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Experiencing Spain
Students with varying Spanish language skills participated in the
summer program in Alicante, Spain.
- Not only wasn't Nick Dell fluent in Spanish, he says he "spoke absolutely
no Spanish before going to Spain."
Yet the senior finance major spent six weeks at the Department of Foreign
Languages and Literatures' study abroad experience in Alicante this past
summer.
"There was always a way to communicate with local people even if we
couldn't understand each other," Dell said. "I have been told
by others that I picked up quite a bit of Spanish while I was there. When
I left Spain I was able to communicate most of what I needed or wanted."
Dell was one of the few Iowa State students participating in the program
that needed language instruction while in Spain. Chad Gasta, assistant professor
of Spanish, estimated that 60 of the 86 students had at least a 300-level
grasp of Spanish before they traveled to Europe.
"We provide the tools for the students to speak Spanish, but ultimately
how well they speak depends how much they interact with their classmates,
their host family or Spaniards," Gasta said.
Katie Spencer, a senior journalism and mass communication major, said even
with seven years of Spanish, she wasn't prepared for her first trip outside
the U.S.
"It was still difficult for me to adjust," she said. "Sitting
in a class is much different than interacting with the language every day.
It's hard for anyone to adjust, but it's well worth it once you do."
There are several ways the program forced the Iowa State students to interact
with the language. Every student, regardless of his or her language proficiency,
was required to take a (beginning through advanced) Spanish language course.
And each student was housed with a host family, many of whom had little
or no knowledge of English.
"The most memorable aspect for me was living with my family,"
Spencer said. "Living with them is where I learned the most."
"I had an outstanding host family that really was like a family to
me," said Cassandra Nelson, senior management and sociology major.
"For some people a host family can make or break an experience and
in my case, the time flew by while I was there. I felt like I had lived
in the city since I was born towards the end of the trip."
Gasta, who co-directed the program with business' Howard Van Auken and foreign
languages and literatures' Leland L'Hote and Julia Dominguez, says the program's
participants came from all across the University, including almost half
from the Colleges of Business and Engineering. This is the largest study
abroad program in Iowa State history and Gasta has hopes the numbers will
continue to grow next summer.
"The unique thing about this program is the cross-collaboration between
the colleges," he said.
The Summer in Alicante program is affiliated with the department's popular
Languages and Cultures for the Professions (LCP) program.
Both programs integrate language and culture with the professions. The Colleges
of Business and Engineering each have ties to the LCP program, offering
a language as a second major to their students which is designed specifically
for engineering and business students.
The Summer in Alicante program allowed Iowa State students to take courses
in English at the University of Alicante on topics related not only to business
and engineering, but also cultural, economic and political aspects of Spain
and the European Union.
"A majority of the courses offered were culture and literature courses,"
Gasta said. "It allowed some students to finish out their Spanish major
or minor."
Excursions were planned to local factories and businesses for students enrolled
in the business and engineering courses while longer weekend excursions
for all students were taken to Spanish cities including Madrid and Granada.
According to Dell, the program offered a different perspective on the business
world.
"I learned a lot about how businesses in Europe worked and how the
currency and exchange rate worked," he said. "The most important
aspect regarding business that I picked up while there was learning how
the U.S. interacts with Europe when engaging in daily international business
activities."
Around LAS
September 19 to October 2, 2005
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