<p>Dilemma! Should I study abroad for a semester (3-4 months) in England or Spain?</p>
<p>I would want to go to England because I can only speak English (but I am willing to learn Spanish - but will be a very slow process..) and I'd want to fully communicate with the locals, too. It would be really easy to get around, etc. see all the rich history without trying to translate what I want to say first. I would at least understand 95% of what was going on!</p>
<p>I would want to go to Spain because I'm interested in art and culture, and interested in the Spanish language. I only know a few key simple phrases, and would not be able to carry on a full conversation. It's also close to France which I would visit. It seems like a beautiful country with beautiful culture.</p>
<p>What do you guys think? Any advice is greatly appreciated!!!</p>
<p>Do you speak any Spanish? If not, don’t bother going to Spain with the intention of learning much of the language, you wont. Resign yourself to that and it could still be a good experience, just don’t expect to come back fluent. That said you don’t need language skills to study abroad. Lots of people in Spain will know at least some English. Unless you have a better reason for coming to the UK other than they speak English I’d say go to Spain, you’re obviously more interested in it.</p>
<p>I speak minimal Spanish. I’m able to say simple things like, “I’m hungry…” or “I’m cold” (yeah, I know). The days of the week, and numbers too. Besides that, I only know things in present-tense.</p>
<p>If I do go to Spain, I know I won’t become fluent in Spanish, but I’ll definitely have more knowledge than I came in with. I’m interested in the art and culture as well.</p>
<p>Even though one of the reasons why I’d want to study in the UK is “they speak English”, it’s actually very comforting for me - that most of what is said is understood, rather than lost in translation. It’s easier to understand and communicate with the locals, albeit my American accent :). In a sense, I would be getting a lot from their culture by being there, too. Also, I find people from the UK to be friendly. </p>
<p>This is a good opportunity to learn Spanish. If you can study the language before you leave, you will be amazed how quickly you pick up phrases and vocabulary once you arrive.
I studied abroad there and found that the locals were very friendly and helpful with learning the language. Don’t be put off by learning the language. It is a lifelong skill that comes in handy on a regular basis.</p>
<p>Depends on which city you can go to…if London’s an option go there…it’s a great city to experience (no doubt one of the greatest cities in the world - just try not to go during winter if you dislike constant raining/snow and cold weather). </p>
<p>Also if you’re interested in seeing France, Spain isn’t necessarily better than England. You can take the Eurostar which is a 2 hour train from London to Paris…my (retired) parents live in London and they often travel to Paris for a day (take the Eurostar at 11am, 1pm-7pm in Paris, arrive back in London at 9pm).</p>
<p>There are other good English cities but -if you can’t go to London - Madrid and Barcelona have them beat…imo:</p>
<p>I say go for Spain. Study abroad is all about immersing yourself in a new culture, and part of that means immersing yourself in a new language. Even though you don’t speak Spanish, most people in Spain speak at least some English, so you wouldn’t have such a hard time communicating. Also, the best way to learn a new language is to immerse yourself in it, so by studying abroad in Spain, you’d pick up quite a bit for sure :)</p>