Language + Culture, Spring 2018, Newsletter II

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Language + Culture

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College Study Abroad

We have already passed the spring mid-semester point. Students have been very busy with their classes, cultural activities, internships, and volunteering. Here it is some of their experiences:  

MASTERING PAELLA COOKING IN VALENCIA

Language and Culture students went to Valencia for their weekend trip. They toured the old town, went to the modern Ciudad de las Ciencias y las Artes and participated in a paella cooking class. In there, they learned how to cook the traditional Valencian paella which is the mother of all paellas! Students really enjoyed it and they commented it was one of the highlights of the trip.

“AN INTERNSHIP ALLOWS YOU TO FEEL LIKE YOU ARE LIVING IN A FOREIGN LAND, NOT JUST STUDYING/TRAVELLING”

Ari, from University of Washington is doing an internship in a travel agency, Stoke Travel. He is doing marketing for the company; rewriting sales documents; and contacting other business in the travel space for potential partnerships. Ari commented: “ I really like my experience, I am learning a lot. An internship really allows you to feel like your living in a foreign land, not just studying / traveling.  You will make local friends, go to more native events and do many of the activities that interest you / what residents do.  By the end, you will be able to create a whole new life for yourself, which in the long run, will help you grasp who you truly are.”

VOLUNTEERING IN A SOUP KITCHEN

We offer students different volunteering opportunities to be able engage with the community and get a more immersed experience while in Barcelona. Christine from Vanderbilt University and Kelaiah from Cornell University participated in a soup kitchen in one of the neediest neighborhoods in Barcelona, the Raval. The soup kitchen provides breakfast and lunch to the needy people: most of them homeless or people with social exclusion problems. Christine commented: “Volunteering was great, I am glad I had the opportunity to partipate!