Best program in the best study abroad city

Barcelona is far and away the best city for an American student to study abroad in at any level of Spanish proficiency. The following are just a few of things that make the city so great for anyone: gorgeous architecture, delicious, diverse, and reasonably priced food, the city is walkable and public transportation is clean and efficient, the city is safe, you have easy access to the beach, mountains and a major international airport, the people are friendly, exciting nightlife, its warm, and the pace of the culture makes every day feel like a vacation. Consequentially, there are thousands of students who study in the city and even more that come to visit with limited command of the native tongues and have a great time. Being a student in CIEE's ALA program is amazing because you surround yourself with students who are looking to and able to get (due to their language ability and commitment to improving it) the most out of the experience by having a true cultural immersion experience in addition to the more tourist like cultural experiences that other programs provide to low level Spanish speakers. With the cultural and communication abilities that ALA helped me improve and gain confidence in, I managed to immerse myself in the culture by joining a neighborhood basketball team, enjoying bocadillos (Tasty Spanish sandwiches) and cañas (lunch time brews) with local and fellow CIEE students (and on one occasion a professor) after class. Further, I was fortunate enough to live with a Catalan family who was deeply involved in the local community both socially and politically. Living with Anna and Kike, whom I grew very close to and now write to regularly, I had opportunities to discuss the politics of Catalan independence and American policies with educated Catalan professionals, attend local Sunday mass, participate in family functions, and even engage in local dogs' rights protests. Inside and outside of class I was learning new things and honing my language abilities. Despite the true cultural immersion, ALA still allows you to have plenty of opportunity to get the more stereotypical study abroad experience with plenty of opportunities to hang out with, party, and travel with other Americans- which which while less enriching is a very fun time. In conclusion, despite going to Vanderbilt, a school consistently ranked at the top as having the happiest students, I have never seen so many kids having the times of their lives of their lives as I did during this semester in Barcelona.