The Adventure of a Lifetime Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

There wasn't a lot of homework in the majority of the classes that I took, which gave me a lot more time to travel and spend time exploring the streets of Granada and hanging out with my host family. In most of the classes, there were only two grades (the midterm and the final), which was a little stressful at times. I feel like I learned a lot in my classes, both about the topics at hand and the Spanish culture. My Spanish skills improved immensely, and I was able to understand my teachers without problems most of the time. The teachers were all very personable and friendly, and always willing to help or explain things if you needed extra help.

On-site administration of your program

The on-site group at CEA is amazing! They are all super nice, and very fun to spend time with. They know the city very well, and are always willing to help with whatever you need, whether it is finding a place to go out to eat or scheduling an appointment. Everyone is able to converse in both English and Spanish, so communication is easy.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

My host family was wonderful. I lived with a mom, dad, 22 year old sister, and 16 year old sister. They were very friendly and caring, and so patient. The first couple of weeks, it was difficult to converse, but by the end, it was easy. Having siblings my age was great because it really helped me get a chance to practice my Spanish at home. Sometimes, I would go out with my sister and her friends, which was a lot of fun. I would help them with their English homework, and they would help me with the colloquial Spanish expressions that I had to learn. Our apartment was pretty nice, but about half an hour walk from the school. But the beautiful view of the Sierra Nevadas makes it a lot better.

My host mom was an excellent cook, and I loved the Spanish cuisine - especially the paella. We did not have a ham leg in our house, which I was pretty happy about, but we definitely ate a decent amount of it. We had a lot of vegetables, soups, and fish. There was definitely a lot of oil in the food, and some days we ate a lot of fried food, but as a whole, I feel like we had a very healthy, balanced diet in my house.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I adjusted to some parts of the local culture better than others. I still have not gotten used to the lack of personal space and besos, but I have gotten accustomed to a lot of the other Spanish customs. I feel like I got to know the city very well, and that I learned a lot about the culture by spending time talking with my host sister and her friends. I also went to a church that had a Mass for the university students, and that really helped me to feel more involved in the culture and community. Everybody there was extremely friendly, and I wish I would have spent more time there earlier in the semester.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I luckily enough did not have to deal with the healthcare while I was here, but my roommate did multiple times. She told me that it was very simple, and quick to get in and out of. I know that our program was more than willing to help schedule appointments with the doctor for us and make recommendations as to where we should go.

As a whole, I felt very safe in Granada. During the day, I was comfortable walking anywhere in the city alone. At night, I tried to always make sure that I was walking with another person. It wasn't always possible, but I would just recommend being aware of your surroundings and speaking in Spanish to blend in more if you are worried.

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

I had saved quite a bit of money for the trip, but tried not to go overboard or spend too much while here. Since all meals were included with the housing, I didn't have to spend too much on food. I would go out with friends to tapas bars and the like, but tried not to spend too much there. Traveling was definitely the most expensive part, but I generally ate at the hostel or ate a lot of bread and pasta.

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

At school, all of my classes were in Spanish, so we had to use it in class. My host family doesn't speak any English, so I had to speak Spanish at home. When we spent time with the CEA staff, they would try to talk to us in Spanish, but were also willing to speak in English if we preferred. When I was amongst my American friends, we didn't speak enough Spanish, but some of us liked to speak mostly in Spanish to keep practicing and improving.

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• Host Family

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• Americans
• Host Family

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• Americans
• International Students

• Learning about the culture
• Staying with a host family
• The city - Granada is wonderful

• It may sound cliche, but I honestly can't think of anything...

The Academic or Linguist