CAPA WORLD

Wondering if you need to know a country's native language before studying abroad there?  Check out this video from CAPA Florence Alum Azalea where she shares her take on what it was like to study and teach English abroad in Florence with a basic knowledge of Italian.

Are you ready to take a leap with a new skill and a wonderful experience in Barcelona? Today we're sharing with you some secrets to study and live abroad successfully in Spain.

Get your notepad out and start jotting some Irish slang down! In this week's vlog, Jamie sits down with 4 other new-to-Dublin folks and quizzes them on expressions frequently used in Ireland. Watch them dissect some common phrases to try and figure out what they hear on the daily.

Culture shock and language barriers can be frustrating, yet motivating experiences. Sara blogs from Florence about the 4 stages of culture shock, understanding local etiquette, and how to adapt to changes. She also crafts out 10 tips to get you on track.

This popular city is a worthwhile destination to learn new things about culture, cuisine, language, and a way of living. Let Grace give you an introduction to Barcelona with tips and tricks along the way! From knowing what to expect from "Spanish timing" to using common phrases, this post will enlighten you about local life and how to fit right in.

There's no better place to learn a new language than its home country. Brielle took on the challenge of learning Italian while studying abroad in Florence and shares four ways to overcome barriers and explore a new language. You may leave home knowing only how to say "ciao" or "grazie", but you'll come back from your study abroad knowing more!

In this week's post, Imani gets to the heart of learning Mandarin and shares an introduction to the language. Take note of the basics here and the keys to understanding how the Chinese language works as a result of history and context. After all, the possibilities in life are endless when you know another language!

One of the many things you can pick up while studying abroad is a new language! In this week's post, Maya broaches the topic of the language barrier in Spain and how she overcame her doubts to learn and practice Catalan and Spanish in Barcelona. She shares several tips and strategies to grasp a new language and make it one of the highlights of your study abroad experience. 

One of the biggest skills you can gain from studying abroad is a better grasp on a new language. For me, one of my goals is to be bilingual and Barcelona was a perfect place to do so! However, I did not know going into this that Spanish is not actually the main language spoken in Barcelona—it’s actually Catalan. While this is very similar to Spanish it is a completely different language and can really confuse you, especially if you had no idea this language existed.

In this week's post, Payton shares her initial concerns about not knowing any Italian when she moved to Florence and talks about the different ways she's begun to work on her Italian, leveraging her Ganzo! family, friendly locals, and even her past knowledge of Spanish. 

Ciao! I’m currently taking a break from studying for my Italian midterm tomorrow-- my last test before fall break!-- and I figured I’d write a bit about what my experience living in a country where English isn’t the dominant language has been like so far.

Italian is a very beautiful and interesting language, but since it’s only spoken in Italy, it’s rare to find Italian classes in American high schools. I took Spanish as my required language class, which I loved, but figured wouldn’t really do me any good when I decided to come here. When I arrived, I felt a bit rude coming into a foreign country without the ability to even say “please” or “thank you” to the locals in their own language. However, I learned very quickly that, not only is Italian relatively easy to pick up on, but that the locals are very kind and keen on helping you learn.

Daniel Powell is an official CAPA vlogger for fall 2018, sharing his story in weekly posts on CAPA World. An International Relations and Applied Economics major at  Ursinus College, he is studying abroad in Shanghai this semester.

In this week's post, Daniel shares his enthusiasm and first impressions of Shanghai.

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Thanks, Daniel!

Daniel's journey continues every Thursday so stay tuned.