Granada: A Journey Worth Taking Past Review

By (Spanish Language and Literature., Illinois State University) for

CEA CAPA Education Abroad: Granada, Spain

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
Yes, it was eye-opening to live away from home and be totally on my own. I learned to be more independent and to get out of my comfort zone.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 1 month - 6 months

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Workload= very minimal. Some teachers better than others. Grading system= confusing. For most classes, our only grades were based off of attendance and one project, so it was hard to gage how we were doing in a particular class.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

Strengths- Very helpful when it came to registering for classes, took us on many excursions Weaknesses- Would have liked more long-distance excursions.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

* Food:

At first I didn't like the food, but I grew to like it. It also helped that for much of the time, I was the only student in the house, so my Senora only made food that she knew I liked.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

The trip to Sevilla and Cordoba was fun, it was nice to able to get to know new people and have a lot of free time to wonder around different cities.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

Granada is very safe, mainly because people stay up so late there that the streets are rarely empty.

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? Yes

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? If I would not have traveled, it would have been very easy to stay within budget. However, there were so many unexpected trips that I ended up taking. It would have helped to budget in advance for these trips.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? Yes
How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? Beginner
What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? Lan 244
If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition?

Language acquisition improvement?

I was able to practice Spanish with my host mother almost every day. I needed to use Spanish on a daily basis in order to do most things.

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Host Family
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • International Students
  • Host Family
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?
  • It felt like there were people taking care of us while we were away from home.
* What could be improved?
  • Sometimes our leaders seemed to lack enthusiasm.
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? Will really benefit your Spanish if you live with a host family. Also, try not to speak English as much as possible.