Home Away From Home Past Review

By (Oklahoma State University - Stillwater) - abroad from 01/04/2017 to 03/28/2017 with

ISA Study Abroad in Málaga, Spain

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
My experience abroad gave me friends around the world, insight on new cultures, and the ability to learn about myself and to grow and evolve. People say 'I found myself abroad' which I used to ridicule, but having my experience I truly learned new things about myself: how to be more independent, how to communicate without knowing the language, how to make friends with people of different cultures, and the list goes on. I gained international friends, insight on how to adapt to new cultures, how to save money for traveling, and how to be cost-conscious while still doing all the activities I wanted to.

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.

Wonderful experience to learn about a different culture while living and interacting with people from that culture.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Fabulous! I stayed in a residencia with 6 other Americans from my program. We met 20-25 young Spanish college students living on the floor above us and we all still communicate now that we are back state side.

* Food:

Food was great and the Mediterranean diet is wonderful; the place I lived served us food so we didn't pick what we wanted to eat most of the time unless we wanted to pay for a restaurant. (Reason for the 4.5 rating)

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I met 20-25 Spanish college students where I lived; we ate together, went to bars together, and I keep in contact with them today. My teachers were funny, smart, high level of English when needed, and were very helpful- I ended up adding most of them on Facebook!

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

There was a vegetarian that lived with me and she was well taken care of; if you have a food allergy let people know and don't be shy. Spaniards are wonderful and understanding people mostly!

* Safety:

I feel less safe in America than I ever felt in Europe; I am also from a small, nonviolent town. Please do not let terrorist stories keep you from traveling. If you do- terrorism wins.

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

I told my parents in the first month I was in Spain that I had never felt more content being so out of my comfort zone. My experience abroad gave me friends around the world, insight on new cultures, and the ability to learn about myself and to grow and evolve. People say 'I found myself abroad' which I used to ridicule, but having my experience I truly learned new things about myself: how to be more independent, how to communicate without knowing the language, how to make friends with people of different cultures, and the list goes on. My point, go abroad because you will not regret the experience and you might even find new passions, hobbies, or friends that you will keep for the rest of your life.

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)

It is very cheap to live in Spain. Meals are usually 6 Euro and under but if you buy things from the store it is even cheaper each meal. My expenses were more because I decided to travel to 11 different countries while abroad; I highly suggest traveling. Each weekend I would budget 200 Euro to go to a different country and I would usually either be a bit under my budget or right at 200 Euro. It all depends on what you do and where you go- my other friend only spent 100 maybe 150 Euro to see a lot of places as well; just figure out what you want to see most and work around it.

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? $30
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Save your money during the week for the weekend to travel- go see as much as you can. Shop at the supermarket instead of going to a restaurant every day, find cheap flights with RyanAir, stay in hostels (they are actually nicer than hotels sometimes), make a list of what you want to see and make a goal to save the money to get there.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? Yes
How much did the program encourage you to use the language?

0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language

I took all English classes, but I was surrounded by the language and my Spanish friends would have me speak in Spanish and they would speak in English so we were both learning and helping each other.

How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? Beginner
How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? Intermediate
What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? Elementry 1
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? Duolingo is an amazing site to learn basic phrases. Just looking up random things to say on Google Translate was helpful too.

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Dorm
  • Apartment
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Local Students
  • Americans
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? 10+

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?
  • The cultural experience
  • Meeting/ keep up with new friends
  • Hearing different oppinions on life
* What could be improved?
  • More food choices in the dorm
  • N/A
  • N/A
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? Speak the native language whenever you can no matter how badly you speak it- the people will like to see you make the effort. I also would've packed clothes for cooler weather; the beach was colder than I expected in January.