Granada is Great! Past Review
By Laura E (Spanish Teacher Education, Illinois State University) for
CEA CAPA Education Abroad: Granada, Spain
It just made me see how many things we have that we truly don't need. I don't turn my lights on as much and I conserve more energy because of it, I try to be outside more than anything else because with technology it's harder and in Europe technology hasn't taken them over yet. And I just learned to not take all these things we have in America for granted because we truly have a lot of stuff we don't need but we like. And I can't wait to continue spanish, this has made me more confident with all aspects of my Spanish. :)
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
|
* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
There is less of a workload in Spain so it requires more self-motivation to work outside of class because they don't ask too much from you. Remember that or you will struggle with your midterms and finals. |
|
* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
I think overall it was only strengths, the only thing I felt like was while all of these other programs were doing all of these trips, we took tiny trips and took one big trip and morocco was cancelled. It made me feel like we didn't exactly get our money's worth. But other than that our program did a great job. |
|
* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Our senora didn't really talk to us much, it was a great location, the neighborhood was nice, and nothing was too dangerous in Granada. We were treated much like clients, but she was nice to us but it just felt like we were money to her. |
| * Food: |
Not too good of food, sometimes it was, but mostly we ate the same about 5 things. It got really annoying because we'd eat fried food for dinner which was terrible. But other than that the food was ok that was one of the only 2 complaints I had. |
|
* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Everything about this nightlife in Spain is incredible, the tapas, the people, the discotecas, and the people are the most memorable. We have a lot of good memories in Granada. All the cities we visited were BEAUTIFUL and I could never forget them, and the cultural things we did in Granada were also unforgettable. |
|
* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
|
| * Safety: |
|
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
|
Finances
|
* 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) |
|
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | Probably 15 euro a week. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Make sure you always have a little bit of emergency money, it's Europe, it's not your home country, something is bound to go wrong while traveling! |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Intermediate |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Spanish 213 - Grammar |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
|
| Language acquisition improvement? |
I practiced with other students, teachers, my host mom, my good friend who lives in Spain. You HAD to use it everyday, most people in Granada really don't know or use English which is a good thing for students like us! |
Other Program Information
|
* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
|
|
* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
|
|
* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
|
A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | The type of student to benefit most from Granada would be an outgoing person, but that's all over Spain. Spain is a very open, lively, LOUD, country and you really have to be at ease with that to learn a lot and enjoy your time there. And as with any traveling you can't get too stressed about things, you aren't home, things are bound to go wrong. :) But most of all, just be positive the whole time, some things just won't work out for you and it's okay, just appreciate all you get and the work people put into your experience. And as for me, just don't get too annoyed with the mail system. ;) |
