My experience Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Honestly, I was a bit disappointed with the internship I got placed in. I volunteered at a non-profit center for immigrants. I wanted to be placed in the psychology field, I know it was going to be hard to place me since I don't have a lot of experience in the field. I settled for the immigration internship, the people there were helpful and nice. I just didn't like that my internship hardly coincided with psychology. I suppose that wasn't Adelantes fault, but moreover the non-profit organization it turned out that they thought I was there as a Spanish Learner Intern!!!! I thought it was ridiculous since I am a native spanish speaker, I had no trouble communicating with the non-profit. I suppose that it was all a big misunderstanding. Also it is worth noting that Adelante does not give you credit for the internship, therefore, depending on the university you are attending the participant should check if the school will accept or transfer the internship. I did an unofficial internship, I did not receive any credit for it. Beside that I thought that Madrid, Spain had a lot to offer.

On-site administration of your program

The directors for the housing were very attentive whenever we had problems with the internet they responded right away. Also when we emailed the directors in the US about any issues they replied promptly

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

The apartment we were living in was right by Puerta del sol. There is a downside and upside for that, first of all, the apartment is really close to the Language School so that was a plus++++. It was also very close to the metros, thus had access to transportation. It was close to all the bars restaurants, parks. There were a few protests that I witnessed going on right outside the apartment door. The apartment also had a wonderful view! I fell in love, I would open the windows and hear music coming from the street. The only downside that I had was that because the apartment is situated in the heart of Madrid there is so much noise during the night. Since it was summer we had to keep out windows open, I heard all the noise from the outside, in the end I got used to the noise. CLEANLINESS: When I first arrived to the apartment, I got the intention that it was adequate. When I took a closer look I noticed that the kitchen wasn't exactly clean! There were grease stains and leftover sponges. The restroom was unbearable!!!! It was so filthy. I did contact the Language school, Eureka, and Adelante. This wasn't Adelante's fault, it was the language school's since it was their job to clean the apartment before any students resided in it. The language school sent someone to "clean" the apartment but it still wasn't very clean. I had to take matters into my own hands, literally got only hands and knees to scrub the filthy floor. I had to clean the toilet and bathtub! There were leftover hairs from the previous students! Once, I solved the issue i was content with the apartment. I kept it neat and clean. TIPS: I appreciated that the apartment I was assigned was only shared with two other people beside me, my partner, and our roommate. It helped keep the apartment clean, and I felt comfortable. I know that the apartment that EUREKA provides has six students living in it, and it also wasn't as nice as the one I was situated in. Neighbors: It was nice having the other students in the same apartment. One of my neighbors was Angels mom, the administrator from Eureka, and she was such a sweetheart. She was there whenever we needed anything,(extra blankets, towels, she even let us use her washing machine when ours was leaking water) The apartments also do not have dryers, therefore you have to air dry your clothes. The only problem I had was the cleanliness!!!!!!

I wasn't a big fan of the food. I am not too fond of meat, ham, chorizo, or pork. I also aren't a fan of eggs, it seemed like every dish was served with eggs. The supermarket was a bit expensive, fruits and vegetables are expensive. The beer wasn't that great. They mostly serve Mahou, or San Miguel. I did get to enjoy going to the bars at the time I wasn't 21 in the US, and since the age limit to drink is 18 in Spain it was nice. They have limited amount of craft beer bars one of them was in Masalana. The ice-cream was superb!

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I felt a little out of place at first, mostly because I Madrilenos recognized that my spanish was different. My parents are from Mexico, so that is the spanish I grew up with. I also felt like an outsider, because we dressed and looked a little different. It was fine when we started doing more local type things instead of all the tourist attractions.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I didn't have healthcare issues.

I didn't feel unsafe at all! I also didn't have any experience with pickpockets.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

1 I spent a lot of money while living abroad.

0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language

I was definitely forced to speak spanish.

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• Apartment

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• Americans

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• International Students

• Financially affordable
• Helpful

• Better internships

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