im worried about being a foreign exchange student in spain?
im so excited about the cultural experience and meeting new people but im scared to death that they wont know much english at all and that ill be stuck talking spanish the whole time which scare the freaking crap out of me! do they typicaly know at least basic english and enough t hold a decent conversation with me
Other - Europe - 4 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
just watch your backside and you should be fine. they are really rough there.
2 :
Don't worry about it... nowadays, with the internet and all, everyone speaks English, everywhere. In fact, the last time I was in Europe I was amazed how just about everyone spoke English, and very well, too. You'd have to go WAY out into the "boondocks" to find folks who speak no english at all, so don't worry about it, really, you'll do fine!! Good luck!... ☺
3 :
Being in that situation is the best thing could happen for you ! - Let me tell you why .... for one, it will make you come out of your comfort zone straight away and put you in a situation where you make friends quicker - great for your personal confidence aswell. Secondly, and more importantly the less English that you speak at this time the better ! - I have lived in Spain for 6 years and honestly, my level of Spanish stinks. This is because I work for an English Company, with English clients and suppliers and in an area where the locals speak a high standard of English. Despite that fact that I really want to improve my Spanish, the opportunities to practice are pretty slim. - Look upon your situation as an opportunity and not a problem !
4 :
The point is to be exposed to a different culture AND language. THAT is the cultural experience. If you don't want to speak Spanish, why going to Spain at all? No, sweetie, most Spaniards don't speak English even if most of them have studied a bit at school, don't expect to be able to have long interesting conversations in English with too many. Again, that's the point. To be just like home, stay home. It's you who have to adapt to the country, instead of expecting a whole country to adapt to your requirements and to be like yours so that you feel comfortable. Show some respect for the country's culture by at least trying to understand that the world is bigger than your corner of the world and there's a lot more to discover than what you can ever imagine. And youd could focus on trying to improve your Spanish before you go there, instead of hoping "they'll be just like us". That's not how the world is. The fact that you placed this question in the Other-Europe section instead of Spain's says a lot about how much interest and effort your putting into your Spanish "little adventure".
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