Granada 2016: Spain'ding time abroad Past Review
By Christina Clemens (Trinity University) - abroad from 01/23/2016 to 05/22/2016 with
Arcadia: Granada - Arcadia in Granada
I feel like I learned so much going abroad, it's hard to sum it up in words. I gained a lot more independence, became more confident in myself, and learned so much about the local culture and culture of the region. I loved Spain a lot, and I highly highly recommend it to everyone who's thinking about going there.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
My classes were very geared towards study abroad students. We were required to take 1-2 Spanish courses along with the electives of our choice. There wasn't much work outside of class and we had Fridays off, which made it very easy to travel and experience other cities (or even just celebrate living in Granada). |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Arcadia in Granada had two advisers present, one for academics and one for student life and housing. They were good listeners and tried to help, but sometimes did not accomplish |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I chose to stay in the student apartments, and I was really happy with my choice. All Arcadia students who chose to live in the apartments lived in the same building, so it was easy to meet up. I lived with a couple Spanish students and a few international students, who stayed for various lengths of time. |
| * Food: |
I really liked the food in Granada, though some people in my program thought Spanish food was too plain for them. People in Spain love potatoes, ham, and olive oil, and most of their meals consist of these three things. What I really liked about Granada, though, is you can find a lot of restaurants with variety. Particularly, Granada has a great Moroccan food scene, and there's quite a number of places with international cuisine. What I also loved was how fresh the food was, with even places like bus stations serving freshly squeezed orange juice and super fresh bread. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Living in the apartments, I felt fairly integrated into the local culture. I got to experience a lot of the city, and visit both tourist and local spots during my semester there. Siesta lifestyle is nice, as long as you're aware some stores (mostly family-owned) are going to closed for a few hours each day. I got to use a lot of Spanish there, because most people in Granada do not speak English. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I did not go to the hospital or visit the doctor at all during my semester, but Arcadia has a specific heathcare provider they will direct you to and will make an appointment for you if you get sick. Other people in my program who have gone had been accompanied by an English speaker when requested to help translate if needed. Some over-the-counter medications are different or harder to find, so I recommend bringing a bottle or pack of the OTC medications you regularly use with you to save yourself the trouble. |
| * Safety: |
Overall I felt like Granada was a super safe city. Because it is a tourist destination there are some cases of pickpockets present in tourist areas (particularly the Alhambra), but as long as you keep your phone and wallet close with you at all times you should be fine. No one in my program ran into any problems with thievery or pickpockets in Granada. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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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) |
Granada is great because it is one of the cheapest cities in Spain. It is also one of the only places that still continues free tapas culture, where every drink you order comes with food (some places have appetizer-like portions, while some give you a full meal). You can easily spend 3-6 euros on a drink or two and get full from the tapas provided. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Order tapas! Also if you're looking to travel on the cheap, there's a lot of low-cost airlines that depart from Malaga/Madrid that are nice and easy to book. I once flew to Rome for only 30 euros! |
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 |
We were required to take language courses, and the majority of people in Granada did not speak English. There were also "intercambios" offered that we were encouraged to attend that paired you with a Spaniard learning English to have conversations and practice speaking. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Beginner |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Intermediate |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Intermediate Spanish I |
| 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? | Attend intercambios, visit places (shops, restaurants, etc) where they only speak Spanish, try to talk to your American friends in Spanish. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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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? | I wish I knew how much I'd be traveling at the beginning so I could have bought flights ahead of time and budgeted accordingly! At first I wasn't sure about traveling because I didn't want to travel alone and hadn't made friends within my program yet, but by the end I was trying to travel all around Europe and Spain every weekend and loved all the experiences I had. |
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 Outright UrbaniteA social butterfly, you're happiest in bustling cities with hip people, and took advantage of all it had to offer. You enjoyed the nightlife, and had fun going out dancing, and socializing with friends. Fun-loving and dressed to the nines, you enjoyed discovering new restaurants, shops, cafes, and bars in your host country. |
