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March 28, 2005 Vol. 76,
no. 10S
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| STUDY
EN ESPAÑA: CEE junior Kevin Stephens pauses in front
of a nighttime water fountain show in Barcelona, Spain. Stephens
is studying Spanish there this semester and enjoying the break from
engineering.
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A letter
from Spain
CEE junior describes his study abroad in Europe
This semester, CEE junior
Kevin Stephens is taking a hiatus from engineering to study abroad in
Barcelona, Spain, with the Cultural Experiences Abroad program. The
following is a letter he wrote to Engineering News about his experiences.
In some ways, my life here is similar to what it would be back at Cal.
I make frequent trips to the grocery store for beer and food. I also
study. Unless you are nearly fluent (which I'm not), there's really
not a program that offers engineering courses in Spain. So I'm studying
Spanish, and it's been a refreshing and enlightening break from technical
classes at Cal.
I have Spanish class four days a week at the University of Barcelona.
The Spanish I studied in high school is not the same version that is
spoken in Spain. What is a common phrase in Mexico could get you slapped
by an old lady here in Barcelona (though it hasn't happened to me).
Still, my Spanish is improving every day, and I plan to continue
studying it after the program ends. I would love to be able to return
to Spain while I am still in my 20's and speak fluently with the Spanish
ladies.
Barcelona is a great city to study abroad in. It has nearly six million
people, and tourism is the main industry, which means lots of cool bars
and clubs. Art is everywhere. Antoni Gaudí changed the face of
the city with his modernist architecture. La Sagrada Família,
a huge temple that he designed, is only halfway complete, but it's the
most amazing building I have ever seen. Picasso spent much of his life
in Barcelona, and a few hours away, Salvador Dalí is buried in
the museum that he designed. My free time here has been a great luxury.
The culture is, of course, different, and I'm learning to adjust. For
example, yawning and stretching in class is considered rude, (almost
impossible for me not to do).
I've also met some interesting people and learned a lot about their
lives. My friend, Nam, from Thailand was climbing coconut trees at the
age of 10 before and after school to raise money for his family. (At
age 10, I was going to baseball practice.) Nicolay, from Norway, is
a certified carpenter and barber and is working on a master's degree
in psychology. Then there is my Panamanian roommate, Juan, who got a
B.S. in civil engineering from Purdue and is in an accelerated one-year
business school. It is nice to have another civil engineer to talk to
and help me translate.
My experience here reminds me that the United States is not the center
of the world. Nor is it the only place to live. There is a need for
engineers all over the world and I'm considering, for the first time,
life abroad after college.
Stephens will return to the U.S. in May. Email him at kstep@berkeley.edu.
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