It’s so hard to believe that our time here in Spain is wrapping up! There are always a million things I could write about here, but one big part of our experience in Oviedo that I haven’t talked much about yet (and definitely should!) is our classes at the Casa de Las Lenguas, or the “house of languages.” The Casa is situated on the University of Oviedo’s humanities campus, and is a center dedicated to teaching Spanish to international students. As Temple students, we all had the opportunity to sign up for 5 classes there this semester.
All students are placed in the appropriate class level after an entry exam, so this way, classes are specially tailored to each student’s needs. Although we have not been taking classes side by side with Spanish students, we’ve had the opportunity to have classmates from China and many parts of Europe. Most of us are also side by side with lots of other Temple students, which made the adjustment to learning in a new environment much easier!
I’ve gotten to take a variety of great classes this semester, and was able to hone different language skills in each one. I enrolled in an Oral Expression class, a Translation class, a Spanish Culture class, a Directed Readings class, and a Literature class. Other options included Spanish for Business and History of Art in Spain.
The Directed Readings class was with Jaime, so this offered a way to stay connected with a Temple professor and familiar teaching styles while abroad. In this class we’ve discussed extensive history and literature periods in Spain, as well as reading a variety of short stories, poetry, and watching movies to supplement the material. Most recently we watched “Ay Carmela,” a movie that gave historical context to one of our readings written during the Spanish civil war.
Our oral expression class is filled with conversation and public speaking. We’ve had the opportunity to simulate celebrity interviews, radio shows, and finally, a fashion talk show! This class is definitely one of my favorites since I’m someone who loves to chat and perform!
The culture class has given a wide view of the regions, customs, and traditions of Spain. As we finish up the semester, we all get to choose a topic of interest and present it to the class.
Another favorite of mine is our translation class. We’ve worked hard all semester translating English texts to Spanish, and this has been one of the best opportunities I’ve had to hone my grammar skills and general command of the Spanish language!
My final class, literature, has offered a detailed look into some of the greatest works in Spain’s literature history, including El Cid, La Celestina, and Don Quijote. I wouldn’t want to walk away from studying in Spain without taking a class like this!
The end of the semester is a whirlwind of final projects, presentations, and exams. However, the professors here do a great job of making sure we also have time for learning and experiencing new things outside of the classroom. Studying here has been a perfect combination of focused classroom learning and external real world practice, and I’ll definitely be sad to leave my home here in a few weeks.
But it’s not over yet! Stay tuned for more updates as the program winds down.