Best Summer of my life Past Review
By Adriana M (Lamar High School) - abroad from 06/15/2012 to 07/14/2012 with
Arcos Journeys Abroad: High School Program - Spanish Language & Culture in Granada, Spain
I learned so much about Spain and Granada's culture and I definitely think it was worthwhile
Review Photos
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
I think it was just because of the session I attended, but I was not placed in a language class that suited my level. I was told that if I had attended the following session that I would have been placed into an appropriate level but that my session was during the time that the University of Granada was closed and we had to attend a small language school instead. I still think that I learned quite a bit about the language but maybe not as much as I would have had I been surrounded by students at my spanish-speaking level |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
I would have preferred a little more freedom, curfew wise, but the administration was always very kind, funny, and helpful. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
My host family was fantastic but the street we lived on was under construction so we were awakened by jack-hammers every morning and we had to try to sleep through the noise during siesta. |
| * Food: |
It's a bit of a culture shock to suddenly not have much of a breakfast anymore and begin eating a lot of bread with every meal but I think that it's just part of the experience. I would have preferred a little more substance in the picnics the program provided for us on certain occasions, however |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Because i was always surrounded by people in the program, we would speak in English to each other. I would have liked an opportunity to meet local kids our age in order to practice my spanish with them. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
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| 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) |
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| * Was housing included in your program cost? | Yes |
| * Was food included in your program cost? | No |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | I would spend about 100-150 euros per week. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | It helps to eat most of your meals with your family because you save money and you get to practice your spanish with them. My host mom was my biggest resource for improving my spanish |
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 |
The whole purpose of this program is to improve your language skills so they would get mad at us for speaking english but sometimes they would just give up and let us speak english for a bit. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Advanced |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Fluent |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Spanish 4 |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | Make friends with store owners. They'll be interested to hear you are a student and will have conversations with you. |
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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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 would have known that I was going to be the most advanced spanish speaker of the group and I would have requested a more advanced class. I also wish I would have known that I was going to be surrounded by Americans the entire trip. |
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. |
