Barcelona, best four months of my life Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Courses were interesting, professors were kind and helpful.

On-site administration of your program

I adored AIFS's onsite staff in Barcelona. They were always incredibly kind and helpful, and honestly really fun to go on the trips with!

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

My apartment was in the perfect location, and newly renovated. It'd be five stars except our land lord was difficult and rude. Our onsite staff, however, did do their very best to help us and deal with her. They would even come over to check on things and handle speaking with her for us.

I liked having the debit card that was reloaded with my food allowance each month. That was definitely a good system. Also, whenever the program shelled out for meals (welcome and goodbye dinners, packed lunches on excursions), they actually fed us really well! The welcome dinner even had bottomless wine.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I lived in an apartment, so all of my neighbors were locals. AIFS also provided a couple of volunteer opportunities that allowed me to be even more involved with the community, so I was able to work with local adults with developmental disabilities all semester through Best Buddies Spain.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

AIFS offered exceptional health care. Part of the program fees went towards enrolling me in an insurance program, so I had that when I needed it. But they really blew me away when I actually needed to go to the doctor. I emailed the onsite staff when I woke up, and within an hour they had made me an appointment for that same morning. Someone from the office met me at the metro and came with me to help translate, etc. It was like having my mom to take care of me again!

I always felt safe in Barcelona. One of the first days there, AIFS has local police officers come and give a safety presentation, so I was aware of my surroundings from the beginning and what precautions I should take. Pit pocketing is big, but if you know what to look for and how to avoid it, you can avoid it easily enough. The police coached us on this pretty well, and I never lost anything. If you're a big party person, you need to be cautious down by the clubs at night, but it's the same as it would be here. Watch your drink, and don't go off with anyone you don't know alone (cabbies included).

I chose AIFS because it was the cheapest option I looked at, but they exceeded every expectation I have. I really feel like they were the best provider.

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

Once you've paid the program costs, you can live pretty skimpy. However, you might not really want to. Sure, you can eat in for meals and not spend money going out a lot, but honestly you're only there for a few months so you might as well take advantage of it as much as you can. Barcelona does have a lot you can do for cheap or free though. There's great hiking, beaches, etc.

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

AIFS required that I

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• Apartment

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• Americans

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• Americans
• International Students

• The staff <3
• The optional (& included) excursions
• The opportunities to volunteer

• I wish there had been some way that I could have extended my time in my apartment and stayed a bit at the end

The Avid Adventurer