The Summer Of My Life! Most trip rewarding in every way shape and form! Past Review
By CINDY CABRERA (University of Texas - Dallas) - abroad from 06/03/2017 to 07/29/2017 with
The Intern Group: Madrid Internship Placement Program
Adapting, being able to learn new cultures, working ethics, value, history, financial, perspective, education! It was definitely worthwhile! Every minute and every second!
Review Photos
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
Review Your Program
|
* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
|
|
* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The Madrid Program Administration were absolutely phenomenal! Lalita and her team were always ready to help no mater what time of the day it was or what kind of problem we presented them with! We had an inconvenience with one of my flatmates where we ended up accompanying her to the hospital for a previous health condition she had previous to the trip, and Lalita and her team were messaging and helping us out at 4am! I have to say that they truly made this Madrid all the more worth it! |
|
* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
My housing arrangements exceeded my expectation, I was very comfortable and placed in a really nice and modern apartment near El Retiro Park. |
| * Food: |
Food is very cheap and extremely fresh and tasty! Nostrum is my biggest recommendation for any intern! Download the app and create an account for free and you will be able to buy full, homemade, tasty, healthy meals for 1-4 Euros! Restaurant prices vary but if you want to buy food every day Nostrum is definitely the way to go! Madrid has many real tasty and very relatively inexpensive places to go explore. I love trying new food and Madrid never disappointed me nor anyone I knew. They truly have great gastronomy here. Fun fact- Spain has the oldest restaurant in the world, meaning they have never closed or gone out of business since the day they opened! - They are that good! If you love food or live to eat, this is definitely the place for you! |
|
* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
The Madrid culture was very welcoming and open! I felt right at home from the first week I arrived! Till this day, now almost the end of my trip, I have yet to meet someone who says they do not want to come back here. All of my new friends and everyone I´ve met has said they will either come back to visit or even live here. I am personally planing on coming back to live here. This is truly a second home for me! It is so easy to get acquainted here that in no time you will find your self exploring the city as if it was your own! |
|
* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
As mentioned before, we had the misfortune of having to take my flatmate to the hospital for a personal previous health condition she had, but fortunately the health care services provided here in Madrid were very high quality and very inexpensive! We would have spent 3 or 4 times what we did in the United States for the ER services and medications provided at the Hospital. |
| * Safety: |
Safest city I´ve ever visited. I am not exaggerating. I have never visited a city/country were I could walk, take the metro, get lost at ANY time of the day feeling/being so safe as I was here! There are always people/families walking at all times of the day! Very safe, no one I know has had anything happen to them here. I have been on the metro, walked around the neighborhood, in the park by myself in the middle of the night and was never unsafe or felt uneasy. I would never do this back home and tend to never go out late at night because of that but the city was so safe that I felt comfortable doing so and was never disappointed! |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
I enjoyed every moment, even the not so good days which were I can count on one hand! Every day I learned/discovered something new. I cannot put into words what a wonderful experience this has been! Lalita and her team really made this trip worthwhile! Madrid is beautiful, with great people/night life, work ethic, culture, education, parks, AMAZING public transportation system, and neighborhoods! Madrid has become my second home and I plan on moving here in a near future! |
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) |
3.5-5. I lived on about 5/15 euros a day meaning about 100 euros or less a week! It all depends on how much personal shopping you want to do but if based solely of essentials its definitely a 4.5/5 ! |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | Less than 100 Euros a week depending on how much shopping you do in that week. Often times I would only spend about 70 euros or less! |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Try to make breakfast and dinner at home. Go to a local shop/ corner store (not grocery store) for your fruits and veggies. Food is relatively inexpensive in grocery stores as well. If you don't know how to cook or are too lazy, you can buy food for very cheap in Nostrum (a pasta plate =1 euro with the membership account which is free***) . Try to only eat out in fancy places only on weekends. Find out what your daily budget would be if you were to spend all the money you had for this trip (for example I had 2,000 euro budget for my 57 days in Madrid, which gave me about 35 euros to spend a day. I set aside a certain amount I wanted to save for spending which was about 250 euros. This let me know that I had to save about 10-15/day leaving me with about 15-25 euros I could spend a day on food and other expenses. I tried to do my shopping scattered throughout my trip but mostly towards the end of my trip because I wanted to make sure I was able to pay for essentials first. I tried saving the best for last- personal and gift shopping! This also gives you time to discover what / where the good prices and unique gifts/shops are! |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
|
How much did the program encourage you to use the language?
0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language |
|
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Fluent |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Fluent |
Other Program Information
|
* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
|
|
* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
|
|
* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
|
| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? |
A Look Back
| * What did you like most about the program? |
|
| * What could be improved? |
|
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | That it was going to be so hot and I didn't need to bring as many pants as I did. I was short on dresses and shorts! I should have brought less cloths so I could have bought more here! The fashion and its pricing is the amazing here! |
Reasons For Studying Abroad
| To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you. |
The NetworkerAn active student leader, it was important for you to network abroad as well. Once overseas, you sought out student clubs, volunteered with local organizations, or attended community events. You encouraged your friends join you, and often considered how you could reflect your international experiences in a resume. |
