SPI High School Spanish Immersion & Cultural Leadership in Spain

I studied with SPI in San Sebastian in 2006. It was an incredible experience! I still keep in contact with a lot of the people I met, including my homestay family, Maritxu and Valentin. I highly recommend studying abroad with SPI programs because they really do offer well-rounded opportunities with lots of chances to use your language. I participated in the Siena, Italy program in 2007 too!

It's difficult to sum up my comments on this experience in a short paragraph, considering I could probably write a book about it. The other reviews give plentiful descriptions of the program's day-to-day experiences, so I'll try to take mine in a different direction.
This experience takes you way out of your comfort in so many ways, from your home-stay to the cultural immersion, and everything in between. I had never been out of North America before this trip, and this experience taught me that I want to spend a lot of my life traveling the world, meeting new people, and putting myself more and more out of my comfort zone. We all do so much to increase monotony in our daily lives, so do yourself a favor, and have an adventure so far out of the ordinary that you will never forget for the rest of your vida!!!

The San Sebastian program was absolutely incredible! Staying with a host family was so interesting and such a cultural immersion! My Spanish improved immensely, and having to navigate around the city taught me to be independent and responsible. Would go back in a heartbeat!

The month I spent in Santander was probably one of the best times I've ever had. I made a lot of new friends from all around world. And, they weren't just kids in the program but people I'd meet at the local market or walking around the city. In class we had fun group activities that even I could participate in. My Spanish wasn't very good to begin with but now I can actually hold a conversation. The teachers were awesome. They were relaxed and made class interesting while we learned Spanish. Safety was never an issue in Santander. All the people were very kind. I would walk and take the bus everywhere and never had any troubles. Our director Valerie always had cool excursions planned for us like surf lessons, famous museums, trips to other cities, and my favorite the Picos de Europa. I hope to go back next year and highly recommend anyone reading this to go.

I wish I could of stayed with my host family forever. They were the most welcoming and friendly people I have ever met. They would not criticize your spanish but laugh with you and help correct along the way. That was one of the best and most helpful parts for me!
Also, the SPI program does a great job of allowing you to experience all the city has to offer. In school we went on a scavenger hunt around town to learn our way around by asking strangers questions in Spanish. Everyday SPI had some sort of activity such as, the aquarium, taking a boat ride to the island in La Concha beach, surfing, Churros and Chocolate, small games on the beach, etc.
If you are looking for a program to immerse yourself in Spanish, meet life long friends, have a host family experience, and have fun during the summer, this is the program for you!

Overall, this was a fantastic experience! I made many new friends and had a great time! We were able to visit many interesting tourist sites while learning about the Spanish culture and practicing our speaking skills. As far as the educational experience goes, my knowledge of the language and culture greatly increased over the course of the two weeks. I couldn't recommend this program more!

I have never traveled by myself before, but from the start, I felt very welcomed by the SPI program heads. I started with the extension and I really loved it. For anyone looking into this program, I highly recommend taking advantage of this. I was able to see more of Madrid and get adjusted to Spanish culture before the other students arrived. The hotels we stayed at were great. They were located in central areas and clean. Unfortunately, I found myself needing a lot of money to operate and have a good time in Madrid, Santander, and everywhere else we traveled. Activities/excursions, some transportation, and some meals needs to be payed for by you. We had many free afternoons to ourselves, and to be honest, we did not know what to do with ourselves. I found myself shopping or sitting in a cafe most of the time. A warning to parents, I went easily through about (with extension) $2000. I could have spent more, but I skipped some of the excursions which you are required to pay for. Besides this, the trip was FANTASTIC! My Spanish is smoother and I find speaking comes much more quickly.

You'll make new friends, eat the best ice cream in the world, have the time of your life, learn more Spanish than you can imagine, the home stays are so sweet, and the the town is gorgeous.