Fully Immersed in Barcelona Past Review
By Ilana Frankel (Indiana University - Bloomington) - abroad from 01/07/2018 to 04/27/2018 with
IES Abroad: Barcelona - Study Abroad with IES Abroad
Living in a culture that is dissimilar to my own taught me the importance of personal growth and understanding those around you. I appreciate the beauty of diversity and enjoyed learning about Spanish culture by fully immersing myself in living as a local. Due to the varied cultural differences, I saw the importance in respecting and learning other cultural values. While it was not always easy, I trusted myself to step out of my comfort zone in order successfully solve challenges I was faced with such as transportation, registering for classes, communicating with those around me, and learning how to navigate new cities as I traveled throughout Europe. Living in different parts of the world gave me the opportunity to grow as a student as well as a person. I strive to use what I learned abroad in every aspect of my life and believe that now I have the ability to solve any challenge that I am faced with.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
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| * 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
IES exceeded all expectations. The pre-departure information IES provided answered all of my questions and calmed any remaining nerves. My family received correspondence before, during and after my journey including information on my re-adaptation to living in the US after such an unforgettable time away. The apartments that my friends and I were assigned to by IES were all in great locations with everything that we could possibly need for daily life. We were all assigned a local student to live in our apartment to teach us first-hand about Barcelona life as well as help us with any issues we may run into. Barcelona offers anything and everything that one could possibly want in a city in which to spend a semster abroad. I fell in love with the culture, the people, the food, the architecture, and grew so much more comfortable with the language. My favorite aspect of the city is the countless neighborhoods to explore that all have extremely different vibes. The public transportation made for seamless exploration and felt extremely safe as well as easy to navigate. While in Barcelona, I never felt unsafe or uneasy about my surroundings. It's prime location makes travel throughout Europe easy and manageable. Above all, IES provided me with all of the resources I needed regarding learning to live in a country so dissimilar to my own. IES is located in the heart of the city, and provided us with excellent class choices, study spaces, and academic resources. My favorite part of the scholastic aspect of studying abroad was the relevancy of the course material. I felt that I learned material in class that would help me to thrive in my time abroad as well as further understand the beautiful country of Spain. |
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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Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
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How much did the program encourage you to use the language?
0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language |
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| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Beginner |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Intermediate |
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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| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? |
A Look Back
| * What did you like most about the program? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | More about the re-entry shock students experience when they go home. |
Reasons For Studying Abroad
| To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you. |
The Outright UrbaniteA social butterfly, you're happiest in bustling cities with hip people, and took advantage of all it had to offer. You enjoyed the nightlife, and had fun going out dancing, and socializing with friends. Fun-loving and dressed to the nines, you enjoyed discovering new restaurants, shops, cafes, and bars in your host country. |
