Barcelona: A Whirlwind of Wonder Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

I think the workload was the perfect amount to allow students to go out and explore the city around them while still learning a lot from the classes. This was especially true for my history class which taught me a lot and the work load was perfect. I also really liked the grading system because it was explained very clearly and there were no surprises. The work was different from Harvard in that it seemed more concrete each day as opposed to an overarching amount of work for a whole week perhaps or a month or whichever. I liked this system a lot.

On-site administration of your program

Harvard did not really prepare me for my study abroad experience because the program is not immediately related to Harvard, although this was fine because IES sent out a comprehensive packet on what to expect, packet, etc.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

The housing was great. It was walking distance from school and la Plaza de Catalunya, which is basically the center of the city and the meeting place when going out. The neighborhood also seemed very safe. I didn't need to buy anything to settle-in, my house mother provided it all. She was great. She was extremely nice and sociable. She cooked us dinner every night which was always delicious and would sit and talk to us at every meal. I was extremely satisfied with my housing situation. The only downside was that it could get pretty hot in my room because there were no windows, but my house mom gave me a fan which helped a lot.

My house mom only wanted to please my roommate and I when she was cooking and would take into account our likes and dislikes. I don't have any dietary restrictions but if I had she would have satisfied them for sure.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

La Noche de San Juan was so much fun and a learning experience too because it's so important in Spain and Barcelona especially. Also, we visited a few cities on la Costa Brava so that was interesting learning new things about different parts of Spain and even the south of France. Another fun event I went to was the Sónar music festival which was amazing.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

Barcelona seemed relatively safe to me. There were some dangers such as pick pocketers and muggings but IES prepared us for that during orientation. I never felt like I was in danger, except for when there were protests in la Plaza de Catalunya and what appeared to be the SWAT team was trying to evacuate the protestors by firing rubber bullets. This was only scary because I didn't know what was happening and IES responded to it quickly and efficiently. The only health issues there were in Spain as a whole was the whole issue with the dirty vegetables and that turned out to not be as big of a problem as it was thought to be. I don't think anyone in my program was actually affected by it either.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

I practiced the language everyday with my house mom who only spoke Spanish, with my professors who also would only speak to us in Spanish, and with my classmates. My classmates all spoke English but the people in the city would speak Spanish to us often. Occasionally if it were easier they would speak in English but overall I primarily spoke in Spanish during my trip.

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• Host Family

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• Host Family

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• Americans