MLO 5 Cultural Internalization and Language Immersion Students demonstrate that they have actively immersed themselves in authentic Hispanic cultural and linguistic environments and have internalized the language and cultural experience, from which they have developed personal understanding and new perspectives of Hispanic communities.
Note: Students develop intercultural communication skills and strategies, and learn to adapt and respond in effective ways. This MLO may be fulfilled by a study abroad experience or equivalent. Courses taken in a study abroad program may count toward another MLO. Students who choose Pathway 2 will be working on a community project to fulfill this requirement.
Note: Students develop intercultural communication skills and strategies, and learn to adapt and respond in effective ways. This MLO may be fulfilled by a study abroad experience or equivalent. Courses taken in a study abroad program may count toward another MLO. Students who choose Pathway 2 will be working on a community project to fulfill this requirement.
Granada, España
To complete MLO 5 Cultural Internalization and Language Immersion I decided to study abroad in Granada, Spain for the 2015-2016 school year. I started school at CSUMB with the thought of studying abroad already in mind. I had studied abroad in Sassari, Sardinia, Italy my last year of high school and after that I knew I had to study abroad again, wherever it may be. I chose Granada Spain because, firstly, I wanted to learn Spanish and also because it seemed to have a very intricate culture. There is a huge mix of Spanish and Moroccan influence there which makes it different from any other place in Europe. When I first arrived I found a flat with three other girls. One was Italian, one was Spanish and one was French. The wonderful thing about this was that Spanish was the common language in between all of us. We were forced to speak it to communicate with one another. It was very challenging at first, especially when trying to understand the Granadino people. They have very strong accents and coming from California where I have heard Mexican accents my whole life, it was difficult. Being immersed in the language and culture for an entire year really helped me in viewing life differently and seeing other perspectives. I was able to grasp the Spanish language for a huge part. I still had some difficulty though and that is where schooling was extremely helpful. I was able to take many classes that taught language, linguistics, history, culture, music, and so much more. This really helped me learn about the culture in Spanish. For me, that was amazing and really helped me to think about and process things that I encountered outside of the class in Spanish. Another side note is that many of the students I studied abroad with from other CSU's were of Mexican descent. This was amazing for me because not only did I learn about the Spanish culture, I learned a substantial amount about Mexican culture, as well as Chicano culture. It is amazing what one can learn and absorb from studying abroad. I would recommend it to anyone who has an interest in it.