CEA GRANADA SPAIN INTERNSHIP IS A MUST! Past Review

By (Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education., Illinois State University) for

CEA CAPA Education Abroad: Granada, Spain

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
It was worth every second of lost sleep and spent penny! I will for sure be going back.

Personal Information

If you took classes at multiple universities, list those universities here: Centro de Lenguas Modernas
How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 6 months+

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The only difficult part was writing a 10 page paper in Spanish without my personal computer. I found that somewhat challenging. I would recommend internship students to bring their own computer. Otherwise, I was already very comfortable in this city and particular school so I felt very at home and understand the culture.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

The two directors where absolutely incredible. I will never forget them for the rest of my life and hope to visit them!! They knew the answer to almost any question and made themselves 100% available. They are also so invested in the health and happiness of each student abroad. I was thoroughly impressed!

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I felt like a total part of the family. I was free to do whatever I wanted whenever I wanted. It was really wonderful.

* Food:

It was very traditional and rich!

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Everything was fun!

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

I always felt safe and it was always easy to contact the directors, at any time of the day or night.

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? I am a big spender. I like to shop! I rarely spent money on food but I would say about 100 euro a week with going out!
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? ATM charges you! It's best to take out a big amount of money to get that charge as little as possible. Don't carry more money than you need to, like credit cards, etc. Just in case. Always plan on snacking to try new foods and drinks- even if you think you won't-- you will and you should!

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? Yes
How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? Advanced
What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? 400 level course
If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition?

Language acquisition improvement?

Host family, friends, the directors, teachers, and anyone i could!

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Host Family
* Who did you live with?

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  • Americans
  • Host Family
* 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? Just do it. (Nike) It's scary and nerve racking but you will love every second of it even if you don't appreciate it while you're there. You will when you're back. It's worth every penny.