Study Abroad in Ronda, Spain Past Review
By Brittany C (Psychology and Spanish, New Mexico State University) for
Spain Study Abroad Reflections: Comprehensive Reviews of Past Programs
It was one of the best experiences of my life! It has enabled me to be more independent and to recognize that I have the potential to sucessfully live just about any where.
Personal Information
| The term and year this program took place: | Spring 2009 |
Review Your Program
|
* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
|
|
* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Because the teachers are hired by the state, the director was unable to "make" them show up on time or not have interuptions during class time. |
|
* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I was pleased to be located very near the main square which allowed me to walk everywhere within about 15minutes. |
| * Food: |
All of the food prepared by my "host-mom" was amazing and she was very polite in always offering more food at any time, but I felt pressured to eat way too much. I gained, what I was told was the average weight gain of 20lbs while away in studying. |
|
* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
My grammar teacher was very informative when it came to suggestions on where to go for just about anything. She would always suggest popular local places to eat and what many people typically would order. |
|
* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
|
| * Safety: |
The restrooms of the school sometimes did not have soap nor paper towels and most of the time smelt terrible. I felt very safe in Ronda, despite hearing that it was known for "drug use/deals". |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
|
Finances
|
* 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) |
|
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | I suggest that if possible one should have enough euros on hand or get a Spanish bank account. I did not do either and ended up having to pay $5 and US taxes on each withdraw I made. This added up to a large amount of money lost. Meals/Tapas were very cheap in terms of average for Europe, but because the dollar was not quite as strong as the Euro, it became a little pricy. I did a bit of traveling which wasn't expected so obviously I spent quite a bit more than I expected. |
Language
| Language acquisition improvement? |
I felt more able to understand the language, but I felt that my grammar detieriorated slightly. It was difficult to speak only spanish with other Americans as we were on different learning levels. |
A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Definately do it! Save as much as you can before you go so that you won't have to worry about money once you are there. I would suggest planning to spend twice as much as the program costs if not all expenses (such as traveling and meals are not included). |
