Getting Ready for Spanish Studies Abroad Seville, Fall 2013

My mom likes to say that this all started because the first CD I bought growing up was Ricky Martin. I guess it's true-- that's when I first heard the Spanish language and wanted to understand it. I remember dancing for hours in my living room to "The Cup of Life" and "Livin' la Vida Loca" at five years old.

And here I am now-- ready to study abroad for the Fall 2013 semester in Seville, Spain... livin' la vida loca, as one might say. I cannot wait for this incredible opportunity, yet still feel overwhelmed at the thought of it. It will be the first time in my life that I will be out of the United Sates, as well as the first time I will travel by plane by myself. I am enjoying my last few days in the States with my family and friends, packing, and ensuring that my documents are all in order.

Me and mommom in Central Park, NYC, after my Visa appointment at the Consulate General of Spain

While Ricky Martin may have been the start of all this madness, it most certainly not the only reason that I decided to embark on this journey. When I first came to Lehigh, I began a work-study job at Broughal Middle School in Bethlehem, as a teacher’s assistant and after-school tutor, specifically in the beginner English class. In all my years, I had never seen so many blank stares than I did during my first week working there. I sat in frustration trying to teach fractions to a Spanish-speaking sixth grader. I have never experienced anything quite as daunting as a language barrier. The inability to communicate with another person can be extremely discouraging and exhausting—not only for the person relaying the message, but also for the person who cannot understand it. While I had a high school and college background in Spanish, it seemed impossible to reach these students at first.

Working at Broughal taught me just how important language can be, but also that there is so much more to communicating than just the words we use. We began drawing pictures, acting out sentences, and using translation dictionaries to complete assignments. Soon enough, the students began to make connections between these alternatives and English words. Not only did most of the students become fluent in English within their first American school year, but several of the students even began to help me with Spanish, teaching me Spanish expressions and sayings. Thus, I also learned the important lesson that communication goes both ways; there should always be an interaction between the relayer and the receiver of a message.

A study abroad experience in Seville, to me, seems to offer an invaluable opportunity to expand upon what I have learned from these students. That is, that communication, especially written and verbal, is one of the most valuable skills one can possess. Relaying a message successfully is crucial in education, the workforce, and even social relationships. I know that the Spanish Studies Seville Program, by immersing me in a new culture and allowing me to learn the Spanish language in a more complete way, will help me acquire skills in the art of communication-- not only in Spanish, but also in my native English language.
 
The study abroad experience, especially the internship in health services, will also benefit me in my intended career field. In the future, I hope to attend medical school and one day become a pediatrician. Not only will I need language skills in the educational process along the way, and will the ability to treat others who cannot speak English be an opportunity in itself, but in interacting with patients, my ability to help parents understand what is medically wrong with their children and then what they can do to improve their conditions will be essential to my career success. Not only will I need to communicate to parents, but I will also need the insight to understand what a small child is attempting to communicate to me. I am confident that my study abroad experience, by allowing me to explore how people communicate in other countries, cultures, and languages, will provide me an excellent basis for such understanding of others.

Communication is what allows for all human emotions—the portrayal of a scenario and its implications, or the relaying of an emotion so strongly that another person feels it, too. I will never forget my quick yet powerful interaction with a student named Luis while I was working at Broughal. The teacher noticed Luis’s lack of interest in the lesson that day, and for that exact reason decided to call on him to answer a difficult question. Luis gave a nervous “Ermmm…” right before the bell toned, signaling the end of the class period.

It took a few minutes for him to formulate his words, and it took me more than a moment to understand him, but Luis cracked a joke after that—in English—and he couldn’t contain his pride and excitement in his ability to do so. “Save by de bell, missy Jessica!”

And let me say with complete confidence: though I’ve heard that expression many times before, I’ve never heard a funnier joke in my entire life.

I hope that through this study abroad program, I can begin to feel this same success and satisfaction in the conveying of ideas, explanations, arguments... and maybe most importantly, emotions.

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So here I go, ready to live la vida loca. For those of you who care to join me in listening...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p47fEXGabaY