centro español de recursos
en los ángeles
AN EXTRAORDINARY JOURNEY INTO THE PAST AND PRESENT
Article written by Ana Hernández, 2006 Teacher of the Year at Valley Center-Pauma Unified
School District, 2006-08 Distinguished Teacher in Residence at California State University San
Marcos, 2007 CABE Teacher of the Year, and Vice President of 2-Way CABE Ex
As 2007 CABE Teacher of The Year, I received a scholarship from the Consejería de
Educación y Ciencia, Embassy of Spain in Washington, D.C. to study at the University of
Salamanca in one of the offered summer Cursos de lengua y cultura españolas: imagines de
España for professors and educators in the United States. Historically, Salamanca was ranked
with Oxford, Paris, and Bologna as one of “the four leading lights of the medieval world.” It has
had many distinguished professors throughout its history, and many well known citizens have
walked along the university’s corridors, like Miguel de Cervantes, Hernando Cortes and
Christopher Columbus. Its intellectual life continues to this day, as the many colleges attract
scholars from all over Europe, and the summers are characterized by the invasion of American
students. Due to the youthful, spirited ambiance of the university, the city of Salamanca has
been named a World Heritage City by UNESCO, one of six such cities in Spain.
At the time when I received the scholarship, I could only imagine spending wonderful
days studying at the university with students from other countries, and the chance to travel
through Spain, but I never imagined the opportunities this trip had to offer and the splendid
moments ahead. The award included a three week study at the university with all expenses paid
for my room and board at the dorm, tuition, textbooks, special events, field trips, guided tours,
medical coverage, publishers’ presentations with sample materials, and the study of selected
Spanish films. In addition to the scholarship, CABE contributed $1,000 towards my airfare.
Amanda Flores, 2-Way CABE Teacher of The Year for 2007 and recipient of the same
scholarship, joined me in my travels to study abroad. The opportunities and possibilities for this
trip could not get any better, as we both set off for a bilingual educator’s dream and an
adventure of a lifetime.
Our journey began on a long flight from Los Angeles airport to Madrid, followed by a
train ride to Salamanca. We arrived a day before our classes began and found the university to
be a bustling place with thousands of educators from different parts of the world, such as
Algiers, Poland, Romania, Portugal, Chile, Canada, France, Germany, Puerto Rico, China,
USA, and other foreign countries, participating in the same Cursos de verano for educators. All
of us communicated through one tongue – Spanish. We were bound together by a common
reason: the desire to improve our Spanish skills, learn about the history and culture of Spain,
and gain new strategies for teaching the Spanish language. For me, the coming together of
these educators with such varied experiences was the most extraordinary feeling of
wonderment and excitement for new found friendship.
Salamanca is located within the region of Castilla León in the central part of the Iberian
Peninsula. The province of Salamanca shares its western border with Portugal, and the town of
Salamanca is only about 2 hours drive from Madrid. The University of Salamanca, founded in
1218 by King Alfonso IX, is considered the oldest in Spain, was once the greatest in Europe.
The entryway, dating from 1534, is a splendid piece of sculpture, intricate in its detail. The main
medallion adorning the “doorway to heaven” depicts the Catholic monarchs, Isabella and
Ferdinand, who supplied the cost of creating this work of art. Inside the university one can visit a
16th-century classroom with crude wooden benches, a library full of antiquities, a chapel with an
impressive intricate altar, and a California Sequoia in the middle of the square. On the first day
of classes, we were welcomed by various university dignitaries at the Paraninfo, a room
reserved for the most prestigious awards and occasions, since the founding of the university.
Life as a Student
Our dorm, Residencia Universitaria Colegio de Oviedo, was a 20 minute walk from the
university. My studio had a private bath, plenty of storage, ample desk with a phone and a twin
bed. Amanda and I had to quickly learn the life of a college student. Having graduated from our
local colleges and universities, we had never experienced “life at the dorms.” We quickly
learned to get our laundry done late at night or during the afternoon “siesta,” since we had to
share the washers and dryers with hundreds of other students. Computers, library, and a TV
room were available in common areas where everyone gathered to send emails home, hear the
latest news, and share our experiences. We walked to our classes early in the morning with
bags full of course materials and went to the park after classes to do our homework or reflect on
the day’s lessons. A major priority was to adapt to our new meal schedules with a continental
breakfast in the morning, followed by “la comida,” a heavy course meal served between 2:003:00 p.m., and la cena, another full hot meal served from 9:00-10:00 p.m. In between meals, we
learned to eat more, los cafesitos, los helados, los postres, los pinchos y las tapas. Eating
became a social event enjoyed by everyone whether at the residencia or the plaza, at the
outdoor cafes or the restaurants, at the pastry shops or even the several ham museums, with
every type of ham leg and flavor imaginable. Eating a meal became a timeless, relaxing
occasion filled with new palatable delights. One of our classes dealt specifically with la
Gastronomía española, where we learned about the cultural aspects of “tapas,” main regional
products, specialty dishes, and how to select Spanish wines. The professor even brought
delicious sample foods.
Course Content for Imágenes de España
The first course, Clase de lengua española, delved deeply into the knowledge and use
of the Spanish language as well as into its grammar structures, functions and real situations of
usage. Our professor, Marina Sanchéz García, covered areas thought to be most challenging
for educators who teach Spanish as a foreign language, outlining the pitfalls student normally
face as they gain fluency in the language. It was a course for proficient speakers of the
language. The course syllabus included understanding and mastery of skills in several language
forms such as “ser y estar,” variations of verb forms used in the preterit, imperfect, plus perfect,
conditional, future and of course, everyone’s favorite - the subjunctive. We spent 10 hours
weekly in class on grammar exercises and application activities, in addition to nightly homework.
The second course, Curso de cultura, included 5 hours of weekly lessons on the Spanish
culture, and an additional 5 hours of history and art. The course content taught by Professor
Rosario Coca Hernando, included the origin and evolution of Spanish names and surnames,
social customs and conventions, the political transition from dictatorship to democracy, the
country’s geography and autonomous communities, the famous artists and museums,
appreciation for cultural films/music, and the educational system of Spain. The class format
included collaborative activities, role play, readings, and discussions.
The Splendor of Salamanca
Classes ended around 1:30 p.m., just before lunch. La comida was offered at one of
three comedores available at different residencias at the university. Then off to the dorms for a
siesta, catch up on email, send postcards home, do laundry, complete homework, or walk
around town. With the majority of the stores closed between 2:00-5:00 p.m., time spent through
the winding cobble stone streets was mostly window shopping, or taking in the beautiful scenery
of Salamanca. Our favorite time was discovering this ancient city’s treasures and the daily lives
of those who lived and worked in Salamanca. The ancient city is well preserved, with turreted
palaces, impressive convents, Romanesque churches, a Roman stone bridge over the Río
Tormes, and one of Spain’s most beautiful Plaza Mayor, an 18th-century baroque town square
with an arcade of shops. Since the best way to see Salamanca was on foot, Amanda and I
armed ourselves with various versions of maps and guide books, and of course, walking shoes
and water. It was easy to find ourselves lost amidst the honey colored sandstone buildings in
the maze of narrow streets filled with novelty stores. We wondered in and out of regional
handicraft kiosks, or followed the scent of sizzling olive oil, freshly baked breads and even
brewed espresso from the nearby cafes and bars. The cathedral’s edifice was always our
landmark due to its location next to the university buildings near the center of the Old Town. Its
late Gothic, Baroque and Platereques architectural features adjoined the Old Cathedral in
Spanish Romanesque style. An amazing blend of history and epochs in time, as we would
frequent its walkways and steps on sunny afternoons and enjoyed a wonderful view of the entire
city by climbing the numerous stairways inside the cathedral to the top of the bell towers. A stroll
after dinner was another favorite pastime, since a beautifully lit panoramic view of the town’s
historic buildings was visible from any direction, including the majestic Plaza Mayor with its
summer festivals of cultural events.
Guided Tours and Extracurricular Activities
In the late afternoons a variety of activities were available to the students as part of their
tuition to the summer courses. Daily guided tours by university professors in the Old Town
included Las visitas a la ciudad through the various cathedrals, convents, palaces, and
university buildings. We would meet professors whose field of expertise included the historical
aspects of the city edifices. These were guided walking tours of the sites and facilities all
narrated in Spanish. Another curricular activity was the study of Spanish films in Curso de cine
en español where we watched films and discussed their historical and political significance in
Spain. Such films selected by the professors were El desencanto, Lorca – muerte de un poeta,
El perro del hortelano, and others. And in the evenings, we would dress up for the theater. Part
of our tuition also included Las noches del Fonseca, a series of performances by artists such as
the Iberia Flamenco guitarists, Cámara Negra Flamenco Show, and two Spanish plays.
Optional activities available for a nominal fee were Un verano de cine español in which
we saw six of Spain’s finest films awarded for best actor/actress, director, cinematography, sets,
costumes, and scripts. These films had received awards at the Cannes Film Festival and other
nationally acclaimed events. We atended the showings of Bajo las estrellas, Concursante, Los
ladrones, Vete de mí, El laberinto del fauno y El camino de los ingleses. One would think these
activities were enough to keep us busy during our entire Curso de verano, but evidently
Amanda and I decided to also register for flamenco dance lessons taught by a professional
flamenco dancer under contract at the university’s cultural center. Although we both loved the
dancing, we agreed that flamenco is an art form, requiring years of practice to master all the
skills to perform a tablado. But we had the best lessons and practices in a fun environment with
a caring instructor. Other options for those interested in more extra curricular involvement were
cooking classes, guitar and singing lessons. Also available were 3 municipal swimming pools for
those who preferred to swim and relax.
Cultural Excursions
But our biggest thrill were the two all expenses paid fieldtrips of our choice as part of our
tuition. These were all day excursions to Madrid, Segovia, León, Burgos, Ávila, Toledo or
Cáceres, as well as weekend excursions to such places as Granada, Sevilla, Barcelona or
Portugal. The tours were all guided and narrated by university professors with expertise in the
field. One could also purchase additional tours based on availability. For our first choice,
Amanda went to Madrid and visited El Museo del Prado, a world famous repository of the
greatest Spanish artists and other European painters, and El Museo Centro Nacional de Arte
Reina Sofia with the greatest collection of 20th and 21st-century modern works of Spanish artists.
And I selected La ruta de los castillos, which traveled through the province of Castilla León into
three well preserved castles of different eras. Traveling through the beautiful countryside of
wheat and oat fields, we arrived at our first stop, the 10th-century Castillo de Coca, a Moorish
defense castle with walls several feet wide surrounded by a moat in the middle of a small town.
In our second destination through Valladolid’s vineyards and fine wineries, we encountered the
11th-century Castillo de Peñafiel, another fortress high on a hilltop now used as the Museum of
Provincial Wines. The last stop was at the 10th-century Castillo de Cuéllar in a mudéjar style,
meaning it was built with a blend of Christian, Jewish, and Moorish architecture.
For the second field trip we both selected to visit El Escorial and the city of Ávila. The
Monastery of San Lorenzo at El Escorial is a huge granite fortress which houses a wealth of
paintings and tapestries and serves as the burial place for the Spanish kings. It also houses one
of the world’s most significant priceless collections of books in the Royal Library. From there, we
visited the ancient city of Ávila that is completely encircled by a well-preserved 11th-century wall,
declared as a national landmark with Romanesque churches, Gothic palaces, and a fortified
cathedral inside the city walls. But that wasn’t enough for Amanda who took an extra excursion
to Toledo, the city inspired by El Greco in the 16th-century and still remains relatively unchanged
with a mix of Arab, Jewish, Christian and even Roman and Visigothic elements.
At the end of our Cursos de verano internacionales, the university prepared a graduation
ceremony for all the participants. We returned to the Paraninfo, where the university dignitaries
and professors celebrated our accomplishments and gave us our diplomas. The celebration
continued at the Patio de Escuelas Menores, where we feasted with tapas, wine, singing and
dancing. Although the three weeks in Salamanca seemed such a short stay, the lessons we
learned in class, the amazing historical tours, the conversations with the foreign educators, and
the interactions with the local folk would undoubtedly last us a lifetime. This extraordinary
journey linked our Hispanic heritage and Spanish language from the past to the present. We
found keys for understanding our history that unlocked many mysteries rooted in our cultural
identities today. Upon synthesizing these incredible experiences, we associated the connections
to Latin American beliefs, values, traditions, music, art, food, including religion and politics. We
recognized the honor to represent the numerous bilingual teachers in California through this
prestigious award from CABE, 2-Way CABE, and the Spanish Embassy. Upon returning home
our suitcases were packed with more than just souvenirs and books, but of a cherished journal
full of memoirs and reflections of our new found knowledge. And as we began this new school
year, we brought back the experiences of the new imágines de lengua y cultura to our students,
colleagues and families. This poem written inside our schedule of classes, Marca Pasos de
Cursos Internacionales, states the sentiments of teaching and learning in Spanish for our
students in bilingual programs.
Enseñar español es lo mismo
que poner un motor a una barca…
hay que medir, pensar, equilibrar…
… y poner todo en marcha.
Pero para eso,
uno tiene que llevar en el alma
un poco de marino…
un poco de pirata…
un poco de poeta…
y un kilo y medio de paciencia concentrada.
Pero es consolador soñar
mientras uno trabaja,
que ese barco, ese niño
irá muy lejos por el agua.
Soñar que ese navío
llevará nuestra carga de palabras
hacia puertos distantes, hacia islas lejanas.
Soñar que cuando un día
esté durmiendo nuestra propia barca,
en barcos nuevos seguirá
nuestra bandera enarbolada.
Por Gabriel Celaya