Author Archives: aayalapa

Bilingual Educator

My name is Alexander Ayala-Palacin and I am recent graduate of UMass with my Bachelors in Spanish and Certificates in Interpreting Studies, Medical Spanish Interpreting, and Spanish and Health. With this resume many would assume I am on my way to be a medical interpreter. I felt the same way until I received an email from Career Services that changed everything.

Much of the responsibilities of this position was things I had experience from a job as an After School Counselor in a Elementary School, so I felt confident of my ability to perform the work, and it seemed something that I could realistically do, a first step after graduating. Otherwise I had no idea what I wanted to do after graduating. Continue reading →

It’s All in the Music

Some of my most memorable experiences while traveling abroad was those that included my exploration as a musician.

I traveled abroad to Barranquilla, Colombia on the coast for a whole semester. As a musician, I encountered several gratifying experiences that have made dramatic changes in my life. I thought these experiences are well worthwhile sharing because it shows how studying abroad has many doors that you can open for you if you keep your eyes and ears open. Many of the opportunities I received involved me going outside of the box and not relying only on the curriculum that was in the package plan. This mentality can really make your trip worthwhile in ways you can’t imagine. Continue reading →

Study Abroad Masks

Through my recent study abroad trip I realized something that a lot of travelers, including myself, seem to do that puzzles me.

A friend I met who was studying abroad at the same time a me in Colombia was from United States planning to teach english in a Spanish Speaking Country. Her language speaking level was excellent.

I guess due to this fact she was offended when a local who she didn’t know would come to her and start speaking in English. The way she explained it to me was, “Don´t just assume I don’t know how to speak Spanish. I’ve been studying it for 10 years, I think I know what ‘cruzar la calle’ means..” Continue reading →