Lingua Franca a Bi-Annual Newsletter Published by World Languages and Cultures at Salem State UNIVERSITY Salemstate.Edu/Languages Volume 11 • Issue 1 • Fall 2013
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LINGUA FRANCA A BI-ANNUAL NEWSLETTER PUBLISHED BY WORLD LANGUAGES AND CULTURES AT SaLEM STATE UNIVERSITY salemstate.edu/languages Volume 11 • Issue 1 • Fall 2013 A STUDENT’S VIEW OF STUDY ABROAD IN SPAIN Caroline Sullivan INSIDE THIS ISSUE Caroline Sullivan is a student at home, so I was able to see where I Study Abroad Spain page 1 Northeastern University. During would be attending classes. About summer 2013 she joined the Salem a minute more after passing the Study Abroad cont. page 2 State University study abroad trip to school, she showed me Café Kin, Department News page 3 northern Spain. her restaurant, where I would have breakfast and lunch every day. A In Memoriam page 4 My only regret about visiting Spain minute later we arrived at Mila’s SSU at MAFLA page 5 is that I was not able to stay longer. apartment. She brought me upstairs, When I first returned from Europe showed me my room and we both Alumni Reflections page 5 subtle hints of jetlag still lingered and decided we were tired. I unpacked, What a Degree I found myself wishing to be back we both napped and I awoke to the Can Do For You page 6 in Europe. The days in Oviedo were wonderful dinner she had prepared remarkable - from the initial ten- for us. Italian Club Visits Museum page 7 minute walk from the bus station Future Teachers of Italian page 8 to discovering my new home for the next month; this was indeed a Smelling the Roses wonderful experience. on the Way to the Stop page 8 Upon my arrival in the city after Deutsch Lernen Macht Spab! page 9 a 45-minute bus ride from the airport, I was still unsure whether Study Abroad 2014 page 10 my host mother would actually be Spanish - English Cognates: there as we had not had frequent Viento and Vent page 11 communication prior to my departure from the United States. World Films page 12 People began to head off with their host families and two Spanish EDITORS: women remained while four ¡Puxa Asturias! Jon Aske students, including me, were still After dinner with Mila, I met another Kenneth Reeds waiting to be met by families. One student at a sidrería (literally, a woman stepped forward and said cider bar) where I was able to try WEB PUBLICATION: in Spanish, “I don’t remember the the natural cider, the customary ssclinguafranca.wordpress.com name of my student but my name is drink of the Asturian region. Sidra Milagros.” Here was my host mother! is definitely an acquired taste. As I stepped forward and told her I was we all quickly learned, it is about JOIN SALEM STATE’S with her, she aggressively grabbed more than its flavor or the alcoholic LANGUAGE CLUBS’ MAILING my hand and started leading me consumption. It is a beverage that LISTS and FACEBOOK GROUPS away from the group. I told her I brings friends, family and even wanted to make sure everyone knew strangers together for a shared social Visit This Page: where they were going first. Once we experience. The next day I had my http://tinyurl.com/ssulanguageclubs sorted everything out amongst the first tostada and mermelada with other students, Milagros led me out café con leche at Mila’s café and from the bus station around a rotary was energized for the placement WORLD LANGUAGES AND and down a hill. As we walked, she test I took later that morning. After CUltURES identified various places and told taking our placement tests, we went TEL: 978.542.6258 me about herself. The University of to the Cathedral to meet Professor Oviedo was located along our walk Reeds so that he could take us on a [email protected] continued on page 2 1 tour of Oviedo. Through his tour we locations. I was able to go surfing frequenting Copas Rotas in Oviedo, could all sense the passion he has in Gijón with some of the Spanish a fun spot stumbled upon by some for Oviedo. Professor Reeds passed friends I met who had a car. It was an Salem State University students on an abundance of information amazing experience, as I had learned during our first week. I found the about the city. It was especially to surf years before in Marblehead, people of Oviedo to be very kind, interesting to learn parts of their MA, but had never really had the friendly, and curious. I will admit that history which linked them to events opportunity to practice anywhere initially, I found the constant staring of the Spanish Civil war; a past many with significant waves. I remember odd. Over time, you understand their outsiders know little about. We my first week when some of us curiosity; the people want to get to were introduced to areas where we spent Fourth of July on the beaches know you and learn about someone could shop, La Gascona, and a row in Gijón watching the surfers and who is not from Asturias. During of sidrerías. After the tour many of wishing I could join them; little did my time in Oviedo, I could feel how us returned to the row of sidrerías to I know, that I would get to “ride the alive both la gente and la cultura enjoy sidra as a group. waves” before my time in Spain were. The energy I experienced in Oviedo and the Asturias region are ended. Study abroad has a way Oviedo was breathtaking, especially perfect for learning Spanish and to present such unexpected and that of a summer in Oviedo. Pueblo immerse yourself in the culture as it wonderful experiences. fiestas every night! Three nights full is not often that you find someone The University of Oviedo excursion of music, chorizo, sidra, and cerveza! who speaks English. Victor Coto, to Llanes revealed the most amazing It was amazing to see people of all my amazing Advanced Spanish beaches I have ever seen. The ages enjoying this fiesta into the professor was full of impressive views were breathtaking! On one early morning, dancing, singing and worldly knowledge. Inside the independent group excursion, while passing sidra around. It was great to classroom we were required to we intended to visit the beaches see community coming together in speak only in Spanish. I found in Avilés, we actually ended up this way. this instructional format helpful enjoying the beaches of Salinas. Oviedo is still fresh in my mind. As as the morning lessons were We took the local public bus from a Spanish major at Northeastern divided between work on grammar Oviedo to Avilés and were told that University, I am required to and context for two hours; we we could walk to the beaches. After participate in a study abroad participated in various activities a 45-minute walk, we finally arrived program. I hope to return to and listened to lectures, always in in Salinas where we discovered the the University of Oviedo for my Spanish. Victor, in particular, and gorgeous, huge span of beach; it Northeastern Study abroad program the other University of Oviedo was worth the walk. However, we requirement. I had such a great time professors were extremely later discovered there is a local bus getting to know everyone there and patient and always found a way to that takes you from the Aviles bus miss them so much. When I was demonstrate the topics of the lessons terminal to a stop near the beach, leaving Oviedo to return home, my without resorting to English. The a 7-minute ride; we all had a good host mother, Milagros and many second half of the day, I spent the laugh. of my Spanish friends said, “Nos first two weeks taking a literature I became fully involved in the vemos”. I know they are right and course and my last two weeks taking social scene with my Spanish that I will see them again. a history course - both were also contemporaries, a result of very good experiences. I had become accustomed to Spanish instruction being primarily focused on studying about Spanish language. These classes allowed me to see how well I could actually apply my Spanish knowledge. Like the morning classes, they were only conducted in Spanish. I think my literature and history teachers knew very little English, which I found to be beneficial as even when speaking to them outside of the classroom we would only converse in Spanish. The knowledge I received in my classes enhanced my experiences when visiting some of the locations we had discussed. I thoroughly enjoyed weekend excursions to Covadonga, Gijón, Santillana del Mar, Llanes, Avilés/Salinas, and other Caroline Sullivan (on the right) and other members of last summer’s study abroad trip at the bus station in Gijón, Asturias. 2 A¿QUÉ PASA? QUOI assistant professor of history and SAlem PUBLIC SCHOOls de NEUF? NOVITÀ? specializes in Ancient Greek and TRANslATOR ResOURCE LIst: Rome. Look for WLC 500 Directed The department will again DepARtmeNT News Study in Ancient Greek in the spring collaborate this year with the Salem ABOUNds schedule. Public Schools to provide a listing of students, faculty, administrators DepARtmeNTAL AUTUMN SOIRÉE. and staff who are willing to be Thank you to all who helped to called for interpreting jobs in organize and attend our fall “Autumn the Salem schools. Last year, we Soirée” at Finz Seafood and Grill helped to send interpreters in eight in September! Faculty members different languages: Arabic, Chinese, donated their time, auction items Albanian, French, Portuguese, and culinary expertise in order to Spanish, Vietnamese and Russian.