SPI Study Abroad

San Sebastian is truly one of the most beautiful spots in Spain. I went on this trip to Spain with high hopes. Each and every one of those was met. My friend and I were placed with an older women. She was extremely sweet and we looked up to her as a grandmother. We had a few bumps in the road like hot water availablility, but our directors and SPI handled it quickly. The classes taught me so much and the activities helped us to use Spanish in fun settings. I made friends from all over the US and world and now have a grandmother in San Sebastian who I plan to visit again soon.
It was really an incredible and eye-opening experience. I got to improve my spanish-speaking skills while having tons of fun and being in a once-in-a-lifetime environment.

We were looking for a Spanish Immersion program for our son and found the SPI site via a Google search. After vetting the program on line, calling the office and asking many questions about the program, safety, travel oversight, host family background, and looking everywhere to make sure this program was legitimate and would take good care of our son, he was signed up. BEST program and staff. From the minute he was enrolled, the emails came with information - security protocol, videos of the various airports and their immigration process, language prep suggestions for the kids, roommate and host family information, day to day itinerary, etc.. Our son had an amazing experience. From the minute he was met at the local airport, he was at ease. He enjoyed meeting the other kids, loved his host family, the excursions (especially to Biarritz), the free time to explore San Sebastian, and gaining proficiency in Spanish which has definitely helped him in his Spanish 4 class this year. He still starts many sentences with " when I was in Spain...."

Our son had a fantastic experience. He had just finished his freshman year of high school and we were very hesitant to send him abroad. Everyone at SPI assured us that he would be safe - and he was! I was really happy with all their support over the phone with Megan at the office. She really made me feel comfortable, for which I am forever grateful - otherwise we probably wouldn't have sent him!

Recently he was asked to rate his experience from 1 to 10 by his French teacher. He gave it a 12! As hard as it was to let him go to another country, it was the best thing we could have done for him.

He safely returned to us as a much more mature and confident young man. Thank you so much SPI for the fabulous summer experience in Biarritz. What a wonderful program and city!

I went on this program with excitement but also high nerves. SPI really created an amazing program for us to feel comfortable in a country so different from home (US). The group was smaller than I thought it would be, but we ended up bonding very quickly. The 8 of us really connected because of the cultural adaptation we were experiencing. We now consider each other family . I will never forget my Chinese immersion with SPI! Thank you!

SPI offered a unique and extraordinary combination of a homestay experience in a city that is small enough for students to learn their way around town on their own, along with morning classes taught by excellent teachers and afternoon culture events. A housing problem came up the week before the program began and while I spent the week wondering and worrying, the terrific SPI staff handled the problem and set up the homestay we were counting on. They earned my respect and the highest recommendation for both coming through with an excellent homestay experience as well as for running the overall program with language and culture experiences.