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 →