Summer 2018 Participant
I learned that I was a lot more independent and capable than I thought. I was nervous about being on my own in a foreign country, but I quickly found out that my previous Spanish education had prepared me very well, and it was easier to adjust to a different culture than I had thought.
Summer 2024 Participant
My host mom was my favorite part of this program. She was amazing and felt like a part of my family, which helped a lot with not feeling homesick. She was very helpful throughout the whole trip and very loving.
Summer 2022 Participant
Take advantage of the time with your host family as much as possible. They are wonderful resources, and they all chose to host students because they want to help you improve Spanish and learn about Spanish culture. Eat breakfast and dinner there as much as possible because not only are you paying for it, but it is also a great time to get better at Spanish and get to know them which will result in a better overall experience. It is normal to be nervous about talking to them, but push pass that fear because the reward is so much greater than the doubts!
Also, budgeting your time strategically is very important. There is so much to do in Barcelona, so much so that I didn't travel outside of Barcelona during the entire program. Writing down your priorities (museums, places, restaurants, etc) and figuring out how to accomplish all of them with schoolwork will be helpful to make sure you don't miss anything you want to do. I am really glad I did this because I accomplished my whole Barcelona bucket-list! For others, their goal was to travel on the weekends to different places, and I know they wouldn't have been able to accomplish this without planning ahead.