AIFS Abroad: Study, Intern, or Study & Intern in Spain

Global Experiences is by far the worst company I have ever dealt with. From the start there was little to no helpful communication. Once they got their money.. all $7,000 of it, the communication seemed to slowly disappear. There was no help coming into Barcelona either. No help on how to get to the residence, what was expected, etc. To start, our accommodation was bottom level garbage. The rooms were unfairly small, the kitchen was full of mold and the bathroom was always flooded, muddy or left with no toilet paper, there was no food provided even though most of the other students in the building received food that was made in the building. The Spanish school only cost about $200 so I don't understand where my money went. The only thing about my program that I loved was my job. It was amazing and I couldn't have asked for a better company. Once I told my bosses about my experience with Global Experiences they declared they would never use Global Experiences again.

The problems got so bad that when we (we being all 10 students of our program) complained about our accommodation and how we were being treated, they ignored us, treated us disrespectfully and in the upmost unprofessional manner. They threatened my job only because I asked for the cost breakdown. From then I had not spoken one word with the Global Experiences home office. I feel mistreated, taken advantage of and robbed of $7,000. With the extensive amount of programs offering internships abroad I would rank Global Experiences on the bottom.

In the morning I would wake up to Nutella and toast with juice that my senora had left out. I would then go to classes with students from all over the world. My teachers were great and loved hearing about all of our experiences in Europe. At 2pm it was lunch time! Lunch is the biggest meal in Spain and we had delicious food. After lunch I took a traditional siesta and then went to another class. I did not have afternoon classes on Wednesdays so I would go to teach 5 and 6 year olds English. After dinner at 9:30pm I would get ready and go to the plaza to meet friends at midnight. We would hangout for awhile and then venture on to the bars to experience the nightlife. The next day my senora would ask me all about my night and we would laugh about what had happened.
Whenever I left for trips on the weekends my senora would give me a doblebeso goodbye and also give me a bocadilla for the trip. When I returned home she got so happy and we would immediately sit down and rehash my trip and see what things we both had did at that city!
The only thing that was difficult was the two hour ride to the airport for trips but it was fun with friends and my senora packed me snacks!

Studying in Salamanca marked a very special point in my life. The months I spent there did not only help me realize of how much I love Spanish, but it made me fall in love with the culture and people of Spain!
I found that classes can be as challenging as you want them to be, you just have to find the right balance and not be afraid to expose yourself to the language.
One of the great opportunities of living here is that you meet people from all over the world. I was lucky enough to choose a large host family, and ended up with friends from all over. Within the 3 years after this experience ended our close group has been fortunate enough to meet twice across the globe.
Salamanca is close enough to anywhere you want to go, and the people are very friendly. If your thinking on going there, just do it! You won't regret it.

Studying abroad in Salamanca, Spain was one of the best times in my life. The city, the culture, the people, everything there is amazing. You learn so much more about the world and about yourself by having this experience. I highly recommend this program to anyone interested in studying abroad.

This program helped me better learn Spanish, become acquainted with Spanish culture, and so much more. It was incredibly planned and living with my host family was the best experience I could have ever imagined. The only thing that would have made it better would have been if we could have somehow gotten the fellow program students to speak in Spanish for the duration of the study abroad. While it was great to learn and speak Spanish with natives in Salamanca and in class, the American program students would speak English with one another during program events. Other than that, this study abroad was phenomenal.

I loved studying in Granada so much! The only regret that I have is that I could not stay longer!
I lived in a homestay and felt as though I was truly a part of my host family. I lived with an older couple who had five children and seven grandchildren that lived within five minutes of them and were constantly visiting. It was a great experience.
The AIFS staff were very helpful and always open to suggestions. Our group really enjoyed the sports activities, so two or three extra days were added during our trip that were not previously planned.
I went to Granada knowing no one and left knowing that I had met several life-long friends.
I would recommend it to anyone that is interested, no questions asked.

Choosing to study in Granada, Spain with AIFS was definitely one of the best life decisions I've ever made. I spent the Fall of 2011 in Granada and loved every minute of it. Not only was Granada the perfect place for me but I could not have asked for a better experience than the one I had with AIFS.

Granada is hidden gem of Europe. In comparison to many other large cities its a perfectly sized small city with LOTS to do! Everything you need to do is in walking distance and I can guarantee you can always find a fun night life event every day of the week. With your choice of restaurants, tapas bars, and discotecas, Granada is one of my favorite places in the world.

My wonderful time would not have been possible if it were not for the amazing work of the AIFS staff. I felt like I had my own little family away from home through everyone who was part of AIFS. The staff there were extremely helpful always made me feel comfortable and safe being so far away from home.

One of the things that made going through AIFS so great was the fact that I was able to meet friends from all over the US. I made some amazing friendships with new people that I know I will continue to be friends with for many more years.

Beyond my AIFS friends I was able to meet so many people both local Spaniards and other American students. In comparison to other programs, AIFS definitely seemed to provide the greatest deal. Unlike some of the other programs to Granada AIFS set us up with several over night trips to other Spanish cities, local adventures through the neighborhoods of Granada, the best housing and so much more.

I would HIGHLY recommend studying abroad in Granada, Spain and most importantly with AIFS.

My time in Granada was the best time of my life. From the moment I arrived, the AIFS staff was more than helpful. Paula and Inma are wonderful people! I honestly can't think of a bad thing to say about Granada or my time there. I had a great host family whom took great care of me and fed me very well! Granada is the perfect city for students. It's cheaper than most of the major cities, close to a major airport (Malaga), close to amazing beaches, and it's full of students- both Spanish and international. Every excursion with AIFS was a blast and perfectly planned. Granada is a city full of culture and beauty. I lived there for 5 months and there are still tons of things I didn't get to do. I would absolutely recommend AIFS Granada. I made friends in other programs, but none of their programs were even close to helpful or student centered as AIFS. My study abroad experience was life changing.