Salamanca: A beautiful city worth returning to Past Review
By Wendy Y (Criminal Justice/ Spanish for Business, Vermont State University) for
ISA Study Abroad in Salamanca, Spain
Study abroad made me more determined than ever to travel once I graduate. I loved Salamanca and want to go back, possibly to stay there for a few years. I loved learning about a new culture that had so many similarities (like school, work) and differences (like no sweet potato! and a lot more walking)
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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. |
Some of the classes that were in Spanish I had a little trouble with...I think if I did it over, I would stay longer and take less classes actually in Spanish the first semester. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The people from the program were all really nice, and were always there to help when there was something that I didn't understand. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
It was a somewhat small apartment. The host family I stayed with were wonderful people, and my host mom especially made an effort to help me practice my spanish. I try to keep in touch with them still. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
There were so many excursions that I got to see a lot of things that I might not have seen otherwise. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
The city seemed relatively safe...normal rules apply, like be careful walking at night by yourself...I was lucky enough to find friends who would walk home with me. |
| 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) |
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Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| Language acquisition improvement? |
My host family didn't speak English at all. My roommate did though, so sometimes when I had a little trouble communicating with the family, she helped. Also, most stores had no English speaking people either, and some of my teachers didn't speak English! |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | I would tell students to loosen up a little. I was nervous at first, and a little introverted, and I missed a few opportunities because of it. You'll never be in that exact same moment again, so go for it! |
