API High School: Spanish Language & Culture (for credit) in Salamanca

This summer I was seeking a way to be independent while experiencing something completely new. As my parents, of course, were not enthused by the idea of their child roaming free in a foreign country, I had to choose a program. Somehow I came across Aspire by API, and I am SO lucky to have chosen it. At the University of Salamanca, I was challenged to really increase my Spanish conversational skills. Taking Literature in another language was an incredible experience, and my professors welcomed me enthusiastically, answering any questions I had and slowing down the Spanish when necessary. Aspire by API provided us with great activities and the weekend trips were lots of fun for the whole group. I met a bunch of great people, and we all became close by the end. Our group leaders were lovely, and we all grew to love them as well, as they helped us immerse ourselves in Spanish culture. Salamanca is a beautiful city and I'd love to go back. We got to see Santander, Madrid, Segovia, and even Portugal on the weekends, which were incredible experiences as well. Salamanca is a place unlike anywhere else in Spain, and you are guaranteed to stay with an amazing host family if you go through Aspire by API.

I participated in Aspire by API's program in Salamanca last summer (2011) and had the time of my life. In Salamanca there were other high school groups but our's was by far the best. We had activities planned every afternoon, went on weekend excursion, and had the best directors.

The day started with a few hours of classes at the University of Salamanca. Ignoring the wonderful teachers, just the fact that it is the third oldest university in the world is so cool. Think 1215! The classes were small 15-20 and the teachers very enthusiastic. I loved going to classes because they were interesting and I got to hang out with people (mostly college students) from around the world. I'm still in touch with a girl from Korea.

I stayed with a home-stay and went home for lunch around 2pm. My host mom always made tons of delicious food. At first I felt bad because in Spain it is rude not to eat it all but I talked to her and explained that my stomach can't handle three big courses and a dessert. She understood and gave me smaller potion sizes.

After lunch (comida, for some reason they don't call it almuerzo) I would take a short siesta before going out into the town. We would shop or just hang out for a couple hours until 4-6 depending on what activity was planned that day. The activities were amazing we had cooking, salsa, and painting classes, visited museums, went on bike tours, ect.

Spaniards eat dinner late around 8-10 and it is a much lighter meal than lunch. I would usually go out after dinner but sometimes I would just stay and talk with my host mom or watch T.V. with her. She worried when we went out at night but understood the charms of the city.

Salamanca is an extremely safe city. I walked back to my apartment around 12-1 by myself a few times and felt completely safe. It is a perfect city for young people to be by themselves for the first time.

I could go on and on about how wonderful this program is but I hope you will take my word for it. I wish I could have done another program with Aspire by API this summer but I had to work:( I am planning on attending college in Spain because of this program. Thank you Marc and everyone else behind it.

I participated in Aspire by API's University of Salamanca summer program in 2011, and the summer before that I joined Aspire by API in Paris.

Salamanca is an amazing city, especially for young students studying abroad. It is small and safe, and Aspire by API gives the right amount of supervision to allow for independence while also ensuring security. Nearly every afternoon, API has great cultural activities planned daily to allow for students to get acquainted with the city before they explore on their own. API took us out to tapas restaurants, salsa classes, museums, cafes, and even to see the Spanish release of the seventh Harry Potter movie.

API offers the option to live in either a residencia or host family. I loved living in the residencia because it gave me the opportunity to become great friends with students in other programs and have a ready-made group of friends to explore the city with. However, the students in the host families also had great experiences and enjoyed having their very own Spanish mother. Many of them lived in the same building or on the same block so they were also able to travel the city together.

The University of Salamanca has an incredible summer language program. On the first day of class you test into one of a wide range of levels. The teachers are amazing, the classes are small, and you really get a good handle on grammar, writing, and comprehension. One month after never having taken Spanish before and I tested into the 3rd semester of Spanish at Notre Dame. Additionally, API staff were there every step of the way, ensuring that we were placed into the right classes and had a handle of the Spanish University system.

Finally, weekend excursions were amazing: we stayed at nice hotels, ate out at nice restaurants, took surfing lessons, etc. We traveled to Spanish beaches, specifically Santander. We made it over to Oporto, Portugal and took a wine tour. Then, we explored Madrid and Toledo. Nearby our hometown, Salamanca, we went kayaking and then took a long hike which ended in the adorable ciudad Rodriguez. I have several friends that studied or traveled abroad through similar programs to API and have come to conclude that API is a great deal and a great program. I have traveled with API twice now, and will be studying abroad with them again this summer. I think that this in itself speaks to how much I enjoyed the program.

This program was really fun. I loved how it was a small group of students and we all got to know each other pretty well. The curfew was pretty early but I felt really immersed with the culture.

So much fun- really felt immersed in Spanish culture and daily life. Everyone that works for Aspire is amazingly helpful and personable- especially Marc! Would recommend this program to anyone!!

After coming back from Salamanca, Spain with the Aspire by API I wished it didn't have to end. Our group leader was fantastic and tried to integrate fun activities with learning. The weekend trips were amazing, one weekend we took surf lessons, which was SO much fun. Throughout the month I was there the I did so many things I never thought I would ever do, they made sure we soaked in the differnt cultural differences. Our other leader who lived in Spain, was very helpful in helping us understand what the locals were saying, as well as just the different day to day differences. The housing Aspire by API provided us with was amazing, my host family was absolutley wonderful, and I didn't want to leave. Never once when I was there did I once question my safety. If I had the opportunity, I would definetly travel with Aspire by API again, no questions asked.

I loved this program and I know you will too! The staff is very fun and chill. The people in the city are nice and welcoming. The host families are great (especially the food). Night life is full of events. I have meet people that I will stay in touch with forever. I really recommend this program and this destination. You will get so much out of it!! Good luck.

Most of the activities we did after school were excellent, like kayaking in a river and taking a bike tour of Salamanca. However, there were some activities that could have been better planned. For example, we did an interchange with a few high school students from the area and it was slightly awkward... we weren't sure what to talk to them about, and the students didn't seem all too interested in talking to us as much as they wanted to talk to each other. We also took a trip on the weekend to Santander, which included a visit to the Alta Mira Caves museum. The real caves were closed and the real trip was on the whole a disappointment.Many of the students would have preferred to have spent another day learning to surf (which we did the day before)rather than visit the museum. Besides that, spending time walking around cities with our group leader was excellent, and if you were willing to explore, there was always something to do in Salamanca. The only limit to this was the curfew, which was far too early in a country that tends to just be eating dinner at 10:00 PM!