Spain: Better done alone Past Review
By Joseph K (English: Creative Writing, Western Washington University) for
University of Salamanca: Salamanca - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
It was worthwhile. It really was. With a different director, this would have been one of the best experiences of my life. Of that I have no doubt.
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. |
The teachers were very responsive to the class's understanding and comprehension of the language. The University of Salamanca is a great learning facility that I would recommend to everyone. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The people who worked at and with the University (apart from Ferreiro) were delightful, all very friendly and amiable. It was quite lovely really. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
It felt safe enough, though I wouldn't keep a door unlocked or a window open. Absolutely no need to speak Spanish though. |
| * Food: |
I don't understand why people hated the dorm food so much. It was good food. Yeah, it wasn't as good as the 10 euro meals you could get downtown, but it was great for what it was. There was definitely some high-horsing going on... |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
There was this wonderful cafe that we would go to quite often. The owner naturally spoke slowly and was extremely friendly and helpful; he was like a second teacher. It was just lovely. As far as non-academic program things though, there were a lot of field trips that were useful and cool to see, but Ferreiro kept speeding us along before we could properly enjoy very much. He was also terribly disrespectful around any and all religious things. While it was nice to see so many things, doing it with him was embarrassing and rushed. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
It's a safe place if you have a buddy. You have to be responsible though; hard drugs and sketchy men are all too common and accessible; choose your own adventure. When sick, however, the university is extremely responsive and on it. I'm not sure that giving a handfull cure-all epic pills is the best choice medically, but it sure brought people back to health. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
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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 |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
What must be understood is that you can do this program without speaking any Spanish outside of the classroom. Your desire to acquire language is entirely determined by you. I wanted to learn, so I got the very few people in the group who also wanted to learn and we spoke together. If you insist on Spanish, Spain will do Spanish with you. If you want to be American, you will be American and waste your money. |
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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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? | Be brave. I watched a friend of mine become fluent in Spanish and, if I were as brave, I would have been too. Immerse yourself, get laughed at, and grow. If you stay in the horde, you will learn nothing. |
