Lauren A. - Barcelona, Catalunya, Spain - Spring 2008

Hey everyone in Elmhurst! I can’t believe how fast this trip has gone by. My Spanish is improving immensely and I’m meeting new people everyday. People are actually asking me for directions across Barcelona now and I’m proud to say I’m able to respond, giving it to them in Spanish!

Barcelona is a great city with sooo much to offer. There is something here for everyone. If you like architecture, there is plenty to see. Just walk down Passeig de Gràcia and you can see the famous edificios de Gaudí , such as Casa Milà. Or make a day trip to park Güell (one of my personal favorites) to see the longest bench in the world, while listening to street performers play there instruments as it echoes through the terrace just below.

Take walks down the busy streets and window shop with your intercambio and enjoy a gelato on a warm sunny day… Speaking of which Barcelona is looking pretty darn good now that the trees are in bloom and the sun is out. For those of you who are thinking of coming to Barcelona this summer, be prepared for the beach and warm weather. I just went to the port the other day and it was beautiful…

I don’t think I am ready to leave in the next 4 weeks. I’ve fallen in love with this city and I’m not ready to go home just yet… I’m going to miss the older folk all dressed up, walking hand in hand in love, the PDA on almost every street corner and on the metros. The cute older women that that pass me by on my lunch break with their little dogs to look at the new shoe collection in the window of shoe store in the building next to me. Oh, Barcelona… I’ll miss going to my corner bakery (which is at almost every corner) and buying a warm baguette or a bocadilla for lunch in the morning. Or buying chocolate croissants with new friends for breakfast at 6 am after a long night out (by the way-places are open really late here).

If you’re thinking of doing some traveling to various places across Europe, Barcelona is the city to live/study abroad in. There are so many forms of to travel and public transportation here. Travel is also a lot cheaper throughout Europe, so I’d advise taking advantage of that. I had friends go to Germany, Switzerland, France, Sweden, Turkey, Greece, Italy (Just to name a few). Barcelona is also so central in Europe that travel is very easy, in that respect as well. I just got back from my Spring break and did a tour across Italy... I purchased a Eurorail pass, which I highly recommend if you’re doing a lot of travel throughout Europe. It was very easy for me to go from place to place in Italy. I was able to go from Milan to Rome, Florence, Naples and Venice and a few day trips to Pompeii, Positano, and Capri (all in less than 2 weeks).

There is sooo much I could write about, but I better get to my class now. Please, let me know if any of you have questions, I’ll be more than happy to answer them for you! Or, if you’d like to see pictures, etc. just let me know.

Kristen S. - Oxford, England - Spring 2008

So, only two weeks left in England here. I just traveled to Germany. It was my first trip to a country that did not speak English. It was so odd be on a train and not be able to understand what anyone around me was saying. It was also interesting to see how much English was in
the country. We stopped in one restaurant and the server apologized for not having an English menu so he translated the whole thing for us. And all the other restaruants we went to in Cologne and Frankfurt had menus in English. And when we were coming back to the airport we met a man from Atlanta who had been in Germany for 20 years who didn't begin to learn German until he had been in the country for 11 years. It is crazy to think that he couldn't understand what people were saying on TV or what most of the public was saying. Germany looked so different than England. It was quite interesting to see different kinds of towns. In Germany the towns were much more spread out, while in Oxford all the shops and restarunts are concentrated in one area. Germany was lovely and different and it was nice to see another European country while I was abroad. So this last trip was a good one.

Now all that is left is one paper and an essay exam. It is hard to get back into the groove of studying again when we have had a couple weeks where all we had to do was listen to lecturers.

That is it folks, if you have any questions, shoot me a comment.

Katie S. - Salamanca, Spain - Spring 2008

Hey everyone! I’m Katie Smith, and I’m currently studying in Salamanca, Spain. Salamanca is a smallish town near the border with Portugal, about 3 hours from Madrid. I’m taking classes through my program, IES, which are taught by University of Salamanca professors and are taught all in Spanish. I’m living with a host family, which consists of a divorced woman, her mother, and her 19 year old son. Ok, so now that I’ve got the details over with I can tell you about what it’s really like. Studying abroad is the most amazing time you will ever have! At least for me, I was scared to death before I left. Don’t worry. Everything will be fine. For me there isn’t really a difference between USAL (University of Salamanca) and EC. You get up, go to class, talk to your friends, come home, eat dinner, do some homework, go out partying, come home and go to bed. I don’t really know what to talk about. I guess I could offer some advice based on my experiences so far:

1. Make sure to pack a laundry bag!
2. Pack plenty of aspirin/Tylenol/ibuprofen
3. Start walking now! Walk at least 40 minutes in a row every day.
4. Find extremely comfortable shoes, even if they’re ugly.
5. Buy a huge memory card for your camera.
6. Talk to your bank to make sure your debit card will work all over Europe, it’s best to have one that’s connected to a company such as Visa or Mastercard.
7. Prepare yourself for limited Internet usage.
8. Relax, it’ll go faster than you think and you’ll have a blast.

If you’re going to a country where you’ll need to speak a different language: It’s fun and not as hard as it sounds! The first few days are hard but you’ll start improving almost immediately. After about 4 weeks you’ll be fully in the swing of things and while you may not always be able to express your ideas you’ll be able to understand the majority of what people are saying. Especially in classes. I’ve found that when you start classes in a foreign language the first few weeks you pay very close attention so that you can understand everything. After the first 3 or 4 weeks, you find you’re able to space off slightly and still keep up with what the teacher is saying. It’s amazing.

I would definitely recommend staying with a host family. My host family are the most amazing people ever. The abuela (grandmother) sits and watches tv and makes sure you eat. The mother jokes and hugs you and accuses you of not eating enough. The son corrects your grammar and cheers during soccer games. It’s so much fun, at least in my host family. Each family is different, but most of my friends in host families enjoy them. The student residences here have nice things about them such as Internet access, but you also have to provide most of your own meals.

On the subject of homesickness I would say that it usually depends on the person but that in general it’s not too bad. With modern technology most people speak to their parents at least three times a week, whether via webcam, phone, or e-mail. You will get homesick though when you are sick, it’s inevitable. Time flies by really fast though, so you’ll be home before you know it.

McDonald’s isn’t that great in Europe. Burger King is better. Milkshakes are non-existent in Spain, well they have them they’re just the consistency of juice. Don’t eat Chinese food in Spain, in Ireland it’s not too bad. Pizza Hut is pretty good, though the menu is different. American restaurants are horribly expensive though. It’s better to stick with something local, pizza is offered pretty much globally, I think, as a cheap option.

For people traveling to Spain: All incoming calls are free, so if you’re parents can get a cheap foreign calling phone service like Vonage it means they can call you for practically nothing. Internet is expensive and rare, but places called Café & Te offer free Wi-Fi to their customers and I would recommend the Swiss Hot Chocolate with Whipped Cream (Chocolate Suizo con Nata) but it’ll set you back over 3 Euros. Hot chocolate here is a really thick, rich affair which should only be eaten with churros, which are yummy. The idea of salad is iceberg lettuce with olive oil and possibly tuna. Lunch is eaten from about 2-4pm and is usually 2 courses, a soup and a meat. Dinner is around 9pm and is something small. Pork is the main meat, if you ever wonder what you’re eating it’s probably pork. There are two main forms of traveling: by bus or by train. I would recommend the train, but it’s generally more expensive. Oh, the Madrid bus station doesn’t stay open all night, be forewarned. The airport is open all night but the train and bus stations close during the night. Bars and clubs generally are open most of the night but they don’t fill up until about 1am. People stay out until around 6am, especially on weekends.

Ryan Air and Easy Jet are good companies to buy plane tickets from, though they don’t always go to the biggest airports causing you to have to pay an extra $20 on transportation into the city. Also, just because it says that a flight only costs 20 Euros doesn’t mean you will only pay 20 Euros, they add on about 40 Euros worth of taxes. Also, you can take one carry on bag and a purse onto the plane without charge, it’s decently expensive to check a bag. Research how to get from the airport to your hotel or hostel before you leave, it makes the whole process much easier.

Ok, so I think that’s all the helpful advice I have. I’m having a great time, I can’t stress that enough. Everyone’s experiences are going to be different, even in the same city, but it’s the most amazing time you’ll ever have. So, relax, enjoy your last few days/weeks/months before you leave and have a great time!