Summer in Spain

My trip to Spain was very exciting. While I mainly went because of the opportunity to walk the Camino, I did still need credits in Spanish. Academics wise, the program was not too challenging. I personally wanted help strengthening my basics and foundation of Spanish so I was placed in a class below my actual level so I could work on the basics. Most of my learning actually occurred out and around the cities I was visiting. I made it a point to not speak any English which reinforced my confidence and ability to learn. Aside from academics the program was everything I could’ve asked for. I was able to experience multiple cities. While there are planned activities from the coordinating company, I wish I would’ve known ahead of time of times I would be on my own to explore. I would’ve looked into more options for excursions or activities. One thing I would critique, which may be personal to me but can also pertain to others is the group I travelled with. I knew some of my group members prior to the trip but not very well. At the beginning of the trip we all got along, but drama arose and things became antithetical to what I expected my trip to be like. To avoid all the drama, I stayed away from the group as much as I could, which allowed me to meet local people and get an experience I would not have gotten with my group. If you’re not comfortable traveling and doing things alone then I recommend making good friends with similar expectations for the trip. Since I was comfortable traveling and doing things alone, I was able to make friends in Spain and try new things. I still talk with those friends today. Overall it was a great experience and Arcos made the entire experience wonderful!