Interview to Maria de los Angeles Paiva Mediavilla (English translation)

1) Is it the first time you teach in Portugal? If yes, do you like it?
No, it’s the 2nd time. Yes, I liked it, just as I did the 1st time, that’s why I came back. The way Portuguese students behave is positive in comparison with Spanish students.

2) What do you think about Education in Portugal?
I can’t answer this question in an accurate or objective way, since I only know 2 different sides of the Portuguese equation, one being the Cervantes Institute, which depends on the Spanish Ministry of Education, and the other the higher education one, only from the IPB’s viewpoint. I only know that, generally, in Spain and Portugal the educational level at high school and University has decreased so much from my generation on and I won’t even mention how much from my parents' generation.

3) What do you think about the IPB? Is it a good polytechnic institute?
Talking about the definition of “Polytechnic institute”, I like the IPB because it involves many technical subjects, like drawing, chemistry, sports, etc. About the structure and the time given to Linguistic subjects, I would say they still need some improvement, once it needs specific language labs and often the classrooms are not prepared to have, for example, a seminar about Spanish cultural and literary issues. The layout of the classroom is harmful to the oral practice of modern languages and the only media available are projectors and old cassette players.

4) What do you think about our degree? What would you change?
I would change, in line with what I said, something about the French or Spanish languages. It would be interesting to introduce an optional version with French, because it is a common and important language in the EU and it also has some common aspects with Latin. As an important subject, it could include a branch dedicated to Iberian Studies. In many U.S. universities, the study of Spanish and Portuguese is considered inseparable in a common area called the Ibero-American studies, of course, because the course of history. It would make the relationship between the languages easier and would also create better understanding of aspects of a common culture, the Iberian, and would eliminate false clichés and prejudices inherited from the mistakes done in the teaching of history about the neighboring country, both in Spain and Portugal.

5) Would you like to stay more years teaching on IPB or not? Why?
I would have liked to stay more years if I could get the opportunity to work on my specialty, Spanish Culture and Literature, specially trying to make Spain and the Spanish closer to the Portuguese, in a positive way. But I couldn’t for personal and institutional reasons mainly due to my contract.

6) What has inspired you to become a teacher? Have you always wanted to be a teacher?
What has inspired me? Good question! I think my own teachers, which were excellent. There is nothing better than a teacher to give the example. I believe that I always wanted to be a teacher, even though I was taking the risk of losing my illusion, because of this new young generation, that is always surprising me, even though I’m still young. When I was a student, I was filled with the illusion of learning, despite financial and institutional issues. It seems to me this was the biggest test to my calling.

7) What do you like the most in this profession and why the Spanish Language?
I would like to be in another country, speaking another language; sharing and exchanging cultural, idiomatic and different social aspects that are also a part of my own culture. The Spanish Language connects with and identifies me wherever I go to teach it and it makes me feel guided and secure anywhere, offering the chance to express my love for my own country, my culture and my students.

8) What do you think about the Portuguese students?
They are special, very peculiar, in a different way from the other students I had in other countries. Usually, the ones that chose to learn my language easily get used to the Spanish linguistic and cultural aspects; it almost seems like they enjoy pretending to be Spanish in an exaggerated way, I would say. The ones that are used to the language, to the idiosyncratic of Spanish, can behave in two ways: they don’t make a tremendous effort to distinguish the “portuñol” from the Spanish, which seems nice, or they are overly obsessed with the opposite, separating or correcting their colleagues’ mistakes. It depends on their level. As I said, they’re peculiar, especially in this region of “Trás-os-Montes”.

9) Do you like to live in Portugal?
I love it! Portugal is an excellent country to live or to spend a little part of your life there. I only know “Trás-os-Montes”, as it is the place where I lived, and a bit of Lisbon, but it’s a country where I could always feel comfortable and I don’t notice a dramatic change or adaptation process to people’s life.

10) Do you think people here are really used to the Spanish language and culture?
Yes and no. I mean: it’s easy in Bragança for a person, especially young people, to answer you in Spanish when you talk to them or to make some reference to everyday culture. But at the same time this approximation leads them to wrongly think that Spain is a better country and that it would be easier to get culturally associated to the Spanish, namely to Zamora or to Galicia, underestimating their own culture. On the other hand, it’s the elderly, which have lived in or have family in Spain (ancestors), which feel some sympathy for and brotherhood with Spain. Even though their memory is from a long time ago, it’s more accurate.

11) What about the relationship between Spain and Portugal? Do you believe there is any rivalry?
Rivalry is not the word. The problem is lack of understanding, ignorance from some people and also ignorance about some aspects of History, Society and Iberian Cultures, which are not considered as common material in the creation of our civilization, but is a constant point of objection. It’s necessary an urgent re-education of the History shared between Spain and Portugal.


(English translation done by Taísa Lima Nascimento, 2nd year student of FL: EN/SP)