learning the language. Since then I have had many opportunities to speak with Spanish speakers which keeps me motivated to study the language.
As I develop a better command of the Spanish language and am able to communicate more effectively with Spanish speakers, I will learn more about other cultures. I think of Spanish as a tool that allows me to achieve my goal of learning about different cultures in the world. Knowledge of different cultures not only keeps me informed about what’s going on in the world, but also allows me to incorporate better customs and ways of living into my own life.
Prompts: The following questions are offered as a springboard for your self-reflection (feel free to use a different format):
- What were your goals or objectives for studying language(s)?
- Why you chose this or these particular languages over others.
- Discuss your base level of language competency upon arriving at Lafayette College.That is, were you a complete novice, a high school honors student in language, or did you fall somewhere in between? Are you a heritage speaker?
- How have you been able to build on your high school language-learning experiences? Is there any particular high school project you would like to highlight?
- What knowledge have you acquired about the culture(s) native to the language(s) you study?
- What communicative skills have you developed? In other words, what are you able to do with the language(s) you are studying?
- How has this knowledge and skill set informed your ideas or philosophy about learning?
- How do you feel language learning has influenced your ability to play an active and vital role in society, whether locally or globally?
- Have you been able to use these linguistic and cultural skills in any community outreach or volunteer programs?
- How has studying abroad influenced your goals and abilities?
- In what ways have your languages courses been relevant to other areas of study, such as your major or minor?
- How do you envision using your linguistic and cultural skills after graduation?
- In what ways has the study of language and culture influenced your future personal and professional goals?