Experience of a lifetime Past Review
By Terry Watson (Portland State University) - abroad from 06/27/2016 to 08/03/2017 with
ALBA: Barcelona - Study Abroad in Barcelona, Spain
I learnt a lot. It was totally worth it. My parents are very happy that I went, they say I have grown up a lot
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Took a bunch of econ and finance classes and were great. Spanish classes were amazing, I learnt more Spanish here than during high school |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
I stayed with a young professional and it was a great experience. He explained to me many things about Barcelona and Catalonia, where to go, what was free... |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Very much. The apartment was located in downtown close to everything. My room was big, bathroom was good too. |
| * Food: |
Food is so cheap in Spain!! veggies and fruit are very very very cheap. Everything is very fresh. I used to go to the bakery store, to the butcher, la "pescaderia"... |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Thanks to ALBA we felt like locals -after few weeks lol. They told us where we could go, where the locals use to hang out |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
Never had any issue, but pharmacies are great and very helpful. Drugs are very cheap too |
| * Safety: |
I walked home alone late at night and felt very safe. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
I enjoyed so much that i would come back. I am thinking on doing an internship in Barcelona. |
Finances
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* 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) |
I went to Italy, France and Madrid, went out, ate out and was´t expensive at all. I paid $70 roundtrip for flying to Paris!!! |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | 40 euros |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Save as much as you can and spend it in Europe |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
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How much did the program encourage you to use the language?
0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language |
I spoke Spanish daily. At the stores, at ALBA... |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Intermediate |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Advanced |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Lower-intermediate |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | Don´t be shy! |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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| 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? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | I had all the info I needed |
