“It isn’t the country, but the people”
Veronica Cuesta Alvarez
When do you choose the idea of going abroad?. Maybe you don’t chose, maybe, just come one day, when you are sitting at the airport ready to start a new adventure. Is in that moment when you think, what is next?.
Spain is ahead on the list of countries to study abroad, as said the statics for the Erasmus program. In the other side, the Spaniards are not the highest population on getting away from home.
How important is learning a foreign language?, is it obligatory do it outside of your country?. It has been demonstrated, that getting into the culture of the language you want to learn, is the best way to do it. When you don’t have around you anyone who is speak your native language, you see yourself, making an extra effort to be able to communicated. And with the time, getting fluency in that language. When you go back home, you bring with you, new experiences, a new language, and a new person. All the moment is you, but you had learned to be more independent, to be more adventures. The experience gives you more that you could have ever imagined. Most of the enterprises are looking for people who are capable to work in groups, who have an international background, who are imaginative, adventurous, and sociable, in definitely to be open-mind.
Choosing the destiny is the first thing to do. “ I choose Spain, because of getting into the Spanish culture, which I had been studied since high school” said and American student living in Madrid. And he is not the only one . Many universities in the capital offers taught course in Spanish and in English, for those who are not sure of their Spanish’s level. Some of them told us that is hard getting into the Spanish culture, the meals’ schedules is the worst part. I supporting that too, eating at 15, can be a little frustrated sometimes. In one thing that all of them agree is in the parties, the idea of European parties.
In the other side we find the Spaniards that are going abroad to United States. Getting away the topics of your mind is a must. Some of them go to learn English, other to see if it is like in the movies, some others to get away from home, and another, they don’t even know. But if we ask all of this students, it will be hard to heard from them negative experiences, to all of them, this experience it has supposed and before and an after in their lives. The choice of the country doesn’t make your experience great full, but the people.
Getting the metro, going to class, having fun during the weekends, going shopping, visiting the museum, living you life “abroad”…When you look back, and realized that is over, you will miss it. You will see how important this is to you.
The young people nowadays are looking for the best ways to enter in the labor market and develop a professional career, all of this in the best conditions. To study abroad, is a bridge, which makes shorter our objectives, with the importance of getting the best of us. The century we are living is called the intercultural century. Doesn’t this say anything to you?.
Too many expectations?
Veronica Cuesta Alvarez
November 16, 2008
Obama, just with saying that name, everyone in Spain will know who he is, Barack Hussein Obama, the new United States president. He is the one that has been beating all the records. The one who is taking the States during a hard economic situation. And?, well pretty much is all we know about it, but then, why is so important?, why has he become a star in Europe?. Not really easy to answer this question.
Let’s start from the beginning. An overwhelming majority of Europeans wanted Obama to win. More than 80% of the French, 72% of the Germans, 68% of the Spanish’s… would vote for Obama if they will have the opportunity. All the surveys in Europe show the fascination he has made outside the borders of his country. And the hopes, with a little bit of naivete, that had been given to him.
The reason is easy in Spain, a terrorist attack a couple of years ago that meant the change of government. Nowadays the nation, lead by Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, who has seen in Obama a future. Far away from his opposite Bush. A future where Spain will be able to short the distances with the United States, and become clearly recognized as the eighth nation with power all over the World.
As well as the admiration that a nation could be able to overcome it's “racist demons” and choose a Black president. A way out for the Spaniards to find a solution for the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, the cultures’ conflicts, energy, the word commerce and… a large list.
A German Magazine talked about him, like he is the “American Idol”, another media had said that he can be compared with John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. All of these examples show that Europe seems to be in love with the new president.
There are some things that Europeans wait for from Obama, if he doesn’t fulfill the expectations, will cause a frustration. Let him try. We hope not to get disappointed. And remind too, that he isn’t God, he isn’t a magician. And the solutions to all the problems, is always time.
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