SiS Newsletter - July 2010

Newsletter Archive

Recent News July, 2010

• Utah is seen as a leader in language immersion
Utah is the first state to have developed a standardized immersion curriculum and other states -- including California, Georgia, and Maryland -- are studying its program.
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700045187/Utah-pushing-language-immersion-curriculum.html

• Where In Spain Should I Study Abroad?
Spain is a great place to study abroad, but each city has a very different character. Which option is best for you?
http://matadorabroad.com/where-in-spain-should-i-study-abroad/

• Study in Spain
There are 161 organizations offering a total of 435 Study Abroad programs.
http://www.studyabroaddirectory.com/search/spain

SiS Student Ambassadors

• SIS Student Ambassador at Pasadena City College (CA)

SiS on the road

• Study in Spain will be traveling throughout the US again this academic year.

Amigos del español

• Penélope Cruz

Institution Profile

• Don Quijote Language School

Interview Lounge

• Rita Tejada, Associate Professor at Luther College (IA)

 

SIS Student Ambassador at Pasadena City College (CA)

My name is Salvador Barajas and I decided to become a Student Ambassador of Spain due to my fascination for the Spanish language, culture, art, life, music, theatre, gastronomy etc...

I always had the desire to visit Spain, and in 2007 I had the opportunity to work and study in Madrid. Since my first visit to Spain my life has changed for the better due to the richness and great things that Spain has to offer.

As a current student at Pasadena City College I am so glad I was introduced to Study in Spain by my professor mentor Dr. Padron-Leon. Since 2008 I feel honoured to be a Student Ambassador of Spain and I am very content to have been asked to represent Pasadena City College for one more year.

As a student Ambassador I have been able to share many of my travelling and Studying experiences with many PCC Students by creating many educational activities such as "Tarde Bohemia'", "Taller de Sevillanas", "Encuentro de Culturas", "Ciclo del Cine Español" and so on. Throughout the past two years I have inspired and motivated many of our students that had attended many of our activities to the point where many of them decided to travel and explore Spain with many of the programs that Study in Spain has to offer. In 2009 I contributed the whole year to promote our Summer Study Abroad program to Madrid where I had the chance to travel to Madrid for a month together with my professor Mentor Dr. Padron-Leon which turned out to be a great success.

I want to thank Study in Spain and our Spanish department at Pasadena City College for giving me the opportunity to continue being a Student Ambassador for one more year and for allowing me to interact with various students of different ethnicities that have the curiosity of what Spain is and what it has to offer as a country. In all the activities that I created I was so happy for being able to share my experiences and passion with many of my campus students and I want to thank once again Spainedu.org for letting me experience this wonderful opportunity.

 

Study in Spain will be traveling throughout the US again this academic year

The 2009-10 academic year will once more have the Study in Spain program participating in the most important education fairs and events.

Since its opening, the Embassy of Spain-Trade Commission Miami, with the support of ICEX (Spanish Institute for Foreign Trade) and EDUESPAÑA have carried Study in Spain all across the US in an effort to promote international education in Spain.

The rewards have been undeniable, as Spain is the third preferred destination for American students worldwide.

This is a brief preview of the projected participation of Study in Spain. The dates and/or events may be subject to changes.

JULY
AATSP - AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF TEACHERS OF SPANISH AND PORTUGUESE
JUL 10-13
GUADALAJARA

AP COLLEGE BOARD ANNUAL CONFERENCE
JUL 14-18
WASHINGTON, DC

SEPTEMBER
HACU - HISPANIC ASSOCIATION OF COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES
SEP 18-20
SAN DIEGO, CA

OCTOBER
NAFSA REGIONALS CONFERENCES
Read more at: http://www.spainedu.org/index.php/meet-us.html

Read more...

 

 

Penélope Cruz
Actress

Penélope Cruz, the star of Pedro Almodóvar’s “Volver,” has become the first Spaniard to be nominated for an Oscar in the best actress category. Winning is not her primary concern, however. More important for the 32-year-old Cruz is to continue a career that already includes more than 35 films and earn the respect that has eluded her at times in Hollywood, where she has drawn more attention for her beauty and love affairs than her art. But, according to Cruz, as long as there’s a new book to read, there’s always hope.

Which book are you reading at the moment?
I’m re-reading “The Dying Animal” by Philip Roth to prepare for the movie I’ll be filming this year with Sir Ben Kingsley.

Which book has had the biggest impact on you?
“The Catcher in the Rye” by J.D. Salinger. Like many people, I read it when I was a teenager and it really had an impact on me. That book has something in it about human beings’ mental confusion that people identify with.

Who are your favourite authors?
Salinger, Gabriel García Márquez, Federico García Lorca and Jean Genet. Truman Capote, I love all of them.

How would you encourage reading?
Try the opposite. If you go for some time without reading and try it again, you’ll see how it hooks you. When I read, I sleep better and that’s always a good reason.

 

Don Quijote Language School

Don Quijote is one of the most prestigious and widely attended in-country Spanish language schools. The first Don Quijote school opened its doors in Salamanca in 1989 and since has gone from strength to strength, now offering students the possibility to learn Spanish throughout Spain and Latin America.

Students at Don Quijote can study in twelve of Spain’s most beautiful cities, each one characterized by its own flavours and those of their own distinct regions. Our 23 schools in Latin America open up an entirely different side of Hispanic culture, making for a rich and rewarding experience for those who study there. From Barcelona to Sevilla, the variety of our schools is as rich as the Hispanic heritage they embody.

To compliment our wide range of schools, we’ve worked hard to establish a number of highly accredited, flexible courses. We let you choose the courses that best fit your schedule: you decide how long (in hours) you want to be in your daily class as well as the length of time (in weeks) you want to study. As well as these intensive language courses you can take detailed courses - Spanish for teachers, Spanish for business, or even medical vocabulary - which are oriented towards your career or profession.

We believe that learning a language goes hand in hand with learning a culture, so we have also prepared special programs like wine tasting courses, cooking modules and flamenco dancing programmes (among others). These let you learn Spanish while enjoying the celebrated Spanish way of life.

Don Quijote also offers summer camp programs in eight different destinations in Spain for kids from 5 to 18 years old. The campers are mixed with Spanish students and students from up to 42 countries, creating the perfect arena for a cultural exchange. Packed with sports and leisure activities, these courses are a fun and rewarding vacation for youngsters.

With so many of our students enrolled in Universities and looking to combine their stay in Spain with their studies, we have established a partnership with Jacksonville University which allows students to gain credits when studying at the Barcelona International College. The stay could be just for summer, a semester or an entire academic year – the choice is theirs!

To find out more about what we offer, our destinations, book a course or just ask a question, take a look at our website: www.donquijote.org or email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

 

Rita Tejada, Associate Professor at Luther College (IA)

Rita came to the States in 1991 as a graduate student with a Fulbright scholarship. Rita's favorite classes incluye issues of poverty, child labor, and violence against women. "We go to see how other people live," she says, "and in the process, we learn to appreciate what we have." To encourage cross-culturalism here in Decorah, Rita speaks only Spanish with her daughters at home and works to establish a Spanish language program in local elementary schools. "A second language only improves children's assets," Rita says. "They're inescapably part of a global community."

When was the last time you have been to Spain?
I visited Spain last summer from June 14 until June 21, 2009.

What do you enjoy most about Spain?
My trip allowed me to enjoy the wonderful Spanish gastronomy, visit landmarks in Madrid, Salamanca, Toledo and Alcalá, and, above all, experience the friendly hospitality of Spain inhabitants.

What do you think are the advantages of Spain as a destination for American students?
Spain is the motherland of Spanish language and American students have the opportunity to improve their language skills by attending state of the art language institutions. These institutions offer curricula that integrate academics and co curricular cultural activities, allowing students to maximize their experience.

Could you describe the Study Abroad programs your university has with Spain?
Spanish majors at Luther College choose an array of locations in Spain to fulfill their language immersion requirement. An average of 1 to 10 Luther students travel to Spain in any given academic year and Valencia, Salamanca, Santander, and Alicante are chosen as academic destinations. Luther College will start an intense J-Term course, Language and Culture of Spain, in January 2011 by partnering with Málaga Sí Language School, in Málaga, Spain.

How satisfied are, in general, American students going to Spain?
Spain continues and will continue being the country of preference for our students to fulfill a semester abroad experience (either in fall or spring). Traveling to Spain during summer season and for academic reasons is becoming a new trend for our students who are not able to spend a full semester abroad during a regular school year.