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 Language Learning Forum : Immersion, Schools & Certificates |  | |
| Akao aka FailArtist Senior Member United States Joined 5185 days ago 315 posts - 347 votes  Speaks: English* Studies: Spanish, Mandarin, Toki Pona | Message 1 of 12 14 May 2011 at 2:59am | IP Logged | ||
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I have an opportunity to do this in my Junior year (2 years from now)
What is life in Spain like? What would it be like in 2 years do you think? 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| akprocks Senior Member United States Joined 5135 days ago 178 posts - 258 votes Speaks: English* Studies: German | Message 2 of 12 14 May 2011 at 5:12am | IP Logged | ||
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I don't know, but planning your life two years in advance can be a pretty disappointing business.
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| Akao aka FailArtist Senior Member United States Joined 5185 days ago 315 posts - 347 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Spanish, Mandarin, Toki Pona | Message 3 of 12 14 May 2011 at 5:20am | IP Logged | ||
I´m aware. I'm simply wondering, because it would be very nice. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| exscribere Diglot Senior Member IndiaRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 5128 days ago 104 posts - 126 votes Speaks: English*, Danish Studies: Mandarin, French, Korean, Hindi | Message 4 of 12 14 May 2011 at 6:41am | IP Logged | ||
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I was only in Spain briefly several years ago, and mostly I just remember getting dehydration sickness. :( If you do have the chance to go to Spain (or anywhere else!) as an exchange student or study abroad, I think it's always worth it; the experiences will stick with you. I had to start planning my exchange programme a year in advance (went in high school with Rotary International).
I would suggest grabbing a copy of the Culture Shock! Spain book (I'm rather fond of that series), and reading up on some Spanish newspapers and see if you can find some news podcasts. Those will give you an idea of the events going on right now, the different views, as well as the major cultural differences that people might not think to mention to you. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Akao aka FailArtist Senior Member United States Joined 5185 days ago 315 posts - 347 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Spanish, Mandarin, Toki Pona | Message 5 of 12 14 May 2011 at 6:48am | IP Logged | ||
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Is there a water problem in Spain?
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| July Diglot Senior Member Spain Joined 5122 days ago 113 posts - 208 votes Speaks: English*, SpanishB2 Studies: French | Message 6 of 12 14 May 2011 at 2:09pm | IP Logged | ||
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It really depends on what you want out of your time in Spain, what you're interested
in, etc. Life in Spain is like life anywhere. There are good things and bad things. If you're used to silence, you might have trouble with the noisiness of Spanish towns. The weather is not all blazing sunshine all the time, and in a lot of places the winters are chilly, especially because central heating is relatively rare. The food is wonderful. The culture generally values friendship and family. People are not nearly as religious as they were in the past. Most people work very hard and long hours, but unemployment is high. Violent crime is relatively rare, pickpocketing in the cities, relatively common. Depending on where you're from, it might feel sometimes like you've stepped back into 1975, but it's an illusion - Spain is a very modern country. Immigration is becoming normal and more accepted, I saw a (very positive) report the other day on TV about the first Chinese taxi driver in Valencia, but people are still really aware of racial differences and can sometimes be unaware that things they say, or their actions (like doing that eye-pulling thing when talking about Asian people) could be construed as racist, which can come as a shock to people from the US or UK. But hateful racism and discrimination is not common (as far as I know). Gay rights are generally accepted. You can see the latest movies, you can watch the latest US TV shows, either in English or dubbed into Spanish, but that helps your language skills. Spanish TV is generally not great, but there are a few shows which are absolute gems. Games, books, music are all available. High speed broadband is normal in cities and towns. Mobile phones are the latest models. The dress code is casual. You can be as smart or scruffy as you like. Clothing shops are fashionable and often good quality. The cost of living is pretty much the same as anywhere in the West. It's not cheap, and you can't live on a dollar a day unless you want to get ill. Away from touristy areas, people generally don't speak much English or are shy about it. This is changing, but for the moment it means that it is very easy to practice your Spanish skills. It's a wonderful country, and it's changing fast. In two years time, who knows what will have happened. As for water, it depends on where you live. Where I am, in Madrid, you can drink the tap water and it tastes fine to me. I wouldn't drink the tap water in Canarias, though. 7 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| Akao aka FailArtist Senior Member United States Joined 5185 days ago 315 posts - 347 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Spanish, Mandarin, Toki Pona | Message 7 of 12 14 May 2011 at 6:56pm | IP Logged | ||
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Very insightful. I hope nothing goes completely wrong in the government or economy in
Spain. Like you said we can't know where it's going. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Alexander86 Tetraglot Senior Member United Kingdom alanguagediary.blogs Joined 4830 days ago 224 posts - 323 votes Speaks: English*, Spanish, German, Catalan Studies: Swedish | Message 8 of 12 14 May 2011 at 8:31pm | IP Logged | ||
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@Akao - things cannot exactly get any worse at the minute and it's still a lovely place
to visit =) Yet may I ask where in Spain? Because the country varies widely!!! 1 person has voted this message useful |
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