Life in Granada, living in a changing city while learning and seeing the past everyday Past Review
By Lauren B (Social Work., Illinois State University) for
CEA CAPA Education Abroad: Granada, Spain
Studying abroad made me much more confident in traveling and speaking a foreign language.
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. |
In Spain, it is acceptable for a teacher to not show up for a class without warning, and then plan a make up class for the class they missed. This is very different than in the US, because if a teacher misses a class, they do not force the students to make it up. I found this difficult at times in Spain, because when all the students have different plans and schedules it is very difficult to plan make up classes. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
When the host program took us on trips outside of Granada, the information given to us was usually subject to change and often disorganized. The group size was too big for tours and excursions. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
My experience with my first host family was very negative. They did not have a positive attitude and did not seem to want students around. They seemed to only be interested in earning our money, and would often complain about washing our clothes and other things. They were not patient with our ability to speak Spanish. The mother and daughter we lived with would bicker with each other on a daily basis. They were very strict with rules regarding food, |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
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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? |
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) |
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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | 10 -20 euro |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Make sure you bring two credit cards and are careful with your ATM use. ATM's in Spain may take your cards. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Beginner |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Spanish 213 |
| Language acquisition improvement? |
I practiced Spanish with my host family, teachers, and people with whom I volunteered and had conversation exchanges. |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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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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