Monthly Archives: March 2014

Reflections on travel, study, and self

I arrived in Valparaíso in July of 2012 for my third year of university. Within a month I was in love: new friends, new house, new city, I felt unbelievably lucky to have settled where and how I did. I feel powerfully influenced by the culture and people I met there; this is not to say that I now feel Chilean, but rather that I am more reflective and analytical about my assumed (American) culture, beliefs and practices. Acknowledging that self-reflection as an ongoing process, throughout my time in Chile and since returning I am recognizing in new ways the greater implications of growing up as a white female in Boston in the United States.

In Valpo I lived in a house with people of many different nationalities: Chilean, Spanish, French, German, Australian, Italian, American, and Canadian. There was constant intercultural interpretation and explanation in addition to the various language barriers. This was an enriching and exciting (and sometimes tiring) environment that allowed me to examine what it meant to me to be an American from the United States. Ongoing reflections on how I approach and interpret cross-cultural experiences, whether in a classroom, kitchen, or bar, or at student protest, has allowed me to better understand the particular influences in my life and how they are similar or different from those around me. Continue reading →

Getting Ready to Go

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I transferred into Umass this fall as a sophomore, as an early childhood education major with spanish as my secondary major. When I decided that early childhood was’t the best fit for me, spanish was pushed up to my primary major. I have always like spanish, and I fell in love with the idea of being able to to one day speak another language fluently however, learning spanish has never been something that comes easily to me. For as long as I have taken it it has been something I have had to work at. Last semester I wasn’t thrilled about the spanish class I was taking, but after this semester I have really started to enjoy them. I came into this year wanting to study abroad in Argentina, mainly because I had already been to Spain and thought, when will I ever get to go to South America again? When I met with the abroad office and looked at the programs in Argentina, and surrounding countries I realized that all of the programs started in July. This was just not an option for me because I need to work all summer in order to be able to afford my trip. Then I found out about a program in Santiago, Chile. Continue reading →

Baile

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Dancesport is a big theme for me which connects my experience in Spain to that of UMass and home. It has been something I´ve wanted to pursue since I began sophomore year of high school. I danced in the newcomer and bronze levels for a year until my partner stopped dancing, leaving me in a small town in central New York with no dance partner and negative chance of finding another one. Senior year of high school I focused on other types of dance and explored other aspects of life. One of the main reasons I chose UMass was because they have a Ballroom team. During each of the three years I was there I was fortunate to have a partner with whom to compete. I entered college as a bronze-level dancer, placed out of bronze, silver, gold, and left competing in the pre-champion level. I gained experience dancing, performing and competing; developing technique, personal expression, and partner connection. My last partner at UMass not only became a dear friend of mine but also taught me a lot about the aesthetic factors that go hand in hand with passing into the higher levels of dancesport in order the attain ¨the look¨. These visually artistic details include but are not limited to hair, makeup, tanning, dress design, stoning (i.e. gluing crystals to) pretty much anything: a dress, a bracelet, my head…etc. The ballroom team introduced me to a nearby dance studio with great instructors who believed in me and provided me with encouraging, affirmative and productive guidance at a crucial moment in my dancing, right around the time I decided I would spend my senior year of college studying in Madrid, Spain.

¨Success occurs when preparation meets opportunity¨ – Henry Hartman

Around this time last year (March) I had been accepted and decided to study abroad in the Hamilton College Academic Year in Spain 2013-2014. Continue reading →

Documental: Sueño de Madrid

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[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ft8DnHQnng0[/youtube]

This year abroad as a senior I have been able to take a few electives that I LOVE.

One was Cine Documental.

In recent years I have become increasingly interested in film. I´ve experimented and improvised filming and making videos and I´ve been wanting to take a class to learn techniques for how to better execute this craft and be able to tell a story through film, which I believe to be a very powerful way of getting information out and spreading knowledge. Here in Madrid with the Hamilton College program I was able to take a hands-on Documentary Film Making workshop in a class of 4 other students with a great professor who is a filmmaker from Paris. Continue reading →

Reflections of a Spanish Major

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This is a speech I presented to incoming freshmen at a Spring Open House for my University. It is a personal reflection on my time as a student, what I accomplished with my Spanish major and the relationship between my studies and my life outside of the classroom. Presented on March 2, 2014.

Sevilla, Spain 2013

Continue reading →

Pre-departure Study Abroad [in Salamanca]

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So this is my first entry for this blog. I’m going to talk about my life before studying abroad; as it is right now before I leave for Salamanca this summer. First, I need to discuss my reasons for choosing Salamanca. My main reason for choosing Salamanca is that I wanted to study abroad as soon as possible upon arriving to Umass; I am a freshman this year. I wanted to do this because honestly I am not enjoying the Spanish Major whatsoever at this point in my college career. I am taking intermediate level classes that are taught completely in Spanish and expect me to participate completely in Spanish but I have little to no speaking skills. Not to mention that having to present in front of a class is already one of my biggest fears, doing it in a language that a struggle to formulate a normal sentence in isn’t exactly something I look forward to doing. Attending these classes where I am expected to speak and participate is difficult when I have such little skill in actually speaking Spanish. It’s difficult and embarrassing and leaves me rarely participating, even when I would like to. Though Salamanca is only a five-week program, something is better than nothing and hopefully I will return with a little more speaking skill. Continue reading →

The Holyoke Tutorial Program (LATINAM398A)

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A Class

In the fall of 2012, I enrolled in LATINAM 398A, more commonly known as the Holyoke Tutorial Program. This service-learning program offered to UMass Spanish and Portuguese majors allows students to earn 3 credits by volunteering at the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Holyoke’s afterschool program. My job was to act as tutor and peer mentors for the group of 5-8 year olds that participated in the program, primarily whom were underprivileged Hispanic children from Holyoke and Springfield. Initially I enrolled in LATINAM398A just to fulfill a requirement for my Certificate in Latin American, Caribbean, and Latino Studies and perhaps to broaden my experiences as a Spanish major. Yet to this day the Holyoke Tutorial Program stands out in my mind as by far the most life-changing and eye opening class I have ever taken. Continue reading →

Thank you all for your inspiring testimonials!

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Thank you all for your inspiring testimonials, both within this blog and through the recounting of the eye-opening wonders you experienced abroad and presented at our mini study abroad fair. They have sparked my motivation as a teacher. Yes, students inspire teachers. It’s a two-way process. Not only did your testimonials helf me assess your particular needs, they let me go back in time and relive, if only vicariously, my own experiences studying in a foreign country, and for that, I thank you all!

Carole Cloutier

Reflective essay: My “experience” and beginnings with Latin American and Spanish CINE

Better Late Than Never

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Well, March 5 and I’m finally putting up my first blog post. I don’t really know what to discuss so I guess for now I’ll just talk generally about Service Learning. Sometimes in class I feel like I have the boring topic to discuss because everyone went to beautiful places and all I did was go over the bridge to Holyoke. Then I remember how incredible that experience was and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. And it’s not like I wasn’t abroad I just wasn’t abroad last year. Instead a spent a month in high school living with a host family in Spain. Holyoke changed my life, as corny as that may seem to some. Continue reading →