Category: Cram Session
Hi there!
Just wondering is there anyone out there who has studied abroad or who has done erasmus at a foreign university. If so, what was your experience? How did you overcome chalenges such as finding accomodation, getting around etc.?
thank you so much for your help!
Chris
Hi Chris,
As most zoners are Yanks, Canadians or non-Europeans, they're unlikely to have connection with the Erasmus programme when studying abroad, but you probably know that.
I do know of one Swedish blind girl and personally know another who have ben to Irish universities and got on pretty well there. The gal I know spent a year in Cork, but she had established contact for aover a year before coming here and thus, through letter-writing and phonechats, gained fluency in English very rapidly.
These Swedes were obviously very motivated and self-sufficient in terms of daily living skills and mobility, but they did need a fair amount of support from disability services in order to access course materials.
I hope this message posts because a previous one I tried earlier today didn't, for whatever reason.
John
hi.
I worked as a british council language teacher in Barcelona for a year and came back this july. That fell under the Irasmus umbrella. Where are you going, I know people in a lot of European countries and can get you info about the ONCE, the French or Spanish VI organisations and what is availible where. Also can chat about my own experiences. Feel free to pm, since I don't know what you're doing/where you're doing it.
Thank you!
John,
I did think of the number of yanks etc. on this sight, but it was the only thing I could think of. Thanks for the help!
Bermuda,
Thank you! I really appreciate that! Will PM you if my internet would ever sort itself out.
any other ideas very welcome!
chris x
Great stuff, Christina. I think Matthew's post is exactly what could point you in the right direction, but as I'm long out of the academic loop myself, just felt this topic needed a bit of kick-ass, rather than standing there all by its lonesome and thought I'd chip in with a little info.
Now, I also know of a blind woman in Dublin who did both French and Spanish for her degree course in UCD and spent some time abroad in the early 1990's. You may actually know her yourself, but if you want any further particulars, feel free to drop me a pm.
It is usually a big plus for those foreign tongues at third-level if they have been on school exchanges during their secondary years, and maybe you have, in order to gain a grounding at how they are spoken in their native lands. But contact is the key to communication, and what Matthew has posted sounds the ideal way to go for starters.
John
Just to widen out this topic a little, if anyone wishes to pick up on a point:
In Ireland, maybe the UK, US and other countries besides, most schoolkids don't start learning a foreign language until age 12 or 13, and I think this is a few years too late for them to gain natural fluency in it, unless they are dedicated and work very hard of course.
Age seven or 8 would give anyone a much earlier start, but the schooling systems in place don't generally allow for it. Thoughts, anyone?
John
O yeah! I am thinking of guing to spain next summer and studying there for two months. anybody have information on VI SERVICES AND O & M SERVICES in spain? pleasp PM me if you know anything. thanks :) (and sorry for the all caps... lol)
Just following on from that post, could you also PM me about the same things in Spain? Thanks, sorry!
Oh and I totally agree, languages should be learned in primary school... I was lucky because my Mum decided I should learn french from the time I was about 6, so she put me into great after school classes where we played games and stuff - we didn't even really know we were learning! I'd love to see that become more common.