IES Abroad Granada

I always imagined studying abroad in a Spanish-speaking country, but Granada exceeded my wildest dreams for a study-abroad experience! Granada is the ideal city for study-abroad: it’s small enough to feel intimate, yet large enough to have a bevy of concerts, bars, and cultural activities. It’s a youthful college town, yet has centuries of rich cultural history –from the Islamic empire to “Los Reyes Catolicos.” That being said, Granada makes for the perfect hands-on classroom –with IES, I took a class on Islamic Art and Architecture where class consisted of weekly visits to the Alhambra. Also, Granada is surprisingly affordable! 2 Euro wine with a free tapa of paella have forever spoiled me for American prices.
IES does a great job coordinating all aspects of the program and catering it to your specific needs/goals. My goal was to fully immerse myself in Spanish. Not only did IES offer courses entirely in Spanish, but they also helped me register in classes at the University of Granada. The Program Director, Javier, is incredibly dynamic and genuinely cares about each student –by the second day of the program, he already knew everyone by name! The IES staff helps immensely with cultural immersion: they connected me with a local hiking club as well as sending out weekly agendas with local cultural activities. The program also included free trips to major sites like Sevilla, Ronda, Cordoba, and Cabo de Gata, which were great bonding experiences and enabled me to get a better sense of Spain as a whole.
One of the most memorable and immersive parts of the experience was my homestay. My host mother was an incredible woman –always cooking delicious Andalusian dishes, asking us about our lives, and trying to find solutions to any challenges that came up. She called me her “niña” and insisted on celebrating my birthday as if I were her own daughter. We still keep in touch over email and Skype, and she sends me photo updates of her adorable new grandson.
After spending a semester in Granada, I can honestly say that it was one of the most positive and powerful experiences of my life. Immersing myself in another culture gave me new perspective on my own culture and daily life. I learned to slow down from the fast-paced American lifestyle, appreciate all the wonderful people in my life, and when something doesn’t go according to plan, just shrug it off with a “no pasa nada” (the Granadino catchphrase). I have definitely become more open-minded, flexible, and independent because of this experience!

During my time in Granada, I fell in love with the city. The atmosphere is great because there are so many young people, and while there is always a lot of activity, the people are very relaxed. People say the Spanish live in the calle, and it’s true. The streets are always bustling with Spaniards having a chat, walking to work, or meeting friends for a café con leche. There are always hippies playing music or blowing bubbles. People are spontaneous and will drop everything to meet a friend for a beer and a (free) tapa. Especially in Andalusia, people are very expressive and get excited over the smallest things. Living with a host family was definitely the most important part of my experience. Since this program is with American students, it’s great to live with a Spanish family to learn more about the culture, eat home-cooked Spanish food, and speak more Spanish. My family really treated me like a fourth daughter and constantly tried to give me the best experience in Granada possible. I also had an intercambio who I became good friends with, so I definitely recommend the intercambio program. Another way I interacted with locals was by playing on Granada’s ultimate Frisbee team. I ended up going to three different tournaments with the team to different parts of Spain. The IES staff does a great job organizing activities around Granada, and they will do their best to help you out with whatever problem you have. My Spanish class was probably my favorite because we always talked about different kinds of Spanish food or slang and lots of our assignments required us to try the food or talk about the slang with our host families. With IES we took lots of trips to other places in Andalusia and one trip to Morocco, which was my favorite. We stayed with host families, talked with Moroccan students our age, and even visited a family living in the countryside for lunch. I felt like with IES, I learned as much as I could in 5 days about Morocco. Overall, this is a fantastic program in a beautiful city.

Before setting eyes on Granada, I was definitely nervous about studying abroad. I'd heard wonderful things about IES Abroad Granada from my friends who had studied there before, but I didn't know if I would have a similarly wonderful experience. I was eager to experience a new culture, try new foods, and meet interesting people, but I didn't know if all my expectations would be met. Turns out they were — and actually exceeded. Granada is an absolutely amazing city with an exciting culture, beautiful architecture, and tons of street life. It's not too big but not too small, which was comforting and allowed me to explore new areas without getting lost or feeling overwhelmed. From hiking up in the mountains, to climbing up to the Alhambra, to dancing flamenco, to going to outdoor markets, to taking part in street fairs and processions, to helping cook new foods, my time in Granada was a blast. IES Abroad was spectacular in helping me to acclimate to the environment and feel at home away from home. The classes at the IES Center are challenging and stimulating and exciting, all at the same time. The professors are great at helping you to improve your Spanish and develop new skills on an individual level, and you get small classes and personalized attention, which I very much appreciated. My Spanish when I entered the program was not amazing, but with my professors' help, I was able to improve so much. Moreover, IES organizes hikes, excursions, and other fun outdoor activities to get to know the area. Through these activities, I was able to better see the countryside and surrounding sites, as well as make better friends with my program mates and additional Spanish locals who would accompany us. IES also helped pair us with students from the University of Granada so we could practice our Spanish and meet more Granadinos. Through this "intercambio" program, I was able to meet some wonderful Spanish friends my age who could show me their favorite spots in the city. And I also got to see Granada from a new perspective, which increased my appreciation for the city. Overall, I really appreciated the time and effort that the program put into helping us acclimate to the environment, and I couldn't recommend Granada as a place of study enough. It's personal, it's lively, it's exciting, and it'll be one of the best decisions you've ever made. Just make sure to keep an open mind and try at least one new thing every day, and you'll have a wonderful time.

The five months that I spent in Granada had a profound impact on my sense of self; since returning, I am more confident, comfortable, and excited about my future. I recommend the program without hesitation! There are three main reasons - along with a whole bunch of secondary ones - that I say recommend it so enthusiastically.

The first is the IES Granada program. The staff at IES Granada is engaged, compassionate, and experienced - they do a tremendous job with integration into the city. Javier, the director, does everything in his power to provide you with whatever opportunity you're interested in, and the rest of the staff make it happen. What is more, every time I walked into the IES building, it felt a little bit more like home.

The second reason that I unequivocally recommend the IES Granada program is the city itself. You'll fall in love with the Granada on day one! Because it's a young city of students, it's incredibly cheap. The University of Granada plays a big role in its character, which makes the night life fantastic as well. The people are the best part, though. Andalucians in general are nicer than their northern counterparts, and life is slow-paced. People take the siesta; no one seems to be in a hurry. No pasa nada. During my time in Spain, I visited all the big cities, and I have to say, Granada is definitely the most beautiful! People from from Barcelona and Madrid will tell you the same.

The final reason that I give the IES Granada program ten stars is the amount of cultural assimilation that the program facilitates. The program works with nice families in good neighborhoods to arrange homestays. For example, I lived in a third floor apartment about twenty minutes from the IES center in a residential part of the city. My host mother was proud to share wonderful spanish food with me, and I was never hungry. My host family was also committed to helping me connect with Andalucian culture; they brought me to concerts, introduced me to their extended family, and taught me a great deal of colloquial spanish. I will never forget Manoli, Marcelo, and Andrea.

Because I had such a fantastic and formative time in Granada, time seemed elastic. Five months passed in what seemed like five days. Reflecting on the experience now, I realize that I wouldn't have had it any other way. If you're thinking about studying with IES Abroad in Granada, do it!

My semester abroad in Granada was an unforgettable experience. It gave me an opportunity to learn more about the language, culture, and the importance of a siesta. I met amazing people and saw beautiful sites. It was the perfect city for me. It was small, easy to navigate, beautiful and full of culture. I was able to improve my Spanish and study flamenco and had the opportunity to learn about Spanish architecture by visiting the Alhambra, walking in the Albayzín, and other historic sites throughout the city. I enjoyed the challenge of having to rely on a new language. It was great exploring the city and the surrounding area, studying in cafés, eating free tapas every night, and seeing the Alhambra daily from the roof of the IES center. The program staff were also extremely supportive and always around to help you with any problems. Being in Granada was one of the most enriching experiences I have ever had.

IES Abroad Granada truly is the perfect study abroad program. Initially, when I chose Granada, I only thought of it as a small city in Southern Spain. I didn’t know anything about the local culture, the rich history that every inch of the city holds, or the Alhambra. I had never used the words “siesta”, “tapa”, “tinto de verano” or “no pasa nada” (all of which a local uses at least 5 times a day). The laid back, easy-going way of life makes it very easy to fall in love with the city.
One of my favorite memories was celebrating my host mom's 54th birthday. Her birthday fell on our last Saturday in Granada, so she wanted to celebrate with us. In the morning, my roommate and I had our final performance flamenco show (from our flamenco class) that our host mom and host sister attended. When we got home, we found that our host mom had prepared a huge feast with traditional seafood paella, tons of bread and olive oil and tossed salad. Her daughter bought mini cakes at a local bakery for us to eat once we were stuffed from lunch! My roommate and I bought our mom a "birthday crown" and had her wear it throughout the meal. We sang happy birthday to her, watched her blow out her candles and gave her a present (a dark H&M scarf that she had been admiring). The best part of this lunch celebration was talking with our family. In total, the meal took 4 hours because we just sat and talked (in Spanish, of course:) about life. This was an extremely special experience for me.
Each day was a new learning adventure while I was there: whether it was learning a new Spanish word with my host mom at lunch, finding a new tapas restaurant with friends, exploring a portion of the Alhambra, watching flamenco performances on the street or wandering aimlessly around the city. My study abroad experience in Granada provided me with countless life lessons that I could not have possibly learned in a classroom. My 4 months in Granada gave me some time to step back, relax and reflect on my life. I would strongly encourage anyone to look into this program, because it truly changed my life. Granada no longer is a small city in Southern Spain, Granada is home.

In just four short months, I fell in love with Granada. Granada made me feel free and reintroduced me to myself all while speaking another language and living in a new culture. I was pushed happily out of my comfort zone, lived the Granadina no pa’ na’ vida, and I am now waiting for the day to go back and visit. Granada was the perfect size for me: small enough to feel well acquainted with, yet big enough to still be exploring something new every weekend, including hiking in the surrounding mountains. Days were full of wandering the streets of the city, bonding with my host family during our daily (and delicious) lunches, and of course hanging out at my favorite and very frequented tapas bars with probably the coolest and most interesting people I have ever met. The academics of IES also helped push me out of my comfort zone. As a science student I was nervous at first about talking classes such as watercolor and art history, but it turned out to be the greatest decision I could have made. I was introduced to a whole new way of thinking and looking at the world all thanks to the wonderful professors at IES.

The epitome of my time in Granada was the night that a group of about 25 students from the program hiked up into the hills surrounding the city and made a bonfire as the sun set on our time in Granada. It was such a special memory and really encompasses everything that made Granada so special, with the Alhambra in sight, marshmallows roasting over the fire, and friends all around. Granada really is a special place, and it is hard to really capture its essence in a few words. The staff at IES Granada gave us every opportunity to take advantage of everything the city had to offer, from sports, music, and food to theatre, movies and hiking. If we had an interest in volunteering or getting involved in any activity, our student life coordinators immediately helped us out and always delivered, getting us the necessary information and assisting us in whatever we needed. The program director, Javier, is hands down one of the nicest and most genuinely interesting and amazing people you will ever have the privilege of meeting. The IES center is perfectly located, with a rooftop terrace with a view of the Alhambra. I can't put into words how much the 4 months I spent in Granada mean to me, and I think my future will reveal just how much they impacted me.