Two Americans, three Italians and a Japanese student living together, now friends forever Past Review
By Andrew W (International Relations and Affairs., University of Arkansas - Fayetteville) for
USAC Spain: Alicante - Spanish Language, Linguistics, European, Mediterranean, and Gender Studies
I enjoyed it greatly, and I want to go back to Spain, but if I could choose again, I would have preferred to have studied in another Spanish city.
Personal Information
| If you took classes at multiple universities, list those universities here: | Universitat d'Alacant |
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
| The term and year this program took place: | Fall 2009 |
Review Your Program
|
* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The professors were good, but many of the other students were just there to go to the beach and often didn't even try to speak Spanish with our instructors. |
|
* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
|
|
* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Lived with another American, three Italians and a Japanese student. We lived near the RENFE station in a 6 bedroom apartment. The apartment was not the greatest, had no living room and the bathroom windows opened into the kitchen, but living with them was fantastic because we only spoke Spanish in the house and became close friends. <br /><br /> |
| * Food: |
|
|
* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
|
|
* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
|
| * Safety: |
|
| 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 had to pay for and cook my own food, but shopping at the Mercado Central was incredibly cheap for everyday groceries. For lunch, the campus restaurant Don Jamon had a great menu del dia that provided variety and was a lot of food for only 5 euro. Generally, I lived off of 60-80 euro each week without difficulty. |
Language
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Intermediate |
| Language acquisition improvement? |
The biggest thing that helped me was living with international students in housing arranged by USAC. Also, our professors were always very good with criticizing without interrupting what we were saying. |
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 |
|
A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | If you're looking for a place to have fun, Alicante is definitely it. If you're looking for a place to really delve deeply into Spanish language and culture, although it is certainly present in Alicante, you might want to look elsewhere. |
