Samson

What language did you study and why?
Spanish. Since I was a kid, I have loved football (soccer), and I remember the many fun times that my father would take me to the stadium to watch the Kenyan national team play. My love for this sport has only grown over the years; I play football for my university, play FIFA video games, and currently, I am focusing my journalism career on researching, studying, and reporting on football. The love for soccer and its integration into culture in Spain excites me so much. I am focused on learning these aspects of the sport and translating them in my home country, hoping that the sport will develop to the levels it has peaked in Spain. I hope to emulate the integration of football into a culture in Spain to the Kenyan football scene. As a journalist, my biggest barrier was communication. I needed to learn Spanish to engage with the local community more deeply. Last summer, I was privileged to get that opportunity from Northwestern Undergraduate Language Grant.

What program did you attend and why did you choose it?
AIL Madrid. Initially, I was looking forward to traveling to Spain for my language study, but unfortunately, due to COVID-19 restrictions, I had to take my program online. AIL provided me with a very engaging online study program from native speakers for tutors to weekly virtual tours around Madrid. The reviews that the program had received online too were positive, and when I enrolled, I was not disappointed.

Describe your experience doing summer language study. Was it tricky? How do you think your language skills improved?
It was completely different from what I expected, in a good way, though. When I got in class, I heard the tutor speaking in Spanish, and I was waiting for them to finish and translate what they had said in English. They informed us that learning this new language meant they would not use translations (unless necessary) because that would slow our learning process. This aspect got me being very attentive in class and doing extra work outside of class to ensure I understood better what was being taught, and at the end of it, I found that technique very helpful to my overall learning of the language because my skills improved immensely from writing to reading and speaking.

Did intensive summer language study change or solidify any of your future goals? If so, how?
Learning Spanish has made it easier for me to access more documents in my research on how culture and football are intertwined in Spain. This is major step forward as a journalist focused on learning more about football and culture in Spain.

Do you have any tips or advice for students similar to you that are interested in pursing intensive language study?
Have clear goals on why you want to study the particular language, that helps you to be more driven and focused during your study. Do enough research about the program where you want to take your language, that completely defines how successful your language study will be. Be open minded, have fun, try new things and enjoy especially if you get to travel because learning a new language is meant to be fun 🙂

If you had unlimited time, money, resources, support, etc. what is something you would research?
Whether we can become immortal.

Favorite breakfast food?
Crunchy bacon, avocado, runny eggs, toast and milk.

What is your most useless talent?
Moving my ears.