Spain: Old Country, Many New Experiences - San Sebastián Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The workload was not too much at all. I felt that it was very appropriate to the classes and was very enlightening.

On-site administration of your program

The host administration of my program was very successful in meeting my expectations and even going beyond them. The program coordinator was very helpful and outgoing. She always had suggestions for stuff to do and see and knew everything there was to know about the city and the country. We had 22 students in our programs which was a great number to have and worked well with the classes.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

My host family consisted of a single woman who had two cats. I also had an American roommate from my same program. My host mom was extremely helpful and welcoming. She took us around the city on the first day we arrived and made sure we felt at home always. I was lucky to have my own room. My host mom would make us a home cooked meal for every meal including a sack lunch to take to school every day. The neighborhood we lived in was safe and central to the city. Only about a 15 min walk to the school and about 10 min from the beaches.

I mostly ate at my host home, but there are some very good places to eat in the old district of the city where most people go to shop and such.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

My program had excursions included for each weekend except for the last one of the 5 weeks I was there. Bilbao was a lot of fun cause we went to the Guggenheim Museum and saw some amazing modern art. There was also a trip to Pamplona where we got to see the path that the Running of the Bulls follows. We even got a private tour into the bull fight arena there, which is the 3rd largest in the world. San Sebastian, my host city, also had some famous sights to see and experience including the wind combs, an old French fortress build by Napolean and others. Very wide ranging cultural experience indeed.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I never had any major issues with my health while abroad other than getting sick at the end of the program. My host mom went out and bought me some of the local medicine which was like alkaseltzer almost. It was probably some of the best and fastest acting medicine I had ever had. There are medicine stores on almost every corner of the streets and accessible to anyone. Safety was not a big concern for me once I realized how safety is only an issue if I put myself in a bad situations. They are very easy to avoid if you use common sense.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

Select all that apply

• Host Family

Select all that apply

• Host Family
• Americans