THE WHOLE REASON WHY I AM IN SPAIN…Academics…Well, mostly ;)
Hola 🙂
Today I am tasked to write about academics!
Since high school, I have had a strong desire to study abroad, not only for the academics but for the incredible life experiences that come with it. As I continued on to MLC to pursue a degree in Spanish education, it seemed only fitting to choose a Spanish-speaking country to study in for a semester. I absolutely LOVE the people and the vibes of Central America, but I wanted to study in Europe so I could travel more here during this part of my life AND receive the Spanish credits I needed. So…here I am, 4 weeks completed of school in Madrid, Spain.
It is crazy to think that 4 weeks of living in a new country and studying the language I love have already gone by. On one hand, it feels the time has gone by so quickly, and we are running out of it; but on the other hand, it feels like we still have all the time in the world.
Honestly, I love school here. I feel that school here is very different from school in the States, especially MLC. I consider this a blessing because even though I love MLC and am so thankful for the school and wonderful professors there, I was in need of a change of pace.
Here in Spain, I have classes Mondays through Thursdays, beginning at 8:30 a.m. every morning. On Mondays and Wednesdays, class ends at 1:30 p.m., so I have a stretch of 5 hours straight of classes. On Tuesdays, I am already walking home and done with my school day by 9:30 a.m. and on Thursdays, we finish our class at 10:30 a.m.. (“Que guay..ehh?”). (This is something that Spaniards say to say – How cool!) The Mondays and Wednesdays do get a bit long, especially during our 2-hour blocks of classes. Our professors do give us a 10-minute break during the 2-hour block classes where we can stand up and stretch, or eat a snack, or use the restroom. I appreciate this very much! I do like having class earlier in the day so we have the rest of the day to do as we please, but many of the other students who are studying abroad have classes later in the day. Some even have class until 6 in the evening! This is a similarity of my classes at MLC, I would always finish class at MLC before 3 p.m. and here in Spain, it is the same! I do love my Tuesdays and Thursdays where I only have one class!
I am taking four Spanish classes here and I love them all! The first class is called Lengua Española. I have this class with Profesora Ana, who is my favorite professor. This is a class that focuses the most on linguistics and grammar of Spanish, while still incorporating lots of cultural lessons. I have the same professor for my second class, Panorama de la Literatura Española. She teaches this class SO WELL. In the last couple of weeks, we have spent time learning about the literature of the “Edad Media,” or the Middle Ages. We are moving on to the Renaissance next week. This class is so interesting because we are studying literature, but with the study of literature comes the study of history, so we have learned a lot about Spain’s history. My third class is called Arte en el Museo del Prado. In this class, we also are learning a lot about Spain’s history, since we are studying and conversing about three main Spanish painters; Francisco Goya, El Greco, and Velázquez. My last class is called Sociedad Contemporania de España, which focuses on modern society in Spain.
I love all of my classes and am so happy to only be taking classes in Spanish. At MLC, I felt that sometimes I could not pour the “academic energy” into Spanish I wanted to because I had homework for all of my other classes. I LOVE having classes in Spanish. I do feel that I am understanding everything my professors are saying, besides a few vocabulary words here or there. I am learning so much about the history of Spain and the culture here, which makes me have such a greater appreciation for where I am studying and living these four months.
Our class sizes are decently similar to those at MLC. Our biggest class has 15-20 students and our smallest has about 10. I enjoy this because it is more personable.
A big thing here that is different at MLC is attendance. We technically have 6 “free” skips for each class with no penalties, but after 6 our entire grade for a class drops to 66%. I have not missed any classes, but many of those in my classes have already missed a couple.
One thing I find very interesting is that, depending on the teacher, students should not eat food or have drinks, other than water, in class. This is seen as rude. Also, it is very rude to yawn with your mouth open, similar to the States..I think. I hope. Even if a class is interesting, we cannot help but yawn sometimes. There have been many times where I begin yawning and I immediately move my hand to my mouth because I do not want it to seem like I am bored.
I do not find the class content extremely hard, nor the homework though it does challenge me in the ways I was hoping. We have homework every week for every class, but it does not take more than an hour to complete for each class. The homework load is light in comparison to MLC, which I appreciate.
Overall, I am really enjoying school here and learning so much!
Thank you for your continued prayers! God has been so good to me!
Con Amor,
Alaina Wiedoff
