Difficulties Of Guiris

At the time, I signed up for spanish because it seemed the most useful considering the hispanic population in the United States and our close proximity to Latin America, but I never truly understood how helpful knowing another language could be. Over this past summer, I hosted a student from Spain for about a month. Before this experience, the language never seemed real to me. Meeting Marina and recognizing that spanish is the language she uses in everyday life changed my perspective. Spanish is exciting for me because it is an entirely new way of life that I haven’t experienced before. I spent my whole childhood speaking english and recognizing american traditions while other children spoke spanish and had different customs. Continuing to learn spanish will allow me to communicate with more people and exchange ideas with people who did not grow up the same way I

Now focusing on some of the more tasteful parts of the voyage. I'm normally quite shy. Living so close to others breeds annoyance and irritation, especially towards those others, but I did make a few friends. There was this bouncy girl, also from Spain, called Carlotta. She spoke Portuguese as well as Spanish and introduced me to her good friend Sancho from Portugal. We all became friends and discussed our homelands and topics like school and cultural differences. We were amazed at how different our lives were. Yet we were friends on board.

Sure, many of people mainly visit Spain to visit the big cites of Barcelona and Madrid, but I can personally assure you that there is so much more to explore. Running bulls, flamenco dancers, museums, Ibiza, Sagrada Familia, and Alhambra. The list goes on and on about the different places that an individual can experience whilst out there exploring the world. Let’s not forget the mouth-watering food too, one of which is by far the most popular dish that comes from Spain, and many fan-favorites, paella (a rice dish prepared with seafood). To further drive you to Spain, I’d like to address this. According to an article, “Why Take the Time to Visit the Alhambra in Spain?” it boldly states, “The ancient buildings, aqueducts, and other leftovers from hundreds of years ago offer amazing opportunities for tourists who take the time to visit them.” This is self-explanatory, if you would only take the time to really push and learn about the background of Spain, you will have the most amazing experience

During the last decades, Madrid has surfaced as the heartbeat of modern business, art, technology, and fashion. Traveling to Spain on a tourist travel will only show me a glimpse of what Spain’s history treasures are, but this program will unveil many aspects of the Spanish culture that are unique and exclusive to the country. In addition, it will be a great opportunity to learn about my own culture a little better. As we already know, Spain conquered a vast majority of what is now the American continent. While in Madrid, and since I will be only a few hours from Seville, Spain; I would love to be able to visit the General Archive of the Indies which holds the records and complete documentation of the historical administration and discoveries made by the Spaniards in the New World during its prominent years in exploration. As a native Guatemalan, it would be fascinating to learn about my own roots from the accounts of the Spaniards who set foot on my country and many of the other American countries that were conquered by Spain. Sometimes, we get a better appreciation of history when it is viewed from both perspectives. It’s not the same to learn history of a country based on the narratives of a textbook, than to be actually experience it from its culture and people. The study abroad program will consist of a total of ninety classroom hours of interaction with native Spanish students and professors. In addition, one of the courses will be taught fully in Spanish, which will benefit me greatly by strengthening my Spanish speaking, reading, and writing skills. While in Spain, I hope to be able to interact with Spaniards and exchange information in order to compare and contrast their culture from my own. I’d also like to explore the city of Madrid,

Since I came to America, I made great progress not only with foreign languages but also with my adaptive capabilities. From what I saw, read, and talked with my friends, I realized that I am improving more and more. In the past two years, I learned a lot more here. This experience not only broadens my view but also enriches my life. It changed my life for the good.

From sandy beaches to rocky mountain ranges, astounding big cities to mosques and gothic cathedrals, vibrant festivals to the theatrical historic bullfights, Spain has about everything. Spain has been the center of culture in Europe for thousands of years. Spain is an astonishing place with rich heritage and lively festivals and art. Spain is not just about the flamenco dancing, bullfights, and the religious festivals, it has so many things to offer. Even Lenny Kravitz the American singer, songwriter, actor, and record producer said, “It’s like a dream to come to Spain and stay a for a couple of years and get somebody to teach me Spanish music.” Today I am going to inform you about the well-known features of La Siesta in the Spanish culture, the creative and energetic Flamenco dance, and the historic subculture of Basque.

in touch with my Spanish ancestors. There was mix of positive and negative Spanish history but none the

Living in a Spanish speaking culture, Cahuita, Costa Rica, not only helped improve my Spanish language skills, but also helped me learn about the culture and how to become accepted into their community - by interacting with them and making an effort to learn about them and their culture. Many of the expats people living in Cahuita were living in the village, but were not a part of the community because they kept apart from the locals, lived in expensive houses, separated themselves from the community, and weren’t as accepting of the Cahuiteños and their culture. But by living modestly and

Even though my mother was Mexican it was hard for me to speak to my friends who knew mostly Spanish and a little English because Spanish was not my first language. As years went on, I went to high school, where now I can have a full conversation with my Spanish speaking friends, and since it is an international high school, it brings in more cultural diversity. With this international high school in El Paso, it has helped me learn new cultures and experience the dozens of traits they do for activities or how they celebrate

Throughout my upbringing, my mother, an immigrant herself, has always shared he passion of traveling with me. She continuously encouraged me to explore and understand other cultures. As a child, I traveled to her home country, Ecuador, where the culture is extremely different. She took me to all different parts of the country, immersing me in the different cultures of the coast and the mountains, taking me to small villages and local markets. In addition, on my 8th birthday, my family and I explored Europe. We traveled to England, France, Italy, and Switzerland. Even at such a young age, I was eager to try all the different types of cuisine, learn a few words and phrases in each language, and visit local museums and monuments. In addition, to Europe, I also had the opportunity to explore Central America, exploring the pyramids in Mexico and …. Unfortunately, as I grew up, traveling abroad became more difficult as my school schedule and my parents work schedules became more demanding. I have always desired to expand my knowledge on different cultures and countries, especially in my mother’s homeland of South America. I would love to become more in touch with my heritage and learn more about the different cultures and people of South America.

“I was interested in Spain because I had spent a semester there during my undergraduate studies, and I wanted to go back. I managed to get a kind of professional Fulbright: It lasted only six months, was for working journalists and required the completion of an independent project. I worked on the advent of private television in Spain, and how it changed how news was covered, particularly the Gulf War. I did a lot of reading and spent some time at different Spanish TV stations, watching how they worked. Then, I started freelancing.

Pasquali Fedo was my second interview. He is Italian great grandfather of a good friend of mine. When he came to this country, his last name changed from Fida, to Fedo. I diddn’t ask, but I think he might have changed it because he wasn’t proud of the name he was born with. Pasquali came to this country “to escape the bad parts of the family, who had done the family name in justice” Pasquali likes the USA because of the freedom. he likes the freedom to speak, the freedom to write, and just more freedom without fear. What he told me that he misses most about Italy, is the wine. Fedo says that it is more pure there. What he likes most about the United States is the government, he says it helps everyone, and he is very proud of it. In fact, he is very proud of this country all together, when I asked him what he dislikes, he could not tell me. What he said is “Nothing! This country loves one another” what Pasquala said to my question “What advice would you give to others who are coming to the USA, either from your own country or from other countries?” he replied: “do not bring your country with you, and never quit”

For thousands of years, this kind of people battles attract people all over the world, it is an important project of modern Spanish tourism.

As you might remember I gave four reasons to why people travel: to learn, to have an adventure, to spend time with people you like and to work. My trip to Granada can apply to all four reasons. It was a school trip, where I learned and adventured myself whilst I spent time with people I like, my friends. This trip was a change from what I am used to in every way. Change is a key word here because that is what we mainly seek through traveling. A change from our routines, to get away from the weather, work and culture we are used to. By simply changing, I was able to avoid, not forget, the strains and stresses of my everyday life and, thus, we have more positive feelings. That is why we travel; we release ourselves from what saddens us and focus on what we are doing at that

I first arrived in Spain this summer fresh off my first year at DU, traveling internationally for the first time without my family, and ready to take on this new adventure into the unknown with my friends. I knew just enough Spanish to get by, and I couldn’t wait to explore the city and test the limits of my comfort. I arrived at the train station in Santander, a small city on the northern coast of Spain, with one of my best friends from DU, Morgan. We then found other DU students traveling with us during this study abroad program, and met the program coordinator. Standing in the tiny train station, with the local Spaniards passing us by and the sliding automatic doors letting in the humid, warm air, the program coordinator explained to us the logistics of the program, some basic information about Spanish customs, and introduced us to our host families. Morgan and I were presented to our host mom and dad, an older Spanish couple named Luisi and Demetrio, we gave the customary kisses on each cheek, and then we were off. Much of the first day passed by in an overwhelming flurry of sights, sounds, smells – as they drove, Luisi chatted about the city and their lives there. We arrived at a house, small by US standards, but large by European. A few chickens wandered in the yard in the front, three dogs greeted us as we approached the house, and two more were waiting inside. Everything was perfect and I was in love.