{"id":3227,"date":"2015-06-02T10:55:46","date_gmt":"2015-06-02T08:55:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/preblogs.deusto.es\/cide\/?page_id=3227"},"modified":"2015-06-02T10:55:46","modified_gmt":"2015-06-02T08:55:46","slug":"open-microphone-the-experience-the-contacts-and-the-memories-are-the-best-part","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/blogs.deusto.es\/cide\/english-contents\/open-microphone-the-experience-the-contacts-and-the-memories-are-the-best-part\/","title":{"rendered":"Open microphone: \u201cThe experience, the contacts and the memories are the best part\u00bb"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Reba<\/a>Today our guest is Reba (Fuggs) Oguntokun, a former student at Grand Valley State University<\/a> (Michigan, USA). She studied at Programa de Lengua y Cultura<\/a> during the 2008 fall and 2009 spring semesters.<\/em><\/p>\n

*****************************<\/p>\n

When did you study in Bilbao? \u00a0Why did you choose the University of Deusto?<\/em><\/p>\n

I studied in Bilbao from September 2008 to May 2009. I wanted to fully experience Spanish culture and language. I knew that one semester would not give me enough time to become fluent. \u00a0One reason I chose the University of Deusto is that one of my professors is from Bilbao and told me such good things about it. \u00a0Another reason is that Bilbao is not like many other cities. \u00a0It hasn\u2019t been taken over by tourists and the English language. Two languages are spoken there: Spanish and Basque. \u00a0After I studied in Bilbao, I realized that I had written about Spain, and Bilbao in particular, when I was a child. \u00a0So it seems I was destined to travel and study in Bilbao.<\/p>\n

What are your memories of the months you spent in Bilbao?<\/em><\/p>\n

I remember the times with new friends from American universities. \u00a0I also remember my Basque host family. I lived with Isabel, the mother; C\u00e9sar, the father, and my host sister Juncal and two cats. \u00a0There were another two brothers who came to visit sometimes. \u00a0I loved travelling to different cities and countries. \u00a0My favourite trip was to the French Basque Country. \u00a0I would love to spend the rest of my life in Biarritz.<\/p>\n

\"Reba<\/a><\/p>\n

It was the first time I had the privilege of being in contact with so much history and experiencing everything so slowly and enjoyably. \u00a0In the U.S. the entire country is rushing around, without stopping to enjoy special moments or family occasions. \u00a0It’s a rat race! Bilbao was just so different. \u00a0Shops close to give people time to have lunch with their families and take a siesta. \u00a0My health improved while I was there and I lost weight. \u00a0I loved walking everywhere and going to parties. \u00a0It was great. \u00a0Of course, the experience depends on you. \u00a0The more you do, the more experiences you have. \u00a0Although I did loads of things during my studies, I never forgot the reason for being there: to learn and become fluent in Spanish. Spanish was my major.<\/p>\n

\"Grupo\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Do you think studying abroad has made a difference for you? \u00a0Would you recommend it to other students?<\/em><\/p>\n

Studying abroad was a great experience for me. \u00a0Now I am working at Texas State University at San Marcos. \u00a0This university serves Spanish-speaking students. \u00a0A Spanish-speaking colleague recently asked me to correct a letter of recommendation he had written for one of his assistants in Spanish. \u00a0There are students and colleagues I can speak to in Spanish in my building. \u00a0This helps me and the people around me.<\/p>\n

\"Mini<\/a>I have students who want to study abroad. \u00a0And I encourage them to do so because of my experience. \u00a0University is the perfect time to study abroad. There is money available, there are special foreign students offices and it is safe because your university has contacts with foreign universities. The chance to grow and experience life in another country is priceless. \u00a0Money is not the main thing. \u00a0The experience, the contacts and the memories are what matter in the long run. JUST DO IT!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Today our guest is Reba (Fuggs) Oguntokun, a former student at Grand Valley State University (Michigan, USA). She studied at Programa de Lengua y Cultura during the 2008 fall and 2009 spring semesters. ***************************** When did you study in Bilbao? \u00a0Why did you choose the University of Deusto? I studied in Bilbao from September 2008 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":142,"featured_media":0,"parent":3123,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":{"0":"post-3227","1":"page","2":"type-page","3":"status-publish","5":"entry"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.deusto.es\/cide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3227","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.deusto.es\/cide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.deusto.es\/cide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.deusto.es\/cide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/142"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.deusto.es\/cide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3227"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.deusto.es\/cide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3227\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3228,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.deusto.es\/cide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3227\/revisions\/3228"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.deusto.es\/cide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3123"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.deusto.es\/cide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3227"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}