Studying in Spain is a great learning experience

When I was 25 years old and still working toward an AA degree in Journalism/Mass Communications at what's now Miami-Dade College, I was accepted into the College Consortium for International Studies' Semester in Spain program. For 12 weeks in the Fall Term of the 1988-89 academic year, I lived and studied in Seville, Spain's third largest city, along with 41 other students from around the U.S.

Not knowing what, exactly, I was getting myself into, I also volunteered to send dispatches from Seville to Catalyst, my home campus' student newspaper as its first foreign correspondent. Having had several years' worth of experience as a reporter and section editor, I thought that it would be a somewhat tricky but still manageable assignment, but in the days before the Internet and e-mail were available to the average person, it ended up being harder and more frustrating than I'd bargained for.

Nevertheless, I did manage to, as we reporter types like to say, get the story, and between Dec. 1, 1988 to December 13, 1989, Catalyst ran an intermittent series of columns I wrote both during and after my study-abroad stint.

Because my thoughts and impressions of the time are far clearer than any I could try to write down nearly 23 years after coming home, I present the prospective study-abroad student (or his parents) with an article written nearly 12 months after my homecoming from Spain.

All prices and expenses mentioned below are, of course, from 1988; if you are interested in participating in a study-abroad program, head to your college or university's Foreign Language Department and inquire within.

From the December 13, 1989 issue of Catalyst, Miami-Dade Community College (South Campus)

Study-abroad program gave me learning text never could
Alex Diaz-Granados

Managing Editor

One of the most interesting aspects of taking a foreign language course is the opportunity to participate in one of the various study-abroad programs offered by the Foreign Language Department's Overseas Study Program.

I know because last year I participated in the Miami-Dade Community College/College Consortium for International Studies' Semester in Spain program.

For three months in the fall of 1988, 42 students (including me) from colleges and universities all over the United States lived and studied in Seville, one of Spain's largest and most beautiful cities.

And, for many of us, it was a learning experience unlike any other.

Not only did we learn more about the Spanish language, but we also came back with insights about Spain's culture, history and people that aren't available in any textbook.

We went to classes (ranging from the required language courses to classes dealing with Spain's history, political system and artistic heritage) Mondays through Thursdays -- either at the CCIS Center or the main campus of the University of Seville -- while most Fridays we went on cultural visits to places of interest in and around Seville.

There were also day trips to such places as Jerez de la Frontera, La Rabida and Cordoba.

We also went on an overnight trip to the city of Granada, the city whose architecture inspired George Merrick when he founded Coral Gables back in the '20s.

Of course, there were other benefits as well.

We learned how to live in a vastly different cultural environment on our own. (Even though one could make an argument that transferring to an out-of-state institution is a similar experience, it's like comparing cats and dogs.)

We not only had to learn a foreign language and take a 15-credit course load, we had to adapt to the average Spaniard's lifestyle (especially mealtimes), difficult as that may have been to us Americans.

My fellow CCISer Wendy Page, sophomore, said, "My experiences in Seville have helped me become a stronger person with broader horizons in both heart and mind."

My own horizons were expanded by my three-month stay in Spain. I learned a great deal about how other people live, and how those people perceive the United States, mainly through living and arguing with two Spanish roommates, Demetrio and Juan Carlos.

The cost of my trip to Seville, including hotels, tour buses, tuition (for 15 credits), and airfare was approximately $3,500. Rent and extra food was another $1,500.

This may sound like a lot of money, but you can get guaranteed student loans from Financial Aid. Also, Pell Grants will cover cost of tuition at Miami-Dade prices ($76.80 for a three-credit class).