Málaga, Spain: Every Day Abroad was the Best Day of My Life Past Review
By Valerie S (Spanish, Siena College) for
ISA Study Abroad in Málaga, Spain
Every day abroad was the best day of my life. I wish I could rate this more than 5 stars. My study abroad experience changed my life and changed me as a person for the better--I am so much more independent than I once was; I am more self-sufficient than I ever could have though I would be. I met some of the most incredible friends of my life while abroad, and keep in touch with them daily. My Spanish senora became my family. As far as my future plans, I am doing anything possible to be able to work abroad, to either teach English or help to enhance the abroad experience of others. I have convinced others to study abroad as a result of my experience, and one friend in particular is currently taking on 6 summer courses at our college to be able to study abroad in Málaga in the spring, because she now believes that it is the city for her.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The workload and grading system were both very fair, at the same time, they were conducive to our wanting to enjoy Spain and Europe and traveling. The teaching methods were similar to my classes in the US (because I went to a small college, the class sizes were the same), but I loved that they were entirely in Spanish. The teachers were all incredible, very helpful, kind, and wanted us to learn so much about the Spanish language, culture, and history. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
I went independently of my college's Study Abroad program, however, the Study Abroad office at my college was incredible in coordinating my experience and helping me go through ISA to Malaga. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I could not have been happier with my living situation. I lived with an 87-year-old senora who became like family to me. She treated me as if I were a granddaughter (and referred to me as so--she is still my abuelita espanola) and I became close with her relatives as well. There are no words to describe how welcoming she was to me and how much she truly defined my experience. I still keep in contact with her very frequently. I felt incredibly safe in my neighborhood and several people in my program lived close to me. While the walk to class felt a little long some days (40-45 min), it was something that I saw as being part of the culture and I did not mind it at all. I felt very close to everything within town--nightlife, restaurants, and the majority of my friends were all within 10 minutes of me. I was also about 50 feet away from the beach, so that was beyond wonderful. I did not need to buy anything to settle in--everything was provided for me. |
| * Food: |
My senora went above and beyond with cooking--I was always offered and given much more than I needed. She made me a variety of different foods while keeping in mind what foods I did not like/did not feel well eating (cheese, milk, salt, etc). I rarely ate out in Malaga but did not mind at all. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
The trips arranged by ISA were one of the most fantastic features of the program. Every trip was memorable. The orientation in Madrid and Toledo really set the stage. Getting to see so much of the capital of the country was a great way to start out the program, as was getting to be in Toledo and seeing so much that was El Greco. In the free time we were offered in Madrid, I had the opportunity to go to La Reina Sofia and see the painting that inspired me to pursue studies in Spain and influenced my decision to go to Málaga, the birthplace of Picasso--Guernica. Every excursion was more incredible than the next--I particularly liked the overnight excursions to Sevilla and Granada and getting to stay within those cities for an extended time. To me, the ISA excursions were something that truly defined my trip, and sets ISA as a study abroad agency above all others. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
I am a cautious person--I make sure to always be aware of my surroundings, and I sometimes feel nervous in unfamiliar places.. Yet, I felt completely safe in Málaga. In the rare occasions where I did walk to or from somewhere alone, I never once felt scared. I never had an experience with healthcare, so I can't comment on that, but I know that other people had good experiences in their health issues being addressed. I did not need any specific vaccines or anything. |
| 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? |
I practiced language within classes, with people in my program, with my senora, with the ISA directors, and with local Spaniards. I did need to use the language every day within my city. Aside from people in my program and from program directors, most people did not speak English. |
| 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? | The words of advice I would give to someone is that studying abroad is the best experience they will ever have, and to enjoy every minute of it. Every minute is something beautiful and a great opportunity that they may never have again. A true word of advice I have is that everything is experience, and to take it as so. For instance, I ran into a couple of bad luck situations: my plane died twice on the runway before departing for Spain, an ATM ate my credit card, another ATM gave me a counterfeit 20 Euro bill, and a volcano eruption in Iceland delayed my flight home. However, every bit of anything that happened, good and bad, was all experience, and looking at it like that made my trip all the more rewarding. The type of student who would most benefit would be a student who is outgoing, easy-going, wants to learn the language, wants to immerse themself in Spanish culture, and wants to learn and speak Spanish. I hear so many times from people who studied in larger cities in Spain that Málaga was a city they bi-passed or traveled through to get to other large cities, but it is SO much more than they could have ever imagined. The people in my program, the staff, and the people of Málaga are the kindest I've ever met and are unlike any other--for this; my experience was much different than some of my friends studying elsewhere in Spain. |
