AIFS Abroad in Barcelona, Spain (UAB): Semester

I really enjoyed the AIFS program. They were really helpful whenever I needed help with something or needed information. I loved the trips they offered and Barcelona was an amazing experience. I wouldn´t have chosen any other city to go to.

I come from a very small town and when i arrived in Barcelona i was very out of my element in the city. Soon, i grew to love the hustle and bustle of city life, although never really got over the metro. Walking around the city; to class, shopping, and random walks, has let me discover many hidden gems that i would never have stumbled upon. I love how independent i have become, much to city life and this study abroad program. It is an experience i wouldnt change for the world.

I enjoyed staying in student apartments with other students that I had not met before. It was necessary to create new friendships and helped with integrating us into the social scene in Barcelona. This also encouraged us to explore more.

The most difficult adjustment I had to make was living my day to day life without a cell phone it would be helpful if the program offered rental phones. Other than that the staff is extremely helpful, the housing options are excellent, the excursions are great, and the city of Barcelona offers fun around every corner.

Coming to Barcelona I did not know what to expect or how I would survive being in a new continent and country for the first time. I quickly felt more comfortable when I went out with the other students in the program. Although from different backgrounds, we could all relate somehow. When I learned how to treat Barcelona like home, I became more comfortable. Here in Barcelona, I became comfortable with speaking Spanish even when I realized I made mistakes. I eventually learned how to survive on my own as an adult. Barcelona has taught me a lot about the European culture and the Catalan culture, as well as who I am in this large world we live on.

my experience in barcelona has been extremely amazing, i have noticed changes in myself as a person and have grown a large amount. the friends i have made in barcelona and eurpoe both in and out of my program are people that i believe i will maintain contact with for a large period of time in my life. my spanish has improved, however in a city such as barcelona it is difficult to learn spanish becuase of the whole catalan thing.

The experience in Spain was amazing. Definitely the best semester I´ve ever had. I would reccomend this program and city to anyone. Wish I didn´t have to leave so soon. Improving my spanish was a highlight as well as the frequent trips throughout Europe. Loved the apartment living and I got along well with all of my roommates.

These past four months were amazing. It was a great experience and I definitelñy do not want to leave. It was a lot of fun and I would not change a thing about it. I traveled a lot and ended up going to seven different countries while I was here. We went to Florence, Munich, Amstersdam, Andorra, London, and Paris. All of these places were incredible but Barcelona was by far my favorite place. We have been here for four months and my roommates and I most definitely took full advantage of the experience. After being here for four months we are stll exploring and finding cool new places around the city. My Spanish got so much better over these four months and it really helped coming here. I made some great friends and we are already planning to do more trips together in the future. This definitely gave me a different outlook on other things, especially on other aspects of home. It was a great four months and I already have friends from school signed up for the summer program with AIFS in the summer program. When I go home I plan on trying to motivate other people to study abroad as well, I was already able to convinvce my girlfriend to go abroad next year to florence for a month long program.