I fell in love with Barcelona Past Review
By Julia Schroder (Arizona State University) - abroad from 06/02/2018 to 07/22/2018 with
CEA CAPA Education Abroad: Barcelona, Spain
My experience abroad allowed me to explore an incredible and unique city, learn about new cultures, practice communicating in Spanish, and make new friends across the world. It was 100% worthwhile.
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 loved my courses! Learning about Barcelona from local professors really enhanced my overall experience. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The CAPA directors in Barcelona were an amazing help and were always there if I needed anything. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
My host family was incredible! |
| * Food: |
The food in Barcelona is amazing, and my host mom always made new local dishes for me to have for dinner each day. My favorites were all of the fresh seafood and definitely paella! |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Interning at a local nonprofit and staying with a host family definitely surrounded me with lots of locals. Not knowing Catalan made it apparent that I was a foreigner, but everyone in Barcelona speaks Castilian Spanish, so I was able to communicate pretty well with everyone. I was taking the metro and living pretty much like a local for the whole summer! |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
CAPA includes insurance in their program fees, and if anything should happen, the directors will be there to help you. They have an emergency line with someone on duty 24/7. In Barcelona, there are farmacias (pharmacies) everywhere. I was always able to find someone that could speak with me in English and figure out what the best medication would be. Prices are much cheaper there than in the US, and I was able to easily get things like ibuprofen or cold medicine without any problems. |
| * Safety: |
Barcelona is extremely safe, with the only real danger being pick pockets. Make sure you guard your phone, wallet, purse, backpack, etc. at nighttime and on the metro. Never put things in your back pocket or out on the table! |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
Everything about my experience, from the language immersion, to my internship, to my engaging courses, to my local friends, to the individualized tailoring that CAPA offers, was outstanding. |
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) |
Barcelona can be an expensive city if you stick to just the tourist areas, but if you ask around you can find the places where locals hang out. That is where the reasonable prices are! |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | Living in a home stay, I was only responsible for paying for my lunch each day. My other meals were included in the program fee. I would say that I spent around $50 to $80 dollars on food each week. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Don't eat or shop in the touristy spots if you can avoid it! Try and ask the locals where they eat because you'll get more reasonable prices. You shouldn't be paying more than 1.50 euros for a café con leche, for instance, but touristy areas will charge you 2 or 3 euros! You can find a sandwich and a drink for around 4 euros if you know where to go. Lunch doesn't have to be super expensive! |
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 spoke Spanish in my internship and homestay, but I took my courses in English, so most of the time I was speaking with locals in Castilian Spanish. |
| 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? | I had taken SPA 412: Advanced Conversation and Composition before I left for Barcelona, however, I had no experience speaking Spanish outside of the classroom. |
| 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? | I learned very quickly to speak up if I didn't understand something. Saying "no entiendo" was the only way I could get my internship supervisor or my host mom to repeat themselves or slow down for me. It was the most helpful phrase! Just try your best and if you're confused, say so. |
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? | The support system that CAPA has in Barcelona is there to make sure that everything you need is taken care of. There is nothing to worry about -- credits and interning hours and anything you require will work out! |
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 Academic or LinguistYou went abroad with specific academic goals in mind; the program credentials and rigor of your coursework abroad were very important to you. You had a great time abroad, but never lost sight of your studies and (if applicable) were diligent with your foreign language study. Good for you! |
