Viaje a Espa帽a: 麻豆传媒 students win scholarship to study in Spain

December 11, 2014

听The 麻豆传媒 through the European & American Studies departments is proud to announce that 4 of its students will be traveling to Spain this winter on BECAS scholarships. Anara Tiurkanova, Guldastan Aidarbekova, Shakirova Akylai Almazbekova, and Natalia Zinoveva will all be traveling to Valladolid, Spain from the 19^th of December through the 12^th of January.

The scholarship and program, which is given by and takes place at the Fundaci贸n de la Lengua Espa帽ola (Foundation for the Spanish Language), lasts for 2 weeks and is awarded annually to 300 students from around the globe who are interested in immersing themselves in Spanish culture and improving their language abilities. With only 65% of the time teaching spent in the classroom, participants are able to go on excursions and learn in the context of Spanish everyday life.

We talked to the students about their upcoming trip, why they wanted to learn Spanish, advice they had for language learners, and more.

Shakirova Akylai, sophomore in the Psychology Department.听

Why did you decide to start learning Spanish?

I started learning Spanish in high school, and I decided to continue it in university. Spanish is a very popular language, and so it will be very useful in the future.

What plans do you have for the future?

I don鈥檛 know! I would like to continue my studies, and I might change my major, maybe to Business Administration.

Do you have any advice for someone who is learning a language right now?

听Well there has to be a strong motivation. For example, I really want to go to Spain!

Interesting Facts: Has taken dancing lessons for 10 years, including Spanish national dances. Favorite Spanish word - loca (crazy).

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Natalia Zinoveva, senior in the Business Administration department. Natalia went on the same program last year鈥�

So you were on the program last year, what was your experience like?

Well the city, Valladolid, was the old capital of Spain. It鈥檚 really interesting because there are both modern and historical elements. My Spanish became much better, you have to speak Spanish everywhere of course. I thought in Spain people would speak English, but they don鈥檛! It was really hard to communicate at first, but then you keep communicating and try to solve the problem, and you really learn fast!

Why did you decide to start learning Spanish?

听Well it is one of the official languages of the United Nations, and I also liked the pronunciation and sounds of the language. I used to listen to Spanish music when I started studying Spanish.

听Do you have any advice for someone who is learning a language right now?

First of all you have to want to learn the language. When you do, you will find opportunities. I study on some free websites like Duolingo to increase my vocabulary, and found people in Spanish speaking countries to speak with over Skype.

What plans do you have for the future?

I would like to work for the United Nations, or maybe choose an internship through AIESEC. And maybe this is too forward in the future, but I plan to open a business in Spain. I have a business here, Mobile Beauty Salon, and also a promotion agency. I know a person in Spain from Kyrgyzstan who has a business there. I would like to move my beauty business there in the future.

听Interesting Facts: Favorite Spanish word 鈥� ojal谩 (like 鈥業 hope to god鈥� something happens). Has traveled to the United States under the Work & Travel program.听

Anara Tiurkanova, sophomore in the Psychology department.

听Why did you decide to learn Spanish?

Well I learned French in high school, and Spanish is similar so I thought it would be easier to learn. Also it is very good for your resume to have extra languages. I really like the process of learning a language and Guillermo Bravo is a perfect professor, he really motivates us a lot.

So why French?

I don鈥檛 know! My parents decided for me.

Do you have any advice for someone who is learning a language right now?

Well Natalia said everything! But you have to find a good professor, it鈥檚 very important.

What plans do you have for the future?

听I would like to get a Master鈥檚 degree.

In Spanish?

Well, I don鈥檛 know enough Spanish! Maybe in the future if I know it well enough.

Interesting Facts: Said she didn鈥檛 know enough Spanish to have a favorite word, we鈥檒l ask again after she gets back from Spain!

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Guldastan Aidarbekova, sophomore in the International Comparative politics department

听Why did you decide to start learning Spanish?

听I听simply like learning foreign languages. Many people find it difficult or boring, but for me it is an enjoyable process.

Do you have any advice for students applying for scholarships?

听Thanks to our professor Bravo Guillermo, he helped us a lot. Without his guidance and assistance we wouldn鈥檛 have had such an opportunity. My advice would be to not hesitate and take actions.

Any special memories from your Spanish classes with Guillermo Bravo?

Bravo Guillermo is a very kind and pleasant person. The atmosphere in his classes is very amiable. Somehow, he made students fall in love with his language.听

What do you look forward to doing in Spain?

I want to know about Spain as much as possible, however we will spend there only three weeks. So I will use every moment to discover this amazing country, its culture, history, and people.

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