Students dive into Spanish, Italian language and culture via embedded program

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Last month, a group of Penn State students had the opportunity to spend two weeks in Spain and Italy through the College of the Liberal Arts’ SPAN/IT/PORT 210N Multilingual and Intercultural Communication embedded program.

Students enrolled in the course learned different aspects of multilingualism and concepts like dialect variation and second language acquisition strategies to navigate new environments and develop an understanding of intercultural communication. Along with connecting with new people and exploring unfamiliar spaces, food served as a grounding theme for their time away.

Led by Associate Teaching Professor of Spanish Lauren Halberstadt and Teaching Professor of Spanish Joe Bauman, the students explored Bilbao and San Sebastián, Spain, before moving on to the Italian cities of Prato, Florence and Bologna.

Both faculty leaders were elated to see the program return for its fifth year. Halberstadt, who originally pitched the idea for the program in 2019, is happy to facilitate the “ultimate foodie’s Maymester trip!”

The group kicked off the trip by spending the first few nights in Bilbao, an industrial port city in northern Spain’s Basque region. There, they sampled many local foods like pintxos — plates of small, bite-sized snacks — and attended a cooking class where they were able to create their own pintxos. Students took in the artistic masterpieces housed at the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao and gave presentations on their assigned works.

Another highlight was a walking tour of Bilbao during which students were challenged to create a nine-square collage focusing on a specific color.

The program also spent a day in San Sebastián, taking in the cathedrals and relaxing at the beach, and catching up with a Penn State alumnus.

Ryan Lowy, a rising fourth-year student double majoring in Spanish and broadcast journalism, with a minor in political science, is not new to studying abroad, having gone on five trips through Liberal Arts embedded and faculty-led programs exploring Mexico and multiple cities in Spain. In the spring, Lowy traveled to Argentina through the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications’ COMM 402 International Reporting course.

Lowy said he learned plenty while navigating Bilbao and Italy. While in the Basque region, Lowy and his friend, Patrick McGreal, managed to secure tickets to an Athletic Bilbao soccer game. Lowy was glad to talk and connect with the local people seated around him, putting his Spanish-speaking skills to good use.

“To be a good journalist, you can’t expect to know everything about every community you go to or interact with,” he said. “You have to be open to learn and pay close attention to each culture and their traditions.”

From there, the group traveled to Italy, where they explored historic sites in Prato, Florence and Bologna. This change of scenery presented a special challenge for the students, who were fluent in Spanish but had little experience speaking Italian.

“Getting confronted with the unfamiliar can be a positive challenge,” Bauman said. “It helps Spanish students connect the two Romance languages and see their similarities and differences. Not only did this introduce them to a new form of communication, but it helped them develop an ear for the language and use it to greet people and get around.”

During their time in Italy, the group toured several museums and cathedrals and sampled a variety of dishes. Each day, they were charged with the challenge of conversing and connecting with one person in a café or restaurant.

They also participated in the program’s tradition of eating at Ravioli Liu, a Chinese restaurant where they had to order authentic Chinese food from menus written in Italian.

In addition, the group had the chance to interact with local students in a business class at the University of Florence taught by Samuele Grassi. Here, they were interviewed on a variety of topics, ultimately getting to know each other and form deeper connections.

Ruth Bowmer, a Penn State World Campus student studying psychology, neuroscience option, had many highlights on her first embedded program experience. Inspired by her New Year’s resolution of seeking discomfort, Bowmer pushed out of her comfort zone and traded the virtual classroom for in-person lessons.

A Mexican American first-generation student, Bowmer was familiar with traveling abroad, and found it easy to adapt to the other cultures.

“In Bilbao and Italy, the quality of life is very different,” Bowmer said. “In the states, we tend to live to work, but in Spain and Italy, people work to live. Before going to work, people would be sitting in cafes reading, chatting with friends and actually enjoying a cup of coffee. They were hardly in a rush. I hope to one day incorporate this into my life.”

Bowmer was among several students who received enrichment funding through the Liberal Arts Career Enrichment Network to support their experience.

“Being an adult learner, I have adult things I need to take care of,” Bowmer said. “Unlike the typical student, I have a mortgage, other household bills and a family to take care of. So, receiving enrichment funding helped ease the cost of going abroad.”

Upon returning from the trip, Halberstadt encouraged the students to seek out other immersive experiences.

“Immersive experiences are impactful for students,” Halberstadt said. “Not only do students connect with cultures abroad, but they see the possibilities for their future and build skills to navigate different scenarios.”