By Grace Meany
For the months of June and July I spent my days following an intensive language program in Madrid, Spain. I took classes which combined grammatical basics with an emphasis on conversation at an Institute of Cervantes-certified language school called Inhispania. The school itself was in a prime location, exactly in the heart of the city. We were within close walking distance to El Retiro, the huge Central-Park-esque playground of Madrid, world-class art museums like El Prado and Reina Sofia, and most of the city’s many diverse neighborhoods. Building off of my long study of French made me feel more at home learning Spanish for the first time, but being in such an exciting historical environment really jump-started my relationship with a language I had never studied before.
How will this experience help you in your job search and career?
Familiarity with another language is an advantage in any workplace, but particularly for a student of international security. Students and professionals, journals and news outlets with which I would have had difficulty communicating before, I can now consider more immediate resources. Spanish language skills allow you to engage a huge part of the globe; and will be useful whether or not I am in a position dealing exclusively with the Latin American region itself.
Have you changed as a result of this experience?
By the end of my two months, I was able to hold real conversations and follow news in Spanish that would have mystified me before. This opportunity to devote time exclusively to immersion in a new language was a huge bonus of the SSP summer grant. This semester, I am looking forward to continuing my practice beyond the intermediate level with private study, and possibly tackling a new language in the near future.
Is there anything you wish you would have known before leaving and why?
I wish I would have known that southern cities during the summer will always be hot in the summer, and the Spaniards will *always* tell you to avoid them and go during a more accommodating time of year. But if you want to see places like Seville or Granada, and you happen to be there only in the summer, I would schedule those trips in the beginning of your stay. I am convinced experiencing daily life in your “home” city is essential to any study abroad experience, but I would have loved to have ventured farther afield to experience some of the different cultures of different regions.
How will this experience help you in your job search and career?
Familiarity with another language is an advantage in any workplace, but particularly for a student of international security. Students and professionals, journals and news outlets with which I would have had difficulty communicating before, I can now consider more immediate resources. Spanish language skills allow you to engage a huge part of the globe; and will be useful whether or not I am in a position dealing exclusively with the Latin American region itself.
Have you changed as a result of this experience?
By the end of my two months, I was able to hold real conversations and follow news in Spanish that would have mystified me before. This opportunity to devote time exclusively to immersion in a new language was a huge bonus of the SSP summer grant. This semester, I am looking forward to continuing my practice beyond the intermediate level with private study, and possibly tackling a new language in the near future.
Is there anything you wish you would have known before leaving and why?
I wish I would have known that southern cities during the summer will always be hot in the summer, and the Spaniards will *always* tell you to avoid them and go during a more accommodating time of year. But if you want to see places like Seville or Granada, and you happen to be there only in the summer, I would schedule those trips in the beginning of your stay. I am convinced experiencing daily life in your “home” city is essential to any study abroad experience, but I would have loved to have ventured farther afield to experience some of the different cultures of different regions.