Study with API in Granada. NOW.

Choosing to study in Granada with API was, hands down, the best decision I've ever made. Granada itself exceeded all my expectations - the API staff outdid themselves, and it only took a week or two for Curra, Lydia and Jose to become my second Spanish family. Every move was coordinated and organized beautifully, and it felt effortless and easy every time.

I originally roomed with a fellow API student, but had some troubles with the host family as well as my roommate and ended up switching to another host mother, Lolita. Curra made the transition incredibly smooth - she helped me set up a time to meet Lolita, listened to my concerns and made sure that it was the best fit for me - and it was. Lolita made me laugh when she teased me about my Spanish, but she taught me new words every day and I know that my Spanish drastically improved because of her and the daily (hilarious) conversations we had. She felt like my real mother by the end of my stay with her. My new roommate and I both felt like sisters in a true Spanish home, and I was surprised and delighted by that.

Classes were much easier than I expected, though transitioning from all English to all Spanish classes was a little overwhelming at first. However, once I learned to just listen and comprehend and ask questions if I didn't understand, it became much easier. The professors were exceedingly patient with us, especially on Monday mornings when the only Spanish any of us could speak was "vale."

The API excursions were a true delight. We encountered a problem when we went to Rome: the Iberia strikes cancelled our flight from Granada to Madrid less than 24 hours before we were supposed to be on it, but - and this proves how amazing the API staff is - we had a bus lined up within a few hours, everyone was notified and there was little to no stress put on the students. Curra and Jose handled everything with a smile and laughter, even when it rained the entire weekend, and made the trip an unforgettable one. The beach weekend in Cadiz could not have come at a more perfect time - right before finals, all of us together, after all of us had been used to staying in hostels, we had a beautiful, gorgeous, unbelievable beachfront hotel and were treated like princes and princesses. It was the best way to end the API experience: together on a beach, relaxing in the sun. The timing couldn't have been better.

I honestly wish that I had chosen to stay for an entire academic year instead of just a semester, because I had no idea I would fall in love with the people, the culture, the program and the stunning city of Granada. If you're on the fence about where to study abroad, or if you should even go, get off. Jump off the fence and onto a plane to Granada, because you're going to have the time of your life.