Feb
8
U.S. college students (heart) Spain
Time for a pop quiz. Which city is the most popular destination for U.S. college students who come to Spain to study Spanish?
a). Madrid
b). Barcelona
c). Salamanca
d). Granada
e). None of the above
If you answered, B. for Barcelona, you would be correct. According to El Periódico de Catalunya, Barcelona is feeling the love from U.S. college students. The article quotes one U.S. program that currently has 425 students studying in Barcelona. That’s significantly higher than the 125 students the same program has in Paris and the 110 participants it has in London.
Don’t get me wrong, Barcelona is a great city. But because of the wide use of catalan, there are more appropriate places to go in Spain, like Salamanca or Madrid, if one wants to learn Spanish. It can be confusing for students with a low level of Spanish to hear one language in the classroom and then a different language in the streets. How true of an immersion experience can that be?
Recently I read a comment in another blog from a disappointed student who was bemoaning the fact that he didn’t learn much Spanish during his stay in Barcelona. Then there was that other case I blogged about last month, involving a grad student from Colombia.
But then again for some students learning Spanish isn’t really the goal. In the El Periódico article, Johnny Wahl from Missouri says his reasons for choosing Barcelona for his study-abroad experience were rather simple. “I came for the bars, the beach and the city.”
Anyone have any firsthand experiences to share about studying Spanish in Barcelona? Did you progress as much as you liked? Would you recommend studying Spanish in Barcelona?
I studied in Madrid. Even in Madrid you have to fight to get a true immersion experience. Many American students lived together in rented apartments - this is a very bad idea. Those students did not meet as many Spanish people, did not learn as much Spanish. I found a “comparto piso” ad on a bulletin board in a facultad where no Americans studied.. It was the best move I made in Madrid as a student. The experience was at home with the room mates - not at school.
Yes, Carl, you’re so right. A lot of people assume that just by being in a Spanish-speaking country they will have an immersion experience, but that is not always the case, particularly for people reluctant to break out of their safe, little pack.
The same thing happens with Spaniards who go to Ireland or the U.K. to learn English with their Spanish boyfriend or girlfriend in tow. It’s like a human security blanket.
Human nature is to stick with what is comfortable and what feels safe and a lot of times the only way to make huge strides in learning a language is to force oneself to step outside of the comfort zone.
After living in Barcelona for 10 years I moved to Madrid and discovered that my Spanish was very poor. The fact that Barcelona is bi-lingual at best ( and in many cases not at all) means that the Spanish spoken there is kind of lowest common denominator and vocabulary and expressions are limited.
I wouldn’t recommend Salamanca either. On a day spent there the only Spanish I heard was from waiters and I got the feeling I was in one those Spring break videos that are all over the internet…
Chris,
You mean like a Girls Gone Wild video? jejejeje
I am finishing up a class near Malaga (Costa del Sol, Southern Spain) and I must say the thing that has helped me the most is my host family. Talking to people in the street isn’t natural for me, so I am less likely to do it in another culture. I like to read, so I read young adult books and newspapers, and I talk to the jovenes at the church youth group. I also talk a lot with missionaries who can speak English- a Mexican girl, two guys who were raised in Spain by American parents, and a lady from the U.S. who has been living here a few years now.
I think the most helpful thing is to be living with a family though. If you aren’t doing school with a host family, try to get in contact with a person your age who wants to learn your language and room with them.
From what I’ve heard you should avoid the south of spain- they eat their “s”s. My host family is from Argentina so they talk different than some of my local friends.
Hi Mark,
It sounds like there’s a good fit with your host family. In my experience, homestays can be hit or miss. But if a language student can get matched with the right family, it can be an incredible experience. Thanks for commenting.