Spain: My Home Away From Home Past Review
By Ashley L (Mechanical Engineering., Oklahoma State University - Stillwater) for
ISA Study Abroad in Sevilla, Spain
I became more independent and learned a lot about myself. I became more care free and learned to enjoy life more, the Spaniard way. The American way is so fast paced and I learned how to slow down and enjoy the little things in life.
Personal Information
| If you took classes at multiple universities, list those universities here: | Menendez Pelayo |
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Workload and grading system is easier than the U.S. but you still learn a lot and a lot of Spanish. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The program helped us with school, culture, travel, personal problems, health, families, food, living situations-basically anything you could ever ask for! They were perfecg! |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Living in Triana turned out to be the best thing! It was close to the center of the city as well as my school. But most of all, it had a sense of community and people were very nice there. It also had Calle Betis which is the street with all the night life. I lived walking distance to food, shopping, nightlife and school. I had the best location. I did not have to buy anything for my stay with my hostfamily, they provided everything. My family treated me as a family member and I felt like a daughter to them. They were so caring, loving and doting, I never even felt homesick because I felt so at home there! |
| * Food: |
I always always had enough food. In fact, my hostmom was always trying to make me eat more! Eat at local cervezerias and get their tapas! |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Our program held 4 weekend trips as well as several cultural activities that were included with our program and honestly everything was amazing! They had tours, culture events, famous places to visit, transportation included and recommendations for food. They were the most relaxing trips and everything was made so easy for us! Anyone who does not take advantage of the free trips included with ISA is crazy not to! You travel with all your friends from school and the hotel, travel, breakfast and tour events are all taken care of for you! |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
I never felt unsafe in Sevilla. Although it is the fourth largest city in Spain, I never felt in danger. Sevilla is overall a very safe environment. I never used the healthcare system but I heard it was very easy to use. |
| 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 |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
It would be better if the classes included more speaking time so that we could have improved our conversational skills. Most people spoke English to each other during class. |
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 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? | My word of advice is to enjoy everything you can. Don't hold back because you are afraid of not wanting to spend the time or money, or are just embarrassed. If you don't do it now, then you most likely will never have another chance again! Live it up because its the chance of a lifetime. Go out for tapas, speak to the locals, try the coffee and all the desserts, go on every vacation you can. Live life to the fullest! |
