Go to Granada! Do it! Past Review
By Caitlin B (Anthropology., Trinity University) - abroad from 01/24/2012 to 05/25/2012 with
IES Abroad: Granada - Liberal Arts & Language
I loved my experience abroad. I learned to be more confident in myself, to trust myself in stressful situations, that I can get around using my foreign language skills, that there are friends to be had everywhere if you know where to look. I would suggest to anyone to go abroad! It opened my eyes to a more global worldview and made me see that the world is a bigger place than I had originally thought. Even if you don't go to Granada, get out of the states for a while. It's wonderful.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The courses were enjoyable and challenging, particularly because I chose to take all my classes in Spanish. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The IES Granada staff was extremely friendly. They were very supportive and were always there if I needed to talk to some one or ask how something in Spain worked. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I loved my host family. I still keep in contact with my host mom through e-mail. I got to know Spanish culture better because of my stay and got lots of Spanish practice watching TV with her at night or having casual conversation at meals. |
| * Food: |
I loved Spanish food! I'd give it a full 100%, but it took my tummy a little while to adjust to so much olive oil so i got sick for a few weeks. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I felt like I could have gotten more plugged in, but I blame that on myself. If I had taken more advantage of the opportunities IES provided me, I would've met more Spanish people and made better friends with Spaniards. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
IES made sure we knew where the clinic was and when I got sick, my host mom went with me to the doctor and helped me ask for medicine at the pharmacy. I felt better in no time. As to the vaccine question, I didn't need any special vaccines for the program. |
| * Safety: |
I felt very safe in Granada. I know a couple people got pick pocketed in bars, but overall, I never felt unsafe taking public transport or walking around with friends at night. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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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) |
Granada is a great place for students. It's one of the least expensive cities in Spain and on top of that, you get free food with every drink at cafes (which normally run you about 2 euro). If you know where to go, you can get quite a lot of food. I never went hungry for lack of money and my budget was tight. |
| * Was housing included in your program cost? | Yes |
| * Was food included in your program cost? | Yes |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | I'd get out 70 euro about every week and a half, sometimes 2 weeks. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Go to tapas for dinner. Ask around for the places with really big tapas. Also, stay in Spain for your breaks. I know it's tempting to want to go all over Europe, but I found that taking the bus system around Spain made for a lot cheaper travels than flights. And I also got to know Spain as a country better by staying in. Also, always travel with friends. You can get cheaper rooms in hostels if there are 4 of you. |
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 |
They'd always speak to us in Spanish first, reverting to English only if we really REALLY weren't getting it. I loved it. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Intermediate |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Advanced |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Advanced Spanish Grammar |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | Find friends you can practice with on campus. Perhaps check out your school's international club. I felt more confident in my Spanish going in because I had a couple friends from Central America who would practice with me and encourage me. Spanish TV shows and podcasts are another good way to practice. |
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? | How important it is to get yourself involved in Spanish life. There are times I would spend in my room instead of interacting with my host family because I was shy. I missed out on some memories, I feel. Also, I would've liked to take a class with other Spaniards at Casa de Porras. It would've been a good way to make friends. |
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 Academic or LinguistYou went abroad with specific academic goals in mind; the program credentials and rigor of your coursework abroad were very important to you. You had a great time abroad, but never lost sight of your studies and (if applicable) were diligent with your foreign language study. Good for you! |
