Six Weeks in Avila Past Review
By Allee M (English and Spanish Education, University of North Dakota) for
University of Salamanca: Salamanca - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
This trip was extremely worthwhile. I became more comfortable and more fluent in my Spanish, and I learned a great deal about Spanish people, food, and culture. I gained a new perspective of the world as well and recognized how much I take for granted as being universal when it's not.
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. |
I really liked the amount of work we did in our Spanish classroom. All of my teachers understood that we came to Spain to explore, not spend several hours in our rooms studying. The homework we received was minimal; often I didn't have homework at all. My culture teacher, when she assigned homework, told us to start a conversation with our host families, to learn something from them. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
I feel for the most part that I received accurate information, but I was told two different things for financial aid, which made the process very long and drawn out. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
My host mother was amazing. She treated my roommate and me like her daughters, taking care of us, feeding us traditional Spanish dishes, taking us shopping, and driving us to school. I felt very safe and welcome in her house and neighborhood. The only thing I really needed to buy to live with her was a towel. |
| * Food: |
Just make sure you try new foods when you're there. I really doubt you spent that much money to eat at McDonald's in a foreign country. The whole point of studying abroad is trying new things, and that goes with food as well. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
My host mother took me to a street dance and concert. Plus, my program took the other students and me to five other cities around Avila. Our program also provides a long weekend where we have four days to visit any other place in Spain. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
I did not need any vaccines for Spain, but my group did arrive just in time for the German cucumber E. coli scare. None of us were affected by food poisoning, though. I felt very safe in my host city, but just like in any other place I would travel, I did not walk around by myself at night and I did not invite strangers into my hotel or house. (That actually did happen on the trip, but luckily no one was hurt or robbed.) |
| 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 |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
I practiced Spanish with my host mother and her friends, American roommate, American classmates, my Spanish teachers, and random people I met there. Yes, I needed to use Spanish every day since most people older than I am do not know much English. |
Direct Enrollment/Exchange
| * Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university? | Direct Enrollment |
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 do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | For me, this program was the best fit because I could go during the summer without taking up a whole semester. I'm also a homebody, so I'm not entirely sure I would like spending longer than six weeks any from my family. If you are considering this program, just make sure you go there and actually enjoy yourself. I heard so many complaints on this trip that I just found it annoying. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity; you get out of it what you put into it, so watch the attitude! |
