Spain: Another Home Past Review
By Nathan B (Spanish & Law Enforcement, Western Illinois University) for
ISA Study Abroad in Málaga, Spain
My Spanish jumped up in all aspects. From listening to speaking. Coming back from the program...was a bummer because it felt like I was leaving so much behind. I made a lot of good friends and we are still in contact today. People always say to make the best of a situation. If you try or not this program will make the best out of you. It was the experience of a lifetime and I would do it again in a heartbeat. I really want to go back. And one day...I will.
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 workload wasn't too bad. The grading system was on a 1-10 scale. Differences between school here and there...nothing too extreme. It's just in another country. By the beach. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Strengths: Everything was awesome! Everything was new and had a different feel to it. Weaknesses: The conversion from the Dollar to Euro. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
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| * Food: |
You get a smaller amount of food for the amount that you pay. But it tastes really good. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Semana Santa. Nerja. Torcal. Sevilla. Madrid. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
You may see some homeless people around. Coming from the city I'm used to people asking for money. In Spain, surprisingly, it didn't happen. Some drug dealers walk around too. But you don't have to worry about them. Just say no and they'll leave you alone. |
| 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) |
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Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| Language acquisition improvement? |
Friends in the program. Friends made in Spain. Lots of people could speak some English. But you should be speaking Spanish. They have programs called "intercambios" where you get paired up with a native and you speak Spanish and English together. It really helped. |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | anybody would benefit from this program. There are simply too many positives to ignore. |
