MirandaAskHer

Hi all, I have a situation that appears (to me) to be a bit unusual. I'm currently a first-year MA/PhD student in an interdisciplinary program. Since I was last at university, I've developed a potential research interest that would take me abroad and likely require ethnographic research in Spain. And lucky me, I don't speak Spanish. I'm currently enrolled in coursework at my university, but the only way to start Spanish here is in the interminably slow undergraduate courses, which, in addition to being unfocused, teach Mexican/Latin American Spanish. To acquire the language skills I need, I will almost certainly have to study away from my university, and would prefer an immersion experience in Spain to maximize my benefit from time spent. I've been hoping to do that this summer. I'm a fellowship student, and despite the fact that I'll be funded for summer study on campus, I cannot apply my tuition benefit to a non-university program, even one approved by the university (don't get me started on this; undergrads can do it, but grad fellows can't). I've been looking for other sources of funding, but most funding for graduate students to go abroad is, of course, geared toward those doing research, and funding for language study abroad is limited to undergrads or students working on an endangered or "strategically significant" language. tl;dr, my standing and goals disqualify me for any funding options I'm seeing. Has anyone else run into this problem? Anybody have any suggestions on where I can look for language-study funding? Need-based options would be fine; I don't have support from outside my university and my stipend isn't sufficient to pay my rent and also my program fees for two months. Thanks!