CIEE College Study Abroad in Barcelona, Spain

I loved everything about my study abroad experience. I came in as a Spanish major wanting to make friends and become fluent and did exactly that. CIEE placed me with a welcoming Catalan family who had a brother my age I am close with to this day. Between my homestay experience, and classes with the University of Barcelona and CIEE, I had so many opportunities to learn and I am proud to say I am fluent today. I also made so many friends and not just with the students, but professors as well! The CIEE program had many opportunities for us to hang out with the students and professors alike, my favorite of which being a weekend excursion to Collioure. Overall, I had the best time in Barcelona and miss the city, friends and program so much!! I would highly recommend this experience to anyone hoping to improve their Spanish or simply immerse themselves in a young and vibrant city!

The ALA program in Barcelona was absolutely amazing. The staff at CIEE cared so much about helping us have a meaningful and fun experience. I was able to learn so much through Spanish classes, interesting trips, and just a genuine cultural immersion. The food in Barcelona was absolutely amazing - I could eat papayas bravas for the rest of my life. Travel was extremely easy, as the Barcelona airport is very accessible and has flights to pretty much everywhere in Europe. People in Barcelona are some of the nicest I have ever met. They are so kind and actually let you practice your Spanish (whereas in a lot of other countries they will just speak to you in English). I loved my experience in Barcelona with CIEE and would recommend it to anyone who wants to grow as a student and as a person.

This program really stands out due to the level of support (academically and socially) that the program coordinators provide. I was very nervous when I arrived, but with all of the reassurance, academic support, and Spanish practice I got from being in the CIEE ALA Program, I quickly adapted. The classes I took through CIEE were focused on improving our Spanish speaking skills and connecting us to the rich cultural history of the city. On the other hand, the classes I took at UB pushed me to engage in Spanish in a much more academic and formal manner, which I had never done before. I grew exponentially as an academic writer in Spanish, which is an important skill moving forward with my Spanish education, but also generally in my speaking ability, which was an amazing improvement for me. All of the teachers, program coordinators, and CIEE staff were so supportive in making this the best possible experience for all the participants, and I look back on my semester abroad so fondly and so thankful.

Living in Barcelona for a semester was a truly amazing and unique experience. The CIEE ALA program really lets you immerse yourself in the culture and be independent but at the same time provides so much support and helps you make the most of your experience. Participating in the program definitely helped me gain confidence and a love of experiencing new cultures. I knew that taking classes in the local university and meeting Spanish students would be a challenge, but CIEE provided all the resources I needed to be able to be successful and have a great time. I met Spanish friends at the language exchange meetings organized by the program, which became a great way to experience what life in Barcelona is like. Whenever I had an essay for a class at the University of Barcelona, the Spanish students that work at CIEE helped me edit my grammar and writing style so that I knew I was submitting my best work possible. And the program director, Alberto del Río Malo went above and beyond to make sure that we were learning, having fun, and exploring. I'm so grateful that through the program I not only got to immerse myself in a new culture and greatly improve my Spanish but also grow close with the other students who were studying abroad. Some of my fondest memories were from CIEE's day trips on Saturdays, where me and my friends were able to travel around the state of Catalonia for free and see so many new places. My favorite was the medieval town of Girona! Our weekend class trip was also amazing, where we got to actually visit the grave of one of Antonio Machado, one of the poets we had studied in class. That's just the type of thing that you can expect from the ALA program; You'll get a in-depth look at Spanish art, cinema, literature, and culture, and then go out and experience those things in Barcelona and the surrounding towns. Overall, if you want an amazing adventure in a beautiful city, meet lots of new people, and make life-long friends, then this is the program for you.

Barcelona is far and away the best city for an American student to study abroad in at any level of Spanish proficiency. The following are just a few of things that make the city so great for anyone: gorgeous architecture, delicious, diverse, and reasonably priced food, the city is walkable and public transportation is clean and efficient, the city is safe, you have easy access to the beach, mountains and a major international airport, the people are friendly, exciting nightlife, its warm, and the pace of the culture makes every day feel like a vacation. Consequentially, there are thousands of students who study in the city and even more that come to visit with limited command of the native tongues and have a great time. Being a student in CIEE's ALA program is amazing because you surround yourself with students who are looking to and able to get (due to their language ability and commitment to improving it) the most out of the experience by having a true cultural immersion experience in addition to the more tourist like cultural experiences that other programs provide to low level Spanish speakers. With the cultural and communication abilities that ALA helped me improve and gain confidence in, I managed to immerse myself in the culture by joining a neighborhood basketball team, enjoying bocadillos (Tasty Spanish sandwiches) and cañas (lunch time brews) with local and fellow CIEE students (and on one occasion a professor) after class. Further, I was fortunate enough to live with a Catalan family who was deeply involved in the local community both socially and politically. Living with Anna and Kike, whom I grew very close to and now write to regularly, I had opportunities to discuss the politics of Catalan independence and American policies with educated Catalan professionals, attend local Sunday mass, participate in family functions, and even engage in local dogs' rights protests. Inside and outside of class I was learning new things and honing my language abilities. Despite the true cultural immersion, ALA still allows you to have plenty of opportunity to get the more stereotypical study abroad experience with plenty of opportunities to hang out with, party, and travel with other Americans- which which while less enriching is a very fun time. In conclusion, despite going to Vanderbilt, a school consistently ranked at the top as having the happiest students, I have never seen so many kids having the times of their lives of their lives as I did during this semester in Barcelona.

Barcelona is easily one of the most amazing cities in the world, and CIEE helps students experience it to the fullest. From immersive classes with local students to trips around Spain, CIEE gave me the full experience of actually living in a different country, not just being a visitor for 4 months. The program manager, Alberto, is incredibly accommodating and kind, and he genuinely wants all of his students to have the best semester possible. I highly recommend studying abroad through ALA Barcelona, and I wish I could go back in time and do it all over again!

Let me just start off by saying that I didn't chose to study abroad because I wanted to travel and party. I wanted to learn more about the Spanish culture and immures myself in a place that I knew I could learn the most about Spanish, and that is exactly what CIEE's ALA program in Barcelona offered me.

I not only got to taste some amazing Spanish food, and see the amazing architecture of some of the most historically praised buildings but I got to do it as the locals did. I learned how to use public transportation and went to school with students that had been learning in Spanish their whole lives. Yes it was a little scary, but ALA helped me through every step of the way.

They took us out to trips almost every week where we could learn more and more about Spain! I linked a video bellow with the activities and experiences I had in JUST THE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER. I made a video for every month I was there along with some extra ones because I couldn't squeeze to much activity into 3 minutes.

Study abroad with CIEE in Barcelona through the ALA program and I guarantee it will be life changing if you let it be. And by that I mean, don't speak english with your friends, practice your Spanish as much as you can (not just in class)! Don't go to touristy clubs, go to local bars and restaurants. You can experience some of the most magical moments in your life if you allow yourself to truly experience what Spain in Barcelona are all about!

If I had to change anything about this experience, it would be to make it six weeks long instead of four. The beginning process was a bit confusing, but once I was able to personally connect with someone to guide me through it, everything went smoothly. Once we got to Barcelona every hurdle faced to get there was quickly forgotten. The city, the culture, the CIEE staff and of course my host family were all absolutely delightful. The class was very well structured and organized for maximum learning and retention. I thoroughly enjoyed the on site learning. They allowed me to retain the information needed to fully meet the objectives of the class. Nando, was an exceptional professor. he is very engaging, knowledgeable and passionate about this class and I believe it was easily transferred to the class.
My host family was the best! she went over and beyond the call of duty to be very supportive of me and my studies. I am certainly going to miss her cooking and my study trays when i needed them the most with cafe con leche y pastelles and a fruit or chocolate to keep me going. She reminded me every morning that i was the best student in the class. With that kind of support, how could you not succeed. i highly recommend this program to anyone who wants to study abroad, but cannot commit to an entire semester.
This experience allowed me to emerge in the Spanish culture, to give me a better understanding of Spanish and a lot more confidence in speaking the language to native speakers, This will be useful to me as a nurse in Washington DC once I complete Nursing School.