Over the summer, a group of 22 students traveled to Valencia, Spain to study the Spanish language and dared to immerse themselves within a culture very different from their own.
Taking place through the month of July, the students enrolled in the Viva Valencia 2012 program where they studied beginner and intermediate language and culture courses at the Polytechnic University of Valencia for a total of six credits toward their degree at Southeastern.
When not in class, students were able to explore the city, which is one of the oldest in Spain, and its unique culture. Also, they participated in several group excursions to cultural and historic sites, including the capital city of Madrid, and several activities such as learning to cook paella (a dish similar to Jambalaya) from an authentic Spanish chef.
The students all had their individual reasons for taking the trip, but it was universally felt that by traveling to Spain it would be easier to understand the language and culture through immersion. According to senior history and Spanish major Taylor Buckner, they were absolutely right.
“The best way to learn the language and culture was to immerse myself in a country where there is nothing, but Spanish language and culture,” said Buckner.
However, Buckner and her fellow students found something else in Spain besides paella, dinner at 9 p.m. and Flamenco dancing.
“The very best part of the entire trip was becoming friends with everyone in the trip and meeting the people of Valencia, who were so helpful with helping everyone get around and helping me with my Spanish.”
Josh Turner, a junior history major, thought of the trip as a wise investment and an opportunity to better himself as a person.
“It helps me appreciate the world a little more,” said Turner. “It was definitely worth the cost. With what we saw and what we did it would probably cost twice as much as you would pay if you were on your own.”
Including tuition, lodging and food the bare minimum cost of the trip was about $4200. Students had to provide their own plane tickets and spending money.
The entire trip was coordinated by the duo of Dr. Lucia Harrison, department head of languages and communication, and Dr. Deborah Westall from the department of applied linguistics at the Polytechnic University.
“The whole Idea of the program is to do a heavy cultural component that students can’t get at Southeastern,” said Westall. “We have someone there thinking ‘What would I want if I were a student traveling to Spain?’ The teachers that we have from the department of applied linguistics have lived in Valencia taught Spanish as a second language and also know enough about the city that we can squeeze all the culture we can into the classes, from the Arabic to Jewish cultures, the architecture, the medieval and the avant garde.”
According to Harrison, the Viva Valencia program is specially tailored to Southeastern’s students, which could have only happened through the friendship she shares with Dr. Westall.
“Our friendship and closeness is what makes the program work so well,” said Harrison.
Harrison and Westall met in 2006 and soon after began discussing moving the Spanish language study abroad program to Valencia. Before then, the program was held in several places such as Mexico, Ecuador and in Salamanca, Spain.
“In 2007, we were in Salamanca, but we did not have the personal attention with a person that could customize the program for our students,” said Harrison. “The program in Salamanca is one that every one in the world goes to, and there you are just a number. With Debbie, I had an opportunity to tailor a program just for our students. When we tried, it went perfectly and it has been since.”
However, the program has undergone some changes since it’s inception, the main change being that the program no longer offers 101 and 102 level courses.
“At first we offered 101 and 102 classes, but decided that students should at least have a working knowledge of the Spanish language like greetings and present tense before participating in the program,” said Harrison. “If not, they, the students, will likely be overwhelmed and frustrated by the language and culture. “
Students interested in upcoming study abroad trips, not just to Spain, should contact the Office of International Initiatives at [email protected] or visit their webpage on Southeastern’s website for information on previous trips and application deadlines.