I’m Mollie, a third-year languages student at Liverpool, currently on my year abroad in Toulouse. During my first year at Liverpool studying French, I chose to study Catalan as an optional module. I wish I had known at the time how many opportunities and amazing experiences this decision would bring for me in the future.
My Catalan classes during my first and second year at Liverpool were some of my favourites. The quality of teaching was amazing, and what I really valued most was the opportunity to apply our learning. As we were a small class, everyone had lots of opportunities to speak, read aloud and receive help with grammar and listening exercises, for example. Thanks to this my language improved greatly, and our relaxed class environment meant that we all became good friends. At the end of the year, we celebrated together with a meal at Lunya, Liverpool’s Catalan restaurant.
The summer following my second year of university, I had the fantastic opportunity to do a ‘Linguistic Stay’ in Girona and Andorra, organised by the Ramon Llull Institute. The purpose of the trip was to be completely immersed in Catalan culture for two weeks, as well as having classes with specialised teachers. This trip was such a beautiful experience, I met people from all over the world, visited new places, and got to truly apply my language skills in real life situations. We made excursions to vineyards, museums, churches and even shows such as Cirque du Soleil, all while being completely immersed in the Catalan language and culture. I made special friendships on this trip, and we are all still in touch with each other today.
When I moved to Toulouse for my year abroad, I was lucky enough to be able to take modules in the Catalan language and culture. As well as language classes, I took classes in Catalan history, politics and literature. These classes deepened my passion for the language and interest in different aspects of the culture. I ended up being in a politics class (of only three students!) with two girls from Catalonia, with whom I became really good friends. Thanks to the two of them, I’ve learned so much about their language and culture that I wouldn’t have been able to learn in just a classroom.
Lastly, in January, I had the opportunity to do an English/Catalan language exchange with a student from the University of Barcelona. I was partnered with Núria in January, and ever since our first video call, we became close friends. We call each other every week for two or three hours, and we somehow never run out of things to talk about! Our conversations interchange fluidly between our two languages, and we help each other out if there’s something we don’t know.
Last week, since it was the celebration of Sant Jordi in Barcelona, she invited me to visit her for a few days so we could meet in person for the first time. We had the most amazing time together, she introduced me to her friends and family, and we got to experience the festivities in the city together. I am forever grateful that I made the decision to study Catalan nearly 3 years ago now. The people I’ve met, places I’ve been, and experiences I’ve had thanks to this language are irreplaceable.
