Granada - amazing Abroad experience Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

I felt that the expectations on the part of the professors were lower than they could have been. It felt like they were shocked when my classmate and I (I was in a high level of Spanish by the end of the intensive courses and only had one classmate) asked to work on things like reading poetry and analyzing it. It would have been nice to have had higher expectations and coursework that was a little harder, but at the same time, we covered a lot of material in class everyday and homework may not have been necessary. We learned a lot more by speaking and listening to our professors and people outside of the classroom than we did by working on a worksheet. The smaller workload enabled us to go out more with local people and spend time practicing and applying the Spanish we had learned. One of the best things offered by the school was the option to sign up for "intercambios." Language exchanges between Spaniards who wanted to learn English and foreigners who wanted to learn Spanish. You could sign up in a book saying that you were interested in having a language exchange, and you could look up the phone numbers of other people who were interested in learning your language. These were a great opportunity to make new friends as well as practice the language and I made some of my best friends by doing them.

On-site administration of your program

I LOVED the administration of API, both in my experiences in the U.S. and in Spain. The directors on site were very knowledgeable, friendly, and genuinely cared about each and every one of us. They were always available when we needed them to be. The API staff in Texas were willing to work with my financial aid needs which allowed me to go abroad and pay for the trip once my aid had been dispersed by my school.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I would say that I would still encourage other students to live with host families. The majority of them are really great and love their jobs and you can learn a lot of Spanish by living with a family. Our family situation was less than satisfactory when it came to the quality of the food and the quality of our relationship with the family. Usually families eat with the students and that is one of the prime times to practice and learn the language. Ours however did not eat with us on a normal basis and did not talk to us about anything other than "how was your day?" Again, not the typical experience, and I wouldn't discourage anyone from living with a host family, but rather encourage them to move if there are problems.

The food in Spain (in Andalucia at least) is generally bland compared to American food. Tapas are a great and cheap way to eat in Granada. Most tapas are free with a drink, and there are several bars where you can get an entire sandwich with the purchase of one beer. Our meals at home were generally some kind of broth or potato based soup. Bread comes with every meal. Fruit is a pretty common dessert, and get ready to eat a TON of ham and pork. Pork is the meat of choice in the south, which left us craving beef every now and again. It would be hard to live in Granada as a vegetarian I think, but not impossible. The most common salad is iceberg lettuce with tomatoes, olive oil, and salt.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

API was great in that they took us on several fun excursions in the city and outside. We had a great time in Seville, San Jose, and Paris.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

Granada is a very safe city to walk around in. Just be careful with personal belongings when going to clubs as there are pick pockets anywhere. Healthcare was very easy, though maybe not as detailed of a check-up as you would expect in the U.S.

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

With my friends, host family, and strangers who wanted to have language exchanges. I could practice by going to the store and speaking with the people who worked there. I used the host language in everyday interactions and drastically improved my language skills. Most people in Granada did not speak English, so it was a great opportunity to use Spanish out of necessity (which helps you learn more rapidly).

Select all that apply

• Host Family

Select all that apply

• Host Family

• Learning Spanish in a culture that speaks the language.

• The difficulty of the classes. I learned a lot, but I felt that I could have learned even more.