Past Review
By Rebecca H (Spanish, Corporate Communications, The University of Texas at Austin) for
CIEE: Alicante - Liberal Arts
My study abroad experience was well worth it! I loved every minute of it. Although at times, I was challenged academically or learning new customs, I wouldn't change it for a second. I learned so much about the idea of home isn't where you live but it's rather the people and attitude you have. Your host family and friends abroad make your study abroad city a new home. Plus, living on our own or with a host family teaches you about independence and learning to handles things yourself. While your family and friends are there for you, you gain that sense of responsibility and taking initiative to get things done. The biggest thing I learned was to just let go sometimes, and live your life. How often are you traveling abroad in Spain? So enjoy every moment and be grateful for everything that's going on in your life.
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. |
The teaching style was definitely different, most of the emphasis on the end of the semester course work. However, the teachers were really accommodating and helpful. Also, the Spanish students seemed less concerned with grades and coursework but still worked really hard in the end. |
|
* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I lived in El Pla in Alicante in an apartment building. The neighborhood was full of families so it was quiet during the night which was nice but a little far from the center. I loved my host family though and the barrio was a true experience of Spanish living. <br /><br /> Most of the housing in Alicante requires you to take the bus at least 30 minutes but it's a great time to listen to music or read up last minute things. The only issue was at night when you want to study late on campus but there's not much transportation back at night. My host family was amazing and I loved my host mother. I had a host brother that lived at home who wasn't always happy but it taught me to not let others affect my mood. The nightlife was awesome! It took a little while to walk there but it was always fun to walk with my friends. The barrio is Alicante is so much fun. Once you go, you will love it. As part for the housing, I definitely felt part of the family and still call my host mom to this day. |
| * Food: |
All of my food was tasty. And since my host mom knew I didn't like fish or beef very much, she always sweet in preparing meals that I would like. |
|
* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
We went to Guadalest and Villajoisa right when we got to Alicante, which a nice introduction to the area. Then I really enjoyed our overnight trips to Barcelona and Granada because the staff takes care of everything so you can really enjoy seeing the sites and exploring the city. |
|
* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
|
| * Safety: |
I think the biggest change in safety was walking home at night. I wouldn't say it was particularly safe to walk alone at night, especially as a girl. You just have to use wisdom in knowing when to walk alone and when it's okay. It's never a problem if you walk with a friend or sometimes at night one of my guy friends would offer to walk me home which a big help. |
| 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) |
|
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | I wouldn't eliminate any aspect because I think the program was the perfect introduction to Spain and Alicante and as the semester progressed we experienced more freedom living more on our own. I think the important thing is if you you want to travel make sure you save plenty of money before hand so that you don't have to worry about it at the end of the semester. |
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 Phonetics and Spanish Literature after 1700 |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
|
| Language acquisition improvement? |
My host family mostly, my friends in class and outside of class, strangers in Alicante. There weren't very many people who spoke English in my city, Alicante, so you had to know enough Spanish to get around. |
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 perfect type of student is one looking to learn Spanish and be immersed in the community while also being helped by the program whenever you need. Plus, liking the beach and the Mediterranean Sea doesn't hurt either. |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
The Camino de Santiago Pilgrimage: Religion, History, and Culture |
| Course Department: | HISP 3005 ALLA |
| Instructor: | Emilio Ramon |
| Instruction Language: | Spanish |
| Comments: | This was definitely a challenging course at first because I didn't know all of the history of Spain, but the teacher was great and always excited about teaching. The core of the class was the religious pilgrimage the Camino de Santiago but it dove into other aspects of Spanish history and related them all together. One of my favorite aspects of the class was when you get on to actually go on the Camino and experience the history and culture for yourself. You spend lots of time learning about the history, food, art, and architecture so it's amazing to see it in real life. The teacher for this course, Emilio, had actually taught in the US at my school the University of Texas so we were able to chat about that and he always liked mentioning Austin. But he truly was a great teacher. He expects a lot of his students but is always willing to participate and gives great feedback. I would say since the nature of the class was smaller, 7 kids, that I was able to participate more which was a nice change. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | No issues, it counts as SPN Civ. 350 class. |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Social Change Processes |
| Course Department: | SOC 7897 |
| Instructor: | Raul Ruíz |
| Instruction Language: | Spanish |
| Comments: | This was my direct enrollment course which was a combination of Eramus students, native Spanish students, and one other American student. Although the teacher didn't speak English, he was always really accommodating and helpful. At first, his Spanish was hard to understand just because he spoke so fast but as the semester progressed I was able to catch on a lot more and understand everything he said. We mainly studied sociology terms so it was interesting to learn those terms in Spanish. The best part was the documentary series we watched occasionally about the social change in El Salvador so we were able to apply what we learned in class. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | Not sure what this class will transfer back as but a type of sociology class. |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Spanish Literature: Women in Contemporary Spain |
| Course Department: | LITT 3007 ALLA |
| Instructor: | Debora Perez |
| Instruction Language: | Spanish |
| Comments: | I absolutely loved this course and the professor. The professor Deb was really helpful in explaining all the literature so it wasn't just read on your own and don't understand. She really helped explain all the material and pushed us to look for deeper meanings in the literature. For the end of the course, we read a Spanish novel ourselves and wrote a 6 page paper talking about the literary elements but she gave us free reign to structure the paper however we wanted. Usually literature is not my first choice class, but this class was awesome and really allowed me to love Spanish lit. We even took a field trip one night as a class to see a movie of a play we had studied in class, so it was fun to see our teacher outside of class. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | No issues, it transfers back as Spanish lit. 350 |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Applied Spanish Linguistics and Principles of Teaching |
| Course Department: | SPAN 3008 ALLA |
| Instructor: | Irene Martínez Jiménez |
| Instruction Language: | Spanish |
| Comments: | This course was good, but definitely not what I expected because the course was more focused on teaching than linguistics. We learned about all different teaching styles for foreign languages and how each style can be fit to each classroom. The information was useful and interesting but the format was a bit unorganized so at times it was hard to follow. The best part of this class was the opportunity to teach English to high school students at local high school. Definitely an awesome, eye-opening experience that made you appreciate learning a new language. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | Yes, I thought it would count for a plain linguistics course but now it counts for an applied linguistics which isn't part of my degree requirements. Just make sure each course counts what you are looking for before signing up. |
