Great experience in Salamanca! Wish I'd stayed longer! Past Review
By Ashley G (Spanish, University of Kentucky) for
ISA Study Abroad in Salamanca, Spain
I am now a missionary in Honduras. My time in Spain helped me realize all of the challenges I would face in adapting to a new culture. The language side of my study greatly aided my transition as I am able to communicate fairly well. I am so glad that I chose to study abroad and would recommend it to anyone. I'm still great friends with many of the students from my classes and program.
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 felt that the classes were very good. The teaching methods varied depending on the teacher. Small class sizes were wonderful and allowed time to practice the material. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The staff in Salamanca were wonderful! They were always very helpful and answered any questions we had! |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
We were comfortable and safe in our apartment with our host family. They were wonderful after we got past some cultural differences and did help with Spanish acquisition. The downside was that I lived with another student from the US so we spoke mostly English rather than Spanish. But the location of the apartment was good and overall I enjoyed the experience very much and would recommend living with a family or other locals in an apartment. |
| * Food: |
It was an adjustment getting used to the food that they served us. It did grow on me and I liked many of the dishes we were served. The drawbacks were that we were not allowed to store anything in the refrigerator nor use any appliance, such as the mircowave or toaster, on our own. So if we did not like the food one day, we had to go out. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
The field trips all over the country were amazing and very enjoyable. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Salamanca seems like a very safe city and we had no issues at all. I did get sick one time and was taken to a clinic and someone from the office accompanied me, so I felt very well taken care of. |
| 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? |
We practiced Spanish with our teachers and classmates. Many people did speak English, so we always had that to fall back on. We did need to use mostly Spanish in everyday interactions within the town. |
| 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? | Stay as long as you can (at least 6 months) and try to live with a family or people that don't speak English. If you are going to learn a language, this will make all of the difference. |
