Here at USAC, we pride ourselves on providing rigorous academic opportunities for students — to boost their education and keep them on track within their degree program. One critical pillar to our academic framework is our professors, and we don’t think they get enough credit!
No matter where you choose to study, you can do so comfortably knowing that you’ll be taught by some of the best professors available in your host city who work hard to prepare courses, immersive experiences and fun activities into your study abroad academics.
To introduce you to some of our educators around the world and share what makes them tick, we chatted with a few professors in Montevideo, Uruguay.
Meet Ignacio Ampudia
I was born in Madrid and I studied history and Didactics of Spanish for Foreigners. I played guitar and bass in some Madrid bands, I published a novel in 2013 (Algún día será tarde, Ed. Milwaukee) and, that same year, I migrated to Montevideo in search of new adventures. I completed a master’s degree in sociolinguistics, I continued writing novels and stories, and I started writing screenplays for film and television.
In September 2021, I published a new novel : El mundo nuevo (Ed. Sudamericana). I started teaching at USAC in August 2018, and I teach Spanish Composition I & II, Spanish Conversation and Oral Skills and Intercultural Negotiation.
What is your favorite part about working with USAC?
Being in contact and exchanging with students, discussing points of view, opening up to new ideas and ways of thinking… learning with them is undoubtedly the best part of working at USAC.
What do USAC students typically love most about your courses?
In general, students really like the combination of grammatical content with the conversations that are generated to apply this new knowledge in the texts. They also tend to highlight the comfort they feel practicing Spanish without pressure, the good atmosphere, the close treatment and the availability to answer questions.
What does a student need to be successful in your class?
Willingness to learn, patience and a good sense of humor!
Why do you think study abroad is important for students of all backgrounds and degrees?
As an immigrant, I believe that it is essential in the formation of each person to have the opportunity to know other cultures, not only for the pleasure of knowing but because we need to understand that we are neither more nor less than any other person in the world. That knowledge is only achieved by traveling and daring to question everything we believe.
What do you love the most about Montevideo?
The slow cadence of the city, the old, romantic and decadent architecture that mixes with the new constructions for a new era, the boulevard as an exhibition promenade for the inhabitants of the city, the dark and sweaty clubs, the free museums, and the Peruvian restaurants and street grills.
What advice do you have for students interested in studying in Montevideo?
To flow! It is a city full of surprises.
What do you do during your time off? What is your favorite thing to do in Montevideo?
Playing the guitar, cooking, reading (a lot) and everything, spending time in bookstores browsing books, watching a lot of movies but very few series, taking pictures, walking in the mountains and dancing badly — very badly.
What is one fun/unique/interesting fact about yourself?
I have the world record for eating “flanes” without hands: 16 in 60 seconds.
Interested in study abroad in Montevideo, Uruguay? Learn more.
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