Granada, te amo!

"Dale limosna, mujer, que no hay en la vida nada como la pena de ser ciego en Granada." -Francisco de Icaza

The quote above is not only very telling of the city of Granada, but also of my own personal experience there. Granada was an incredible environment for studying abroad; it offers the best of so many worlds. The Andalusians and other Spaniards I met in Granada were kind and open people, the popularity of UGR brought international students from all around the world to the city, the night culture is very lively while also very safe, the city center plus the surrounding neighborhoods offer a diverse urban environment not only in terms of people but also in terms of places and things to do, IES home-stay mothers/families are chose selectively, very accommodating and a huge part of your cultural immersion, IES provides a wide range of courses and work hard to help create the right schedule for you, IES also organizes numerous field trips within Granada but also to other cities in Spain, and the list goes on and on! The best part of the experience, hand down, was the people I met and built lasting relationships with, this not only include the faculty and staff at IES and the amazing group of American students this particular program attracted, but also the Spaniards, Europeans and other foreigners the city brought together in one place. I can't exactly put my finger on it but Granada has this special energy that, like I said before, fosters a very stimulating study abroad experience. I can genuinely say that I had the time of my life studying abroad in Granada with IES. The city has become a home away from home; I fell in love with the history, the people, the lifestyle, the culture and so much more. I have and will continue to recommend this program to anyone and everyone I talk to about studying abroad.