A little slice of Spain

A Spanish-immersion program from the '60s will be revitalized next fall. It will mark the program's return after a 25-year absence.

The UW Spanish and Portuguese division of the international studies program plans on hosting the special-interest house in Lander Hall. Students who participate in La Casa Hispanica (Spanish House) will be immersed daily in Spanish culture and must speak Spanish throughout the hall.

There are expected to be approximately 20 students participating this fall, with the number of participants increasing as the year goes on.

"We wanted to not start with as many students this year," said Paloma Borreguero, the first-year Spanish coordinator and TA supervisor. "I think it will be very successful. The graduate students are very enthusiastic."

A graduate student from the Spanish Embassy will live with the students and help them with homework and language skills. Twenty-five UW graduate students have also volunteered to help improve the students' language skills.

"The goal is to make it seem as close to a Spanish environment as possible," said Jorge Gonzalez Casanova, program advisor.

Even so, Gonzalez said, he doesn't expect anyone to go into any sort of culture shock.

"They'll be surrounded by their natural environment," he said. "I don't see any sort of culture shock happening."

Culture shock, argues Portuguese instructor Elvin Lorne Wirkala, helps people learn a language even better.

Growing up on a farm, Wirkala didn't see many foreigners.

"The only experience I had with foreigners [was with] Scandinavians," he said.

But Wirkala experienced the Portuguese culture first-hand when he was 22 years old and in the Peace Corps in Brazil. After not knowing the language very well and being exposed to it by force, he decided studying language was the way to go.

After the Peace Corps, he was accepted to the UW and became a resident in the 1964 Spanish House in McMahon Hall.

Wirkala, like all of the Spanish House students, forced himself to speak Spanish whenever he was in the hall. Political activists from Guatemala and Peru gave lectures about their political struggles and the typical oppression South Americans face.

"It was a very positive experience. It broadened my perspective and made me more empathetic toward foreign causes," he said.

Though not in McMahon, next fall's Spanish House will try to recapture some of Wirkala's experiences.

Students will attend weekly roundtable discussions and bi-weekly Spanish-language movies, followed by a group discussion of the movies. Students will also have a dinner and dance each quarter where the rooms will become open for the rest of the campus to enjoy.

In order to be part of the program, students must sign a contract stating that they will stay in the dorm for an entire year, make a commitment to speak only Spanish in the residence hall and must have completed Spanish 102.

"They don't have to be Spanish majors, but most are," he said.

Akin to Wirkala's Spanish House days, the department will also be inviting speakers to campus and having the students engage in conversations with them, said Borreguero.

Most Spanish students who aspire to be fluent in a language eventually reach a level where they can't learn any more from the classroom, Borreguero said.

"They have to hear it, learn and then live it," she said. "Culture and language is totally binding."

Borreguero said she encourages students to go to Spanish-speaking foreign country and immerse themselves in the language.

"But ... if they can't, the next best thing is to come here," she said.

She said she hopes to get a mix of Spanish-heritage students who want to use their native tongue more regularly and students who wish to learn the language a bit more.

"I can see it being a place of ambiance," Borreguero said. "It's definitely a unique opportunity for students who can't leave the country."

Wirkala said he would try to visit the students as much as possible. He said he looks forward to telling the students about his life experiences and engaging in common conversations with them.

"It seems to me the language departments should be interactive with their culture," he said. "I'm proud that our department has decided to do this."

The cost is the same as any of the other UW dorm rooms: $5,076 a year for an average meal plan or $7,359 for the premium meal plan. Gonzalez has accepted 13 students so far and is still accepting applications.

To receive an application or to get more information, call program adviser Jorge Gonzalez Casanova at (206) 685-1999 or e-mail him at panta@u.washington.edu. Also try the Center for Spanish Studies online at depts.washington.edu/spnrectr.