America will always be there. This is temporary. Act accordingly. Past Review
By A student (Spanish Language and Literature., Providence College) - abroad from 01/14/2013 to 06/03/2013 with
CIEE: Seville - Advanced Liberal Arts
I learned that homesickness is not always gazing at the moon wishing you were seeing it from a different shore. For me it manifested as a culture shock with a culture I thought I knew already. I didn't at first. I grew into it and loved it, but when I first got there I was surprised that I didn't immediately feel like 'i got this'. My mantra when I was having a bad day was that there is a time for everything..right now is Spain time. Later, and maybe even the rest of my life is America time: american family time, american friends time. Not now. It is a fleeting experience. Go and be there and love the process of learning every second. Each part of your life there has something to teach you. The unfamiliarity can be scary at first. Stick with it, find your comfort zone in your home away from home.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Most of the learning happened outside the classroom. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
very helpful and available. checked in with us multiple times throughout estancia |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
absolutely loved my homestay experience |
| * Food: |
incredible food that the city/country has to offer (especially my host mother) |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
quite integrated due to direct enrollment classes in the university. however it is impossible not to stand out as an american. it truly is not in the programs' hands; it takes individual initiative to take steps to meet spaniards and experience the culture as it is meant to be. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
the health clinic we were directed to was very friendly and kind. however, i had a lingering illness that repeated visits and prescription medication tooks months to eradicate (not the type of medical experience I am used to) |
| * Safety: |
i felt very safe, never witnessed/experienced a mugging or anything violent. however the sex/gender relations are notably different from the American standard. Though I never felt particularly threatened by the male attention, the behaviors (catcalling, staring, invitations, grabbing/touching in public) felt very extreme and in my opinion called for more rigourous self-awareness during my estancia. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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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) |
because my host mother fed me three meals a day, when I stuck to eating at home my costs were minimal. what jacked up my spending was choosing to eat out (though food is very cheap in Spain, it adds up), and weekend traveling. Other personal expenses included shopping, my bike-sharing membership, personal hygiene products, school books (approx 50 euro in total), gifts/souvenirs for others. When I kept a good balance of traveling every couple of weekends, and spending the rest of the time in Sevilla, I did not spend as much. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $120 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Eat in with your host family as much as possible. You will bond with them, learn to cook, eat probably delicious food, and save money. Be very conscious of the day-to-day currency exchange rate. Go into the semester with a vague budget. See if your bank account will waive ATM fees if you maintain a certain amount in the account (mine did). If it doesn't, withdraw larger amounts of money to avoid paying each time, or sign up for an account that waives this fee. |
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 |
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| 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? | SPN 322 |
| 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? | Sign up to be a volunteer with a local organization(you can probably do this through your program). It is an opportunity for you to make a difference in the community that is sponsoring you, and pursue your interests and passions, while practicing the language with coworkers. For me it was so valuable to learn the vocabulary surrounding my particular cause. Also, do travel, but make space for travel within the country or language region in which you are studying. Gives you a wider appreciation and use for the language you're using. Live with a host family and ask them questions. My host mother taught me everything I need to know about a kitchen, but only because I cared enough to ask her to repeat a word, or identify something I'm not familiar with. Ask to meet their friends and extended family. Talk to people in your classes. Participate 100% in their cultural events - fairs (Spanish feria), religious traditions (Spanish semana santa), and other things that make that part of the world special. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
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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 wish I knew more about the city I was moving to before I went. I was wildly ignorant beforehand, so I would recommend reading about the food, history, city environment etc. I also wish I wasn't so certain that I wouldn't experience culture shock. Then maybe it wouldn't have been such a shock. Like starting out at a new school, cockiness won't get you anywhere. I ended up in tears on skype once or twice..never would have dreamed that I'd be 'like that'. So I wish I knew that feeling out of sorts sometimes doesn't mean you're not supposed to be there, or not prepared, or not good at Spanish. It just means that you're American in a new city for a bit. In the beginning it felt like forever until I'd be home again. Then time started absolutely flying by and I didn't have enough time to do everything I thought'd I'd see during my time there. I'd recommend that if something crosses your mind - a museum, a beach, a concert you want to see - do it as soon as possible. Meet up with local friends and meet their friends. Because you're going to blink and you'll be digging your heels into the ground as someone drags you onto a Stateside bound plane. |
Reasons For Studying Abroad
| To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you. |
The Academic or LinguistYou went abroad with specific academic goals in mind; the program credentials and rigor of your coursework abroad were very important to you. You had a great time abroad, but never lost sight of your studies and (if applicable) were diligent with your foreign language study. Good for you! |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
psychology of learning a second language |
| Course Department: | ciee |
| Instructor: | frank armengou castrillon garcia |
| Instruction Language: | spanish |
| Comments: | excellent class, engaging professor |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
| Course Name/Rating: |
antropologia de la sexualidad |
| Course Department: | universidad de sevilla, facultad geografia/historia |
| Instructor: | assumpta sabuco |
| Instruction Language: | spanish |
| Comments: | great classroom environment, great plan for semester but unfortunately wasn't always followed, professor is a delight |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
