By Nataliya Pukha

I started taking Spanish credit classes at JCCC two years ago, when I had graduated from the paralegal certificate program and had been looking for a job as a paralegal. At that time I realized that I would have an advantage as a paralegal if I also spoke Spanish. I am a Russian native, and Spanish would be my third language. After thinking through different possibilities of learning Spanish, I came to the conclusion that taking credit classes at JCCC would be the fastest, easiest and best way to learn the language.

JCCC offers 18 credit hours of Spanish. I took all these classes starting in the summer of 2008 and finishing in the spring of 2010. I was a serious student; therefore, by the end of my learning at JCCC, I was able to read, write and converse in Spanish. Even though JCCC offers everything to be successful in learning languages, including free tutoring services with native speakers, I know through my experience of learning English that it is absolutely necessary to immerse in the language and culture for obtaining language fluency.

The best way is to go to the language-speaking country for a full semester, but in my circumstances I could not do it because I have a family of three children, the youngest of which is 1 year old. However, I thought I was able to go for the summer program, which lasts five weeks. One might think that five weeks are also long for young children like mine, which is true. However, I wanted to complete my Spanish education, and this sacrifice was necessary for my professional development. The cost of the program is relatively high, but I had a year to save some money, and I found a sponsor and got a scholarship. My mother-in-law came from Russia to stay with my children while I was gone.

I went to Seville, Spain, for the summer 2010 program. I took two Spanish classes (6 credit hours total): Advanced Spanish Composition and Conversation and Culture and Society of Spain. I was very satisfied with the level of teaching at the International School of Seville, even though I was skeptical at first. I didn’t believe there were things that I still didn’t know in Spanish. I must admit that I learned a lot in those five weeks. Besides attending classes four hours every day, we had a lot of homework, which took me four additional hours daily to complete. We had three school trips to the different cities in Andalucia and four field trips in Seville that were part of the Culture and Society of Spain class.

Staying with a Spanish family and sharing a room with a roommate enriched my learning experience a lot; not only did I get more opportunities to practice speaking Spanish, but also I could practice interpreting, because my roommate was a beginning learner of Spanish. At the end I became good friends with the family and my roommate.

My goal for the program – obtaining language fluency – was accomplished. As a result, I am ready to use Spanish at my job.

Learn more about study abroad programs through International Education at JCCC.