Case Study: Anam Rahman, China – 2017
During my second year of university I wrote a paper on the Chinese economy. It was here where the magnitude of the inevitable global macroeconomic shifts, finally sunk in. Within the next 10 years China will be the biggest economy in the world. By 2050 its GDP per capita will…
Case study: Mercedes Jaskolka, St Petersburg, Russia – 2017
I was full of nerves when I landed in St Petersburg. I thought I’d feel somewhat comfortable in a new environment, having had spent 5 months living in Paris. But nothing could prepare me for the culture shock that came with living and breathing Russia’s culture capital for 5 whole…
Case Study: Gavin Vine – China 2016-2017
I began my year in China working at the British embassy in Beijing, before starting university at Peking University, one of China’s top universities, as part of my year abroad. It was at this time when my John Speak scholarship started, providing me with extra money that enabled me to…
Case Study: Charlotte McGarry – China, 2016 – 2017
The third year of my university degree took the form of a year abroad spent studying Mandarin in Beijing, China. Along with eight other classmates from Cambridge, I moved to Beijing’s student district of Wudaokou in September 2016, ready to embark on a ten month journey of cultural immersion and…
Nathan Randerson, Case Study: Spain 2016-2017
John Speak Trust Report – 2017 Its been an incredible last 18 months, my experience in Spain has surpassed all my expectations and is something which I will never forget. I’ve spent six months studying in Córdoba and one year working in the Corporate Procurement Department of NH Hotel Group…
Sinead O’Connor: Case Study, China – 2016
I began receiving the John Speak travel grant in September 2016, when I began my third year abroad in China as part of my university degree. As there is very little in way of any other monetary help for students choosing to study abroad, especially in this part of the…
Matt Hattam: Case Study – Madrid, Spain 2016
For the final four months of 2016 I worked for a translation company in Madrid. The scholarship from the John Speak Trust really enabled me to maximise the experience in the Spanish capital as well as providing me the chance to explore other cities in the region. As a city,…
Grace Partington: Case Study – Portugal, 2016
Case Study: Grace Partington, Portugal (2016) Receiving a John Speak Trust Scholarship was extremely helpful in easing financial pressure whilst abroad (including cost of travel, accommodation and social activities) which aided me in improving my Portuguese. In January I arrived in Portugal (in Lisbon airport to be exact) to fantastic…
Georgia Dolan: Case Study – Colombia, 2016
In April this year, I was fortunate to receive a John Speak Scholarship. I initially arrived in the capital, Bogota, to begin my four month Scholarship in Colombia. Having been heavily influenced by the media and western perceptions of Colombia, and particularly that of my parents’ generation, I landed in…
Jack Davies – Case Study: Liaocheng, China 2015-2016
Firstly let me start by saying ……………….. Thank you to the John Speak Language Trust for the support it offered me during the semester I spent at Liaocheng University in Shandong China. With being a recipient of the funds, I was able to focus much more on my studying of…
