Hi readers! Happy Sunday and for those who celebrate, happy Bad Bunny Bowl! I hope you are all doing well. As promised, I am going to begin to tell you about my study abroad experience, but I fear there is a lot to cover. So let’s begin with an important piece…what school was like.
As a little reminder, (also covered in previous blogs of mine if you would like to check them out) I chose to study abroad and take Spanish classes at Amherst as a heritage seeker, to further connect with my identity and culture. I also studied abroad in the fall semester due to being a varsity track and field athlete, and having my competition season during the spring semester.
The program I chose was the Consortium for Advanced Studies Abroad (CASA) Granada program, which is coordinated through Brown University. This program is amazing because it offers academic paths for individuals at multiple language levels, including individuals with no Spanish language experience, all the way to fluent speakers. The program I decided to take part in was the Intensive Spanish Language Program, which allowed me to solely take Spanish courses, and improve my Spanish proficiency by one level on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). Also, I was able to take a cultural immersion Al-Andalus seminar, to learn more about the culture of the region of Spain, which came with a travel component.
Before moving to Granada for the semester, I took a Spanish placement test, to allow me to be enrolled in the proper Spanish level course. I began my first month at this course level, and then took monthly finals to progress onto the next Spanish level. I only took one course at a time, except for my first month where I also took the cultural seminar I mentioned earlier, which was very different from my Amherst schedule of taking four courses at once. For my weekly classes, I attended classes on Monday through Friday, from 8:30am-12:30pm. Even though this schedule sounds rough, which it was at times, it provided a schedule to my week and also allowed me to have my afternoons completely free.
Another interesting portion of my educational experience abroad was that I had to travel a decent distance from my residence hall to the Centro de Lenguas Modernas (CLM), where my classes took place. Even though there were buses that went from my dorm to the language center, a few of my classmates and I opted to walk together in the mornings after having a very traditional Spanish breakfast together in the cafeteria of pan con tomate y café con leche. The walk was about thirty minutes, which seemed like forever when I first arrived, but then it simply became a way of life and an enjoyable part of my schedule.
I am happy to report that after completing a semester of the intensive language program, I have progressed from having intermediate low Spanish proficiency to intermediate high / partially advanced. This was a huge accomplishment for me, and I am excited to continue my Spanish language journey. Gracias Granada!
Thanks for reading! If you have any questions about Amherst or would like to talk further, email me at cjaeger27@amherst.edu!