J-Term 2022 Blog: Greetings from Madrid!
MLA 675: Spain: Intensive Language Study
January 10, 2022
Hello from Spain! Week one of the Carthage Spain J-Term Study Tour is complete, and I have already fallen completely in love with this country. Within the past week, we’ve participated in daily language classes, taken day trips to the gorgeous cities and towns of El Escorial, Manzanares, and Toledo, graced our palettes with culinary works of art, and basked in the beauty of Spanish culture, all while living in the heart of Madrid and being fully immersed in the Spanish language.
Mondays through Thursdays, we attend classes at the TANDEM Language School of Madrid where we expand our vocabulary, work on our understanding of grammar and language structure, and practice input and output through listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Our language professors are incredibly supportive and encouraging and have already taught us an immense amount in just one week.
After class or on weekends, we have group excursions that range from a walking tour of La Puerta Del Sol for a few hours to a day-long trip to the city of Toledo. Some highlights of our day-trips include visiting the castles of El Monestario de San Lorenzo and El Castillo Viejo in Manzanares, as well as La Santa Iglesia Catedral Primada (a cathedral), El Museo Del Greco (an art museum), and numerous handcrafted sword and jewelry shops in the city of Toledo.
Through all of this, we have kept ourselves fueled with fine Spanish cuisines such as traditional Paella, Tortilla de Patata, Musaka, Empanadas, and desserts such as Flan, Profiteroles, and the classic Churros con Chocolate. Needless to say, we’ve been eating well.
With each day we become more and more enamored with the country’s architecture, cuisine, art, and people. It’s hard to believe how much we’ve seen and experienced in just one week while knowing there are still two weeks left of many more adventures and memories. Stay tuned for more updates on our adventures!
-Jillian Arbeiter ’23
About the Spain Study Tour
THE TRAVEL DATES
Jan. 1-22, 2022
THE INSTRUCTORS
Modern Languages Prof. Matt Borden
AN INTRO
In this study tour, students will enjoy numerous and diverse outings and will take part in many cultural events such as dance lessons, cooking lessons, museum and palace tours, language exchanges with Spaniards, a Real Madrid soccer match, and more!