- What first prompted your interest in the target language?
I love how Richmond promotes international education and think it is amazing how so many students get the change to study abroad. But I honestly did not want to spend a semester (or year) anywhere else. Then I heard of CienciaUR. It is a program that allows students to do research abroad, and that made more sense to me than a study abroad program, since I am already studying abroad.
- Why did you decide to start your self-directed learning endeavors?
English is my second language and while I do not want to minimize the importance more “formal” language classes, I think I only ever became comfortable speaking and communicating in English when I came to UR. I first heard of SDLC when I was contacted to be someone’s Portuguese language partner. It raised my curiosity about languages/self-directed learning and later seemed like the perfect fit when I decided to study Catalan.
- Also, how will your studies allow you investigate your target language and culture more deeply, and what topic is most interesting to you?
Barcelona and Catalunya are surrounded by controversy due to the Autonomous Movement. What I find intriguing is that there were/are separatist movements in Brazil, but none ever reach the “momentum” we see in Spain. I know that there are economic and political reasons for this observation, but I am interested in the culture’s and particularly the language’s roles.
I also enjoy hearing my language partner’s, as well as other Spaniards’, perspectives to take a more subjective approach into something – which I do not get to do often studying STEM.
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