Living in Granada Past Review
By justice.miles.3 (Dancer, Colorado College) - abroad from 09/02/2014 to 12/18/2014 with
IES Abroad: Granada - Liberal Arts & Language
Yes, it was life changing. I feel more like an adult and I feel more comfortable with who I am. I learned tons about flamenco and this experience has influenced my life greatly for the better.
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. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Wonderful teachers and faculty. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
IES matched students with compatible host parents. I loved my host mom who cooked gluten free food for me and became my dear friend. |
| * Food: |
Great, my host mother was an amazing cook, and I'm gluten free and I was sooo happy! |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Even though I took classes with other american students, after class I felt very integrated in the culture. I worked in an internship in a local dance studio, lived with a host mother, and was always taking flamenco and other dance classes with other spaniards. I felt like I spent time with american students and the local granadinos. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
Great, I actually fell and hurt my back on the stairs and IES helped me find a local physical therapist. After the first visit my back felt back to normal. |
| * Safety: |
I felt safe. I often saw children, the elderly and the blind walk the streets quite late at night getting ice cream. |
| 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 for food is very affordable. The grocery stores are also pretty cheap. A lot of my money went towards dance classes because I'm a dance major. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | Food 25 euros a week and dance 100 euros a month |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Apply for every scholarship you can and speak with your financial aid office. |
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? | 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? | Spanish 201 |
| 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? | Speak spanish always, even with your american friends. |
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? | I wish I wouldn't have worried so much before because I didn't need to pack so much. It was a safe and comfortable city and I was really content with the life style. |
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! |
