The Best Five Months of My Life Past Review
By A student (Sociology and Spanish, The University of Texas at Austin) - abroad from 01/04/2013 to 05/24/2013 with
AIFS: Granada - University of Granada and Internship Program
It was the most amazing experience of my life. I learned how much I take for granted in the United States, but more importantly how much my priorities have changed since being abroad. I now value family and friendships more than work and materialistic things.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
I took wonderful classes that were all taught in Spanish. My professors were very kind and funny and made the class time very entertaining. I took the highest level courses that were offered based on my level of Spanish (advanced), but I still found them to be fairly easy. Teachers don't really meet with the students before or after classes, so finding time to talk to them one-on-one is difficult. While the classes did help improve my Spanish skills, they did little to further my knowledge of the subject material that was being covered. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
I absolutely loved my program administration. The woman who ran the program was always available to help us out with any question or concern we had. The trips that we took as a program were wonderful! The office for our program was located right next to our classes in the center of the city which made it easy to access. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
My señora was difficult to get along with in the beginning. She was not very nice and complained about everything that me or my roommate did. Whether it was using too much toilet paper or sleeping weird on our sheets, she never ceased to complain about us. Her husband was wonderful and she had good intentions but I think that after being in the program for over 28 years, it was time for her to retire. At the end of my stay she was much nicer and more accomadating but needless to say, it took her over half the program time to be that way. My roommate was wonderful and we got along very well. |
| * Food: |
My señora's cooking was phenomenal! I was exposed to real Spanish cooking and meals the entire time I was there. She always had a variety of food prepared for us and her meals were always different and freshly prepared. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I disliked that the program placed us with only other Americans in our classes. I would have liked to attend the actual University of Granada and take classes with native Spanish speakers. Due to this reason, I feel like I had limited exposure to the local culture and people because my only time to get to know natives was during my outings at night. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I did not have any experience with the healthcare in Granada. |
| * Safety: |
I felt very safe in Granada compared to other cities that I visited. Pickpocketing was of course a problem but that is an issue in most cities in Europe. I never walked alone at night because I don't believe that is safe to do in any city; however, in general, I always felt comfortable and safe in Granada. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
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Finances
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* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget?
(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost) |
Granda is a very cheap city but because I traveled almost every weekend, I ended up spending hundreds of dollars every week just for travel expenses. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | If I stayed in Granada, I spent around 40 euros each week. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Plan out your travel expenses to the best of your ability and make sure you take in to account the small things such as cab or bus fare. Eat at home if you are living in a homestay, and don't spend all your money in the beginning because you think you have a lot! It disappears faster than you think! Put yourself on a strict budget and stick to it. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
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How much did the program encourage you to use the language?
0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language |
I used the Spanish language everyday all day because all of my classes were in Spanish and my señora at my homestay spoke no English. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Intermediate |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Advanced |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Spanish 327G - first upper division Spanish course available at my school. |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | Make friends with natives, and don't only spend time with people in your program. Live in a homestay to improve your language skills and only take classes in that language. When you and your American friends are alone together, try speaking the language to each other so you can always be practicing! |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? |
A Look Back
| * What did you like most about the program? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | That it goes by faster than you think so live up every second of it and make sure to stick to a budget so you don't run out of money before your program ends. I also wish I had known I wasn't taking classes with natives. |
Reasons For Studying Abroad
| To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you. |
The Nearly Native or Trail BlazerCraving the most authentic experience possible, perhaps you lived with a host family or really got in good with the locals. You may have felt confined by your program requirements and group excursions. Instead, you'd have preferred to plan your own trips, even skipping class to conduct your own 'field work.' |
