Cuando Estás en España! Past Review
By Katie (Gettysburg College) - abroad from 09/02/2016 to 12/22/2016 with
IES Abroad: Salamanca - Advanced Spanish Immersion
I definitely learned what I value and the things I think are most important. I also learned about the cultural differences; though I already knew these existed, it's different experiencing it for yourself as opposed to learning it in a textbook.
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. |
I took 2 courses through IES and 2 at La Universidad de Salamanca. For the most part, I loved my classes and learned a lot. The professors were very helpful and willing to give extra time to help out the abroad students. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
They seemed knowledgeable, but didn't always help when we needed it. They were very nice, personable, but didn't seem all too interested in getting to know us and how our experiences were going. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I absolutely adored my host family. They really helped make my experience as incredible as it was. I would go on runs with my host mom and brother, go to the gym together, grab late-night tapas, and go to celebrations. She was really like a second mother to me, and I still talk to her often and miss her every day. |
| * Food: |
My host mom LOVED cooking, and boy could she! I ate almost every meal at home because I her cooking was so good. The food in general in Spain was amazing as well. I didn't have a bad meal there, except maybe los callos, which is cow intestine (definitely not for the faint of heart). But I was told I had to try everything once, and I'm so glad I did! |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
The best advice I can give is get involved. Take advantage of any cultural activities IES may offer because it really allows you to see different parts of cities and towns that you wouldn't on your own. Doing all the cultural activities I could enhanced my experience and made me fall even more in love with Salamanca. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I had no need for any health care abroad. |
| * Safety: |
I never really felt unsafe in Salamanca. There were a late night when I was a little nervous, but that turned out fine. We were warned of pick pockets when we arrived, but I didn't have any experiences with them. Just make sure (girls) that you have a cross-body bag that stays closed, and guys, don't keep your wallet in your back pocket. I felt incredibly safe, never threatened; safety was a big concern for my family, but they were thrilled that Salamanca was such a safe and secure city. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
I love Salamanca and I would do anything to go back. |
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) |
It really depends how much you want to travel. I went to 3 other countries besides Spain, but I also did a lot of traveling within Spain. I am a bit of a cheapskate and hate spending money, but you're like that, you'll have to get over it. Take advantage: Europe travel expenses are SO CHEAP, it's great, and in Salamanca you have so many different modes of transportation available to you. Salamanca is cheap compared to the rest of Europe, so I really didn't spend all too much money weekly; I also ate a lot at my home, which helped. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | Depended on the week, but if I averaged it out, maybe $100, a little more? |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Don't miss out on opportunities because you want to save money. Make sure you do your research, find good, cheap transportation and hostels, but don't just take the cheapest option; sometimes it's better to spend a little more to ensure safety, distance from train/bus station etc. Make a budget for yourself and stick to it: how much do you want to allot for travel? Going out? Eating out? Shopping? Souvenirs? Don't go crazy spending money when you get there; buy those things you know you're going to want and use for a long time. |
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? | I had to take 300 level courses |
| 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? | Review "vosotros" because they use it all the time. Especially in the beginning, maybe learn some basic conversation questions. Learn words that relate to who you are/what you like or enjoy. |
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 much I was going to enjoy Spain and not want to travel outside my city. Not wanting to leave Salamanca was a big influence on my decision not to travel too much outside Spain. While I wish my time abroad was longer so I could have traveled more, I don't regret my decision to stay in Spain with my friends (local and program). |
