Author: Allison Primm Majors: International Business Marketing and Political Science
Rowboating after midterms in Retiro Park
My name is Allison Brooke Primm, and I am from Rogers, Arkansas. I will be a Junior at the University of Arkansas where I am double majoring in International Business Marketing and Political Science with a minor in Spanish Language and Culture. This summer I am living in Madrid, Spain!
I am studying abroad through the CEA program at La Universidad Antonio de Nebrija in their intensive Spanish language program. I chose this program because it best fit the courses that I needed to take during my study abroad experience. I also wanted to go through an established program because I wanted to have a community of people going through the same experiences as me. The other students in my program are from universities all across the United States, and my program provides many weekly activities which help us engage with each other and the community.
Choosing this program has helped me in achieving both my academic and professional goals. Academically, I will have earned 12 credit hours that will count towards requirements for both my majors by the end of my time here. I have also gained invaluable experience living in a foreign country with different customs and norms than the US, and this will help me in my future career. My experience being immersed in the Spanish language has been incredibly beneficial to my language goals as well. I have noticed exponential improvement in my conversational skills, and I would say I have gained a lot of confidence in this area as well.
My classes at Nebrija have been wonderful and they have contributed to my language improvement. I took classes in both Spanish and English during the June and July terms, and I have greatly enjoyed the personal relationships I have formed with both my teachers and my classmates. My teachers care about my success and are flexible and helpful when I have questions. They encourage classroom participation and community in a way that allows students to reach their greatest potential.
The class structure is very different than what I was used to at the U of A. It is an intensive language program which means that I go to my Spanish language class twice each day for an hour and twenty minutes. This schedule can be grueling, but it has made me a better student and has allowed me to learn a lot of content in a short amount of time. The class sizes are very small, and this helps me be more engaged in the material and has allowed me to get to know my classmates much better. One fun difference is that all classes are done before noon on Fridays, and this schedule has given me a lot of opportunity to explore Madrid and other cities in Spain!
Daily life in Madrid is full of energy, and there is no shortage of cultural experiences. Some of the most interesting things I have done in Madrid include going to a flamenco show, taking cooking classes, going to art museums, and eating at the oldest restaurant in the world! Madrid is home to many art museums, with the most famous being the Prado and the Reina Sofia. In my Panorama of Spanish literature class, we learned about iconic Spanish authors and poets, many of whom lived in Madrid. I loved having the opportunity to visit places where these authors lived. There is something very special about witnessing history firsthand!
I would definitely recommend this program to any student who wants to increase their Spanish knowledge and be fully immersed in the language and culture. I wish I would have come in with more confidence and openness to making mistakes. The only thing that might have held me back from practicing my language skills was my own hesitation. My advice to any student coming to this program would be to take risks and don’t be afraid to make mistakes! I have loved my time in Madrid, but the thing I’m most looking forward to at home is air conditioning! The heat in Spain is no joke 😉