Solo in Spain: A Summer Series
By: Chloe Bloom
Qué tal, I’m back! After exploring different parts of Spain, Valencia, Seville, and Madrid, it’s time to debrief! As I’ve mentioned, my first time ever coming to Spain was to spend six weeks in Valencia, that was two years ago. Since then, I knew that I needed a plan to make it back here. In formulating this plan, I considered that while Valencia was absolutely amazing, there are other regions that I’ve yet to explore, other regions with their own unique languages, dialects, and customs.
Let’s start from the beginning with Valencia… where my initial impression of Spain was formed and my first destination after leaving Barcelona, where I had spent the previous two weeks. My ties to Valencia stem from the memories and friendships I made there. My visit to Valencia started in a hostel with nineteen others in a shared room, before switching to an Airbnb with no AC, yet it was largely met with comfortability due to the familiar face that was there, Hanna, my roommate from study abroad. She happens to be in Valencia for the summer as she is working as a Program Assistant. It was so fun to spend time together back in our old stomping grounds, and productive too. Of course, I told her about my study and luckily she was able to point me in the direction of a librarian in the program who has raised her son multilingually in the region. A new perspective on the influence of Valencia on multilingualism! I truly enjoyed interviewing mom and she gave me great insight into growing up in Valencia herself as well as raising her son and speaking Valenciano alongside Spanish and English. Valenciano is actually a dialect of Catalan, which means that they are essentially the same language but have their special nuances such as vocabulary, sentence structure, pronunciation, and even spelling. “It is so beneficial for children to learn many languages because it opens doors for them, encourages open-mindedness which is a valuable quality, and can provide enriching opportunities abroad” —Mom. She studied English in the UK for a few years and believes this experience helped her English speaking abilities immensely, which I can attest to, as her English is fantastic! Valencia is a fun city that has become increasingly touristy, which has also led most locals to speak English. It is the city of arts and sciences featuring incredible museums. I had the chance to check out the science museum and loved it!
Next, Seville. Seville is absolutely stunning. Just walking around the city getting from one destination to another I couldn’t help but stop and take a million pictures and yes, my jaw was on the floor the entire time. Another fun cultural aspect of Seville is that flamenco originated from there. I had the chance to watch a show and it is absolutely breathtaking, again jaw on the floor. The music takes over the dancers’ bodies as they rhythmically execute each and every step. Aside from these amazing tourist moments, I had the opportunity to interview two parents in this city. They are actually originally from Florida and had recently moved to Seville to raise their daughter and baby on the way! Mom is monolingual, speaking only English, while dad speaks both Spanish and English, reflecting the Puerto Rican heritage he brings to the family. Mom believes it is so important that their daughter learns Spanish as well so she can feel completely in touch with her identity and her Puerto Rican heritage from her dad’s side. They moved to Spain because the quality of life here is exactly what they were looking for. They value a life that is slower with less of a career-driven focus.
The biggest success of this process has been the connections I’ve been able to establish in the various regions of Spain. Parents play a huge role in this, not only as the subjects of my interviews but also in carrying the weight of how their children learn languages and which ones. Of course the children are also a huge part of this and getting insight into how they learn, the methods used that vary from family to family including the TV shows, songs, and books is so exciting for me. It gives me new ideas that I hadn’t thought of such as picking up a fourth language by watching Japanese cartoons!
An interesting topic that I have discussed with interviewees is that many people my age in America, myself included, have parents who speak Spanish from various countries, yet those parents made the decision not to teach their child Spanish. Meanwhile, research shows that it is much easier to learn languages at a young age, supported by the sensitive period for language acquisition theory. The benefits of learning multiple languages may have not been in consideration for these parents, which is why I am exploring parents’ motivations for teaching their children different languages. In addition, the tools and strategies used by the parents so that I can spread awareness of the advantages and implement these methods in the US as a future practicing bilingual speech-language pathologist.
After Seville, I hopped on a train and traveled to Madrid, the capital of Spain! I absolutely loved Madrid. A big city with so much to do and see. Honorable mention: El Retiro Park. It is worth the hype, so beautiful and a lovely place to escape from the chaotic but exciting city environment for a stroll. I also came across a shop called La Tienda de los Deseos which essentially means The Shop of Wishes, and of course I made a stop and wrote my wish to hang up. It was so nice to see everyone lined up to write their wishes, I hope they all come true!
I’ve enjoyed traveling to all of the different regions and believe the interviews conducted in these various parts of the country add value to my work. Some perspectives I intend to include as well are those from parents in Tarragona and the Basque Country. The more regions, the better! Diversity is the goal after all and I love learning from all of the unique families.
I’ve now returned to Barcelona, halfway done with interviews and ready for the next round. So far, I intend to maintain all of the connections I’ve gained through conducting interviews. Many of the parents have expressed interest in the results of my study and I will definitely share once the presentations come to fruition. They have all been genuinely kind, welcoming, and helpful. I’ve received many recommendations about places to go in the city, including sights, spots for food, and even fun things to do in other cities in Spain. The possibilities for exploration here feel endless. Get ready for more content as I gather new perspectives. Thanks for following along!
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