Un Semestre Especial

Oh Granada.... I miss it so much! This experience changed my life without a doubt and it is very hard to decide where to begin. My overall experience was fantastic - I improved my Spanish, made amazing friends and explored Europe. I'm going to focus on three things that I wish had been different: My living situation, prior knowledge about my school's attendance, and cultural immersion. My host family was very caring and we lived in a large apartment complex like most people in Granada, however I was not expecting the lack of communication/involvement from my host family. I think that in Spain many host families are older ladies who need money and so they are not hosting for the cultural experience so much as they are for cash. I found this disappointing - although I could have pushed to do more with them. Secondly, one of the major reasons I went to Spain was to travel through Europe - I even bought a EU rail pass prior to leaving... Don't do that.... After arriving in Granada I learned that my school had a rule forcing you to attend at least 80% of your classes or else you can't take the Final test (a couple of my classes were graded with only 2 tests - each 50% of your final grade). The rail pass was a huge waste of money, was time consuming, and very restricting. USE RYAN AIR! Flying is much faster and more flexible so it should be able to fit into your limited amount of time to travel. Lastly, I was disappointed that the centro de lenguas modernas was its own little island of international students and I had virtually no interaction with Spanish students. If you plan to make Spanish friends, seek how to get involved on the main campus at the beginning of your trip! Overall, I had a great time. The people are wonderful, the city is beautiful, and you will experience a type of freedom you didn't know existed... Now i'm feeling really nostalgic. You will love it!