Yo Soy Español Español Español! Past Review
By Carissa R (Econ/English, SUNY - Binghamton) for
Spain Study Abroad Reflections: Comprehensive Reviews of Past Programs
Very worthwhile
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. |
Learned so much more about the Spanish culture. Incorporating its language and history into being a tourist in a foreign country was such a rich and rewarding experience. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
They were very supportive and easy to talk to and they provided us with a great deal of information about the country. We were given the tools needed to live there for 6 weeks |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I did not enjoy the rooms in the dorm. They were hot and cramped and my room smelled like cigarettes and was in the very corner of the building with barely any windows. It was unpleasant but did not affect the overall experience of the trip--I wish it would have been nicer but it sufficed for the time that I was there. |
| * Food: |
Food at the dorm was very good for cafeteria food. Loved the paella. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I loved all of the cultural events planned by our program such as the bullfights, all the excursions, etc |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
The city itself had many pickpockets but we were given many warnings about this and told how to guard ourselves which was very helpful and contributed to our safety. |
| 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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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | About 50 euro or more a week on both food and personal expenses. Personal expenses being clothes, souvenirs etc |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Definitely over budget. Europe is very expensive and for a 6 week program you tend to stop mentally converting euros to dollars and that causes you to spend a little more. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| Language acquisition improvement? |
Practicing language in the program was great because our professor spoke about as much English as we spoke Spanish so we were forced to communicate with him in Spanish and could not rely on English. It was very helpful in terms of communicating with locals who also spoke very little 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?
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | If you love the Spanish language then Spain is absolutely the place you need to be. Even if you dont know the language, Spain is the place you need to be. Culture is more rich here than any place in Europe I have visited and you will have a rewarding experience. |
