Spain, de puta madre Past Review

By (Biology, General., Providence College) for

CIEE: Seville - Liberal Arts

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
yes. I am coming back. There is still a bit i need to do here. and who knows, maybe i will end up living in europe.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 1 month - 6 months

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The workload is fair, I just saved everything until the end (naturally) so I have a lot to do right now. Grading is fair, and I felt that although it was nice to not constantly be bogged down by classwork, it came back to bite me in the butt now at the end of the semester.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

Strength=great support system. Everyone always checks up on you. Muy buena gente. Weakness=i can't think of any. it was amazing. the only thing is they needed more printers.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I have a new family. They are amazing. Absolutely love them. My mama putativa taught me lessons about life every day. And I learned so much more spanish just eating dinners with them every day then I ever would have in the classroom. Room was absolutely perfect--spacious, private, clean. I had my own bathroom. And plenty to eat. Could not have asked for a better situation. I feel like I am at home.

* Food:

I tried a little bit of everything. My seƱora is an amazing cook so I never went without something delicious. Love the food here, but I think that is because I got lucky with my family.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I need a book to do this. Skiing in sierra nevadas, swimming at the beach in cadiz, the nude beach in the gran canaries, skateboarding in barcelona, late night running in sevilla, slack lining in the maria lusia park of sevilla, botelloning by the river in sevilla...

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

very safe. I never had any trouble. never got robbed. nor pick pocketed. a handful of my friends did. but they were idiots about it. nothing to prevent health issues. that you deal iwht on your own. just make sure to sleep...the only time i got sick was from a pure state of exhaustion.

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 have none. You can buy food here, but then you will have less to travel with. you can buy yourself clothes here, but you will have less to travel with. its all about personal preference.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? Yes
If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition?

Language acquisition improvement?

Not in school. Go into the street and meet people. Duh. And yes, I used it every day. That's the only way to get better.

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Host Family
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Host Family
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?
  • the people
  • traveling with ryanair. (ryanair sucks, but it gets you anywhere)
  • the food
* What could be improved?
  • printers
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? ball hard, submerse yourself completely, and let yourself live as you may. you will find it is a pretty good time. someone who is more open, able to be independent, coming in with some spanish knowledge, is the best for this program.

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:

La historia de la Gastronomia

Course Department: Liberal Arts--anth3002/soc3005
Instructor: Carmen Fernandez Albendiz
Instruction Language: Espanol
Comments: thought it was an actual cooking class...ended up being a history of it. But it turned out to be a good class regardless. We tried different types of food in the class and learned about the origins of the various dishes now popular in andalucia.
Credit Transfer Issues: yes, it was a 370 credit in the spanish department. fought for it, yo.