Hi everyone! Im a new member and am currently researching my erasmus year and where to go. So far i have decided upon Spain rather than France, as i study both languages but i would like to improve my ab initio Spanish. The Unis available to me are Oveido, Barcelona, Salamanca, Madrid, Granada & Las Palmas. Although i have visited Barcelona before and loved the city i dont think it would an option due to the use of Catalan and not Spanish for lectures! I have also visited Madrid but i think i could find it too big (Im from Ireland Dublin seems big to us!) I have been swayed towards Granada but im unsure about the Andaluz accent? I would greatly appreciate any advice you have, experiences good or bad regarding the Unis and life in Spain, how you found accents etc. Thanks Ruth
Posts: 3 | Location: Ireland | Registered: 24 November 2007
Hi, Ruth! Spain is a lot of fun for students--people are OUT a lot, even in winter; socializing is very important. Oh, and of course, the universities are pretty good! I am from the States and now speak Spanish well, but the Andaluz accent is difficult for me. Still, if you were there, that would probably be the one you got used to; it's like anything--if you live in Belfast the accent there would seem normal to you (to name a place where I could not understand a lot of people!) Take the weather into consideration, as well, maybe; Granada is Andalucia but they get snow and are close to a ski area (the Sierra Nevada). Salamanca is also cold, but not snowy. Huge foreign student population there, which could even impede your Spanish learning, although I do love Salamanca. Oviedo? Hmmm. Pure Spanish, much greener, with more rain. As to Las Palmas, well, that's another accent as well, and the Canary Islands are also FULL of other Europeans (though it would undoubtedly be a fun place to be--not to mention the climate!) Good luck...
Posts: 5 | Location: Madrid | Registered: 19 November 2007
Yes i suppose it is just a matter of getting used to the accent, its the same even here! Hmm yes we do tend to forget it gets cold in Spain sometimes too thanks! I agree with you regarding Salamanca, i had heard before of the huge number of international students so i dont think this would be the right choice for me, as prestigious as it is! Oveido...home from home really i think! i might as well not have left Ireland haha! Las Palmas is very temtping! but i have yet to hear very good reviews about the uni? Thanks for your help Debbie ! Ruth
Posts: 3 | Location: Ireland | Registered: 24 November 2007
I love all of those places (except Las Palmas, which I haven't been to)... I would probably choose Granada. It is such a charming, laid back city. Don't worry about the accent. Every part of Spain has a very distinctive and recognizable accent. There is no one accent that is "right." And let's face it most foreigners still carry around enough of their own accent to make it a moot point... The important thing is to be in a situation where you are immersed as much as possible.
Oviedo might also be nice if you wanted to go somewhere more off the beaten path and away from lots of other foreign students. The countryside is very Ireland-like, but much more mountainous. But culturally it is very, very different.
Posts: 1070 | Location: Madrid | Registered: 10 December 2002
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