My study abroad trip to Salamanca, Spain during the summer of 2015 was the first time I was able to venture outside of the United States.
I visited to not only recieve class credit, a Spanish minor and a global scholar recognition, but to learn more about the Spanish language, culture and history. My trip consisted of twelve students from the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh and a Spanish professor who is head of the University of Oshkosh Spanish Department. While in Spain, I was able to attend three classes; The art of Spain, culture of Spain and a grammar or review course. The art of Spain course was very interesting and I liked it, but the culture of Spain course was my favorite. I learned the most from this course and I ultimately came to love the country of Spain because of its strong and rich culture. Outside of the classroom, our Oshkosh students were able to take weekend trips to various cities throughout Spain including Toledo, Avila, Grenada and more. We were able to visit numerous museums, cathedrawls, historical buildings and monuments as well as shops. I learned quickly that Spain has a rich culture and strong history. Furthermore, before I visited Spain, I had about nine years of Spanish classroom experience. In that time period, I learned enough to be able to speak fluently, but hadn't had the opportunity to practive speaking a large amount of Spanish until I traveled to Spain. Because I traveled to Spain for a longer period of time, after, I was able to have longer and more diverse conversations. Today, I can use my skills to have conversations with my mexican coworkers amongst other things I can now do due to the strengths and abilities I have acquired because of my trip. Below are the goals I planned to reach by studying abroad in Salamanca, Spain as well as the different experiences I came across while on my adventure and how they impacted me.
GOALS:
Receive 9 Credits (to fulfill Spanish minor)
Travel outside of U.S.
Meet people from around world
Learn about language, history and culture
Ultimately speak better Spanish
Receive 9 Credits (to fulfill Spanish minor)
Travel outside of U.S.
Meet people from around world
Learn about language, history and culture
Ultimately speak better Spanish
Transformative Experiences
While in Spain, I had experienced many different situations that I was not always comfortable in, rather awkward, scared or unknowing. Every day was a new day, a new experience with new lessons or meeting new people. I never knew what to expect so I had to be open to every situation or possibility that came forth during my adventure. Communicating, believe it or not, was by one of the most demanding and challenging tasks I had to deal with on a day to day basis. Feeling scared, or acting as an introvert was not an option to accomplish or achieve the tasks that needed to get done while in Spain. I consistently had to ask questions in Spanish whether it was to get directions or to order a meal. Some of the hardest times were when I was by myself; for example, taking taxi cabs in Spain were "a must" because of all the long walking. While in a taxi cab, I had to tell the driver where I live or where I needed to go. Clearly in this situation, communication is key.
Another example of the importance of communication is when I was walking by myself to meet up with my friends. I was not entirely familiar with the area and I got completely lost. I walked around for at least thirty minutes trying to find out where I was and where my friends were.
My cellphone was of no use in Spain without wifi so I had to build up the courage to ask strangers for directions. This helped me to experience a situation outside of my comfort zone. Honestly, most of the events in Spain entailed me to live outside of my comfort zone. Being out of the U.S. for the first time was a culture shock to say the least. Because everything was so new and so challenging I learned to love my journey. I gained excessive confidence to the point where I would be comfortable traveling a country with just myself and a sidekick or friend. Not an entire host family and group led program, though it was very convenient and helpful for a first time experience.
The constant speaking and listening in Spanish helped me to increase my knowledge of the spanish language. My listening skills were particularly strong while in Spain because I had to listen to different teachers throughout my journey as well as my host family and numerous tour guides. I can say that my writing in the spanish language has also gotten a lot better because I had to write a lengthy paper in spanish for a final project. Ultimately, one of the biggest changes or experiences that have arisen because of my trip to Spain, is the ability to speak spanish at a high proficient level. Because of my trip, I can now have fluent conversations with my mexican coworkers at work. This is by far one of the most rewarding skills or abilities I have acquired because of my determination of hard work and consistant, ongoing communication with others. I plan to and hope to use my writing and speaking skills to not only find a future career but to use it in my career. Furthermore, it would be my honor to pass on my bilingual skills to my son or daughter someday, as speaking different languages is incredibly beneficial in today's society as it is becoming more and more diverse every day.
Another example of the importance of communication is when I was walking by myself to meet up with my friends. I was not entirely familiar with the area and I got completely lost. I walked around for at least thirty minutes trying to find out where I was and where my friends were.
My cellphone was of no use in Spain without wifi so I had to build up the courage to ask strangers for directions. This helped me to experience a situation outside of my comfort zone. Honestly, most of the events in Spain entailed me to live outside of my comfort zone. Being out of the U.S. for the first time was a culture shock to say the least. Because everything was so new and so challenging I learned to love my journey. I gained excessive confidence to the point where I would be comfortable traveling a country with just myself and a sidekick or friend. Not an entire host family and group led program, though it was very convenient and helpful for a first time experience.
The constant speaking and listening in Spanish helped me to increase my knowledge of the spanish language. My listening skills were particularly strong while in Spain because I had to listen to different teachers throughout my journey as well as my host family and numerous tour guides. I can say that my writing in the spanish language has also gotten a lot better because I had to write a lengthy paper in spanish for a final project. Ultimately, one of the biggest changes or experiences that have arisen because of my trip to Spain, is the ability to speak spanish at a high proficient level. Because of my trip, I can now have fluent conversations with my mexican coworkers at work. This is by far one of the most rewarding skills or abilities I have acquired because of my determination of hard work and consistant, ongoing communication with others. I plan to and hope to use my writing and speaking skills to not only find a future career but to use it in my career. Furthermore, it would be my honor to pass on my bilingual skills to my son or daughter someday, as speaking different languages is incredibly beneficial in today's society as it is becoming more and more diverse every day.