IES Abroad Granada

When I reflect back on my time in Granada I am nostalgic for the free tapas, the laid-back people, the beautiful mountains and the stunning Alhambra. My routine in Granada was so different from the fast paced life of college in the States. The long lunches with my host mom and roommate in the middle of the day followed by some downtime during siesta allowed me to appreciate each day and relax before continuing classes or heading out for tapas with a friend. IES Granada is a great program. The staff and professors are all very friendly and very eager to help you get to know Granada and the Spanish people. One of my favorite things about the IES Granada program was the trip to Morocco which was lead seamlessly by Moroccan guides and IES staff. Morocco was truly a special experience, as was Granada. Thank you IES for a great semester!

I had the privilege of studying in Granada, Spain las semester and it was incredible! I would recommend this IES program to any student looking to study abroad in a Spanish-speaking country. I would argue that Granada is one of the most ideal places to study abroad. Fore me, the size of the city is ideal as it is not as large as a place like Madrid, but big enough for you never to get bored. The people there are all so friendly and welcoming as well and there is also a large population of students. And don't forget the free tapas! This provided for a unique and fun social culture, and allows you to stay on a college student's budget. Without a doubt, I fell in love with the city and it will always have a special place in my heart. I can definitely say it was the time of my life. The IES staff were a crucial factor in making my experience what ti was as well. They fostered an environment that allowed me to grow and learn in and outside of the classroom. There are a variety of classes to choose from and many allowed me to gain a thorough understanding of the culture and history of Granada. They also plan a lot of exciting field trips both in and around Spain, which were all so memorable. I will be forever grateful for IES, as I don't think I would have had the experience I did without them.

I had the time of my life in Granada. From the super friend IES staff to my wonderful host family to the lifelong friends I made, I would recommend IES Abroad Granada to everyone interesting in studying abroad.

I would wholeheartedly recommend IES Granada to anyone even remotely considering studying abroad. The program is very focused on meeting its students' requests and providing the best experience possible. To outline a few instances....
•As I had signed up to stay with a host family, I was paired with a host mother and host sister that live in an apartment ten minutes away from the IES building.
•I didn't do very well on the written portion of my Spanish language entry exam, but the staff was very responsive in making sure I was placed in a class that reflected my true level of Spanish speaking/writing/listening.
•One night I returned home around midnight after having had a tiny hiking accident. Once my mom noticed my scratched face and crippled gait, she called the program staff member on duty that night and asked her to escort me to the hospital. Within fifteen minutes, she was at our doorstep to help me down the stairs into the taxi. She waited with me for about an hour until the doctors were finished with my MRI, then she brought me home. It was so nice to have her with me--I'm so glad I didn't have to deal with that hospital visit on my own.

One of the more annoying parts about returning to school has been that some people want me to condense my entire experience abroad to a thirty second conversation. I simply can't do that. I treat those people to some friendly chatter, smile a bit, then wrap it up by saying something like, "Yeah, definitely a pretty cool experience!" But then there are others that want to hear more. I've found some people who've travelled, or studied abroad themselves, or are considering studying abroad in the future, that earnestly want to hear about my Argentine host mother who devoted nearly all of our two hour sobremesas to converting me to Catholicism.....and how I took an Islamic Art and Architecture course that offered four guided visits to the Alhambra and one to the Great Mosque of Cordoba, both of which (I remain steadfast) stand as two of the most beautiful pieces of architectural mastery one can ever hope to see.....and that I got hitched with a group of musicians from my program, and that we jammed with locals in the Andalusian courtyards as the sounds and heat of Granada's nightlife pulsed around us....and how we became buddies with the owner of an adorable hole-in-the-wall crepe shop called La Creperie, and how his rotund, cheery face and bulgy French belly always welcomed us with free crepes and delicious imported beer. I've talked to some friends that have even given me enough time to explain that I missed the morning bus for our trip to Morocco and, with the periodic help of the IES staff, managed to find my way to Tangier alone.
Now that I'm "home," I can't help but tear up as I think about my host mom, tapas, Javier (the IES program director), La Qarmita (a friendly cafe in town with a very personal waiting staff), the view of La Alhambra from El Mirador de San Nicolas, hiking in Las Alpujarras, and my friends and how we spent three and a half beautiful months actually living a dream.

"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.

My experience in Granada was much more transformative than I had ever expected. I grew more, learned more spanish, made more mistakes, and made many, many more lifelong, remarkable relationships and experiences than I had ever expected. Going to Spain, I knew that living in a completely new country would change me in some way, but I never could have imagined to what extent. I became a much more independent and adventurous person, and Granada was the perfect place to develop these characteristics. I grew attached to the city, and by the end it was really hard for me and the rest of my program to leave. The hilly, close-knit barrios, incredible views of the 13th century Alhambra fortress, historic buildings, and snowy Sierra Nevada mountains on the horizon make up an amazing setting in which to live, study, and explore. The endless tapas restaurants, quaint cafes, hiking trails, sports fields, schools, museums, and theaters provide a multitude of activities to constantly entertain oneself. However, I believe that it was the people that truly made my abroad experience in Granada so wonderful. I was surrounded by a friendly, open community who were willing to help me with anything, but also willing to push me out of my comfort zone. Granada was the perfect place for me to spend the semester abroad, and I would recommend it to any student looking for a unique, adventurous, fascinating abroad experience.

Overall, I had a wonderful experience and I would recommend this to anyone who wants to live and study in a Spanish-speaking country. The program staff were warm, extremely helpful, and very available for all questions, concerns, and suggestions. There is a wide variety of classes (but only in the humanities), and you can choose to take classes in English or in Spanish (although each student is required to take a Spanish class, the level of which is determined toward the beginning of the program with an oral evaluation and a written evaluation. I took classes only in Spanish and the content, teaching style, and the professors themselves were all amazing--my academic experience was awesome. I took Islamic Civilization with Indalecio Lozano, The Poetry of Federico García Lorca with Conch Badía, Memory and Identity of Sephardic Jews with Alicia Ramos, Islamic Art and Architecture with Yolanda Guasch, and Spanish 352 with Rosana Piñero. I loved all of my classes and all of my professors, but if I had to pick a favorite it would probably be Islamic Civilization. The material was fascinating, and Indalecio is a wonderful and passionate teacher. The IES Granada building is in the very heart of the city, right next to the Alhambra, so the location is great. The building itself is nice and well-maintained. There are several classrooms, a library, and an area upstairs just for the students that includes mailboxes, computers, a printer/scanner, and tables, chairs, and couches. There is wifi in the building and it works well. There is also a terrace which is a nice place to hang out or do work. The program organizes lots of fun events and trips for the students, several of which are free of extra charge, excluding the 5-day trip to Morocco which costs extra but was totally worth it and totally amazing. The program hires college-age "orientadores" who also organize fun hang-out events where you can meet lots of young Spanish people and practice your Spanish. IES Granada also mathces each IES student (who wants to participate) with an "intercambio" from the University of Granada so that each pair can practice speaking in English and Spanish, and so that the IES student is facilitated in making young Spanish friends. Even so, it can be a challenge to make Spanish friends. It's easier when you don't just talk and hang out, but when you do an activity together like play sports or music together. I asked Patricia Molina, one of the IES Abroad activities directors, to help me find a band or Wind Ensemble I could join. She found one in a little pueblo called Armilla, just a short bus ride out of Granada. Playing in the band was super fun--I met a lot of cool Spanish people, got to practice Spanish, and got to play in several different parades and concerts. Through IES Granada, you can choose to live with a host family, in the "Residencia de estudiantes," or you can find your own housing (which I wouldn't recommend if you aren't confident in your Spanish). Personally, I decided to live with a host family. I had a big host family, which was great. I had a mom and a dad, a thirty-year-old brother who lived at home (which is common in Spain because of the ongoing economic crisis and unemployment), and one of my other host brothers who was in his forties had a wife, a two-year-old and a five-year-old. His family came over a lot, so it was all very lively in the house. I also had an IES Granada roommate. Some students had American roommates and others didn't. From the host family, we received breakfast and lunch, but were on our own for dinner. It was fun to have to figure out our own dinner because we figured out which places had the best but cheapest food, so we really got to know Granada very well. I had a wonderful experience with my host family--they were warm, welcoming, and interested in our lives and how we were doing. Another plus is that our host mom did our laundry once a week, which was really nice. Our house was about a 20-minute walk from the IES center. Granada is a walking city--you will rarely need to take a bus or taxi anywhere (unless it's late at night and you have to walk home alone, then it might be a good idea to get a taxi, although Granada is a pretty safe city). Our house had wifi which was great. I would definitely recommend bringing a laptop to Granada because the IES facility has limited hours, which means limited access to its computers and library. (The library is open Monday through Friday from like 8am to probably 9pm, except on Friday when it closes at 3pm.) IES Granada will require that you have a cell phone as a security precaution. You can either unlock and bring your current phone and use a Spanish SIM card, or buy a phone when you get to Spain. I bought a cheap Spanish phone which worked really well. I also brought my iPhone but had it on airplane mode the whole time so I could use the wifi to use apps like Snapchat and Whatsapp to communicate with people back in the states. (Side note: nearly all the Spaniards I met use whatsapp, so if you can figure out a way to use it in Spain, you should.) I also used Skype, email, and facebook to communicate with people back home. In terms of money, look up which Spanish banks are affiliated with your US bank. For example, Wells Fargo works really well with Santander in Spain, so I just used the Santander ATM to withdraw euros. Also, make sure to tell your bank you will be abroad and all the places you will possibly go so they don't cancel your card when they see the first transaction you try to make in Europe. Also, it might be a good idea to get a credit card with a Eurochip. A lot of places in Granada accept cards without Eurochips, though, probably because lots of tourists go to Granada. Before you leave, exchange a few hundred dollars to euros so that you're set for at least a little but in terms of money. Also, don't bring too much to Spain, because you will bring back lots of souvenirs and gifts. Overall, I had a great experience in Spain. The IES Granada program director, Javier Martínez de Velasco, does a great job, along with Natalia García Caballos and Patricia Molina. I definitely recommend this program!!

Granada was the perfect place to study abroad. The city is just big enough that there is always something to do, and yet I was never overwhelmed by its size. There are not very many people in the city who speak English, and so along with my Spanish classes of course, I felt that simply living in the city significantly increased my level of Spanish. The IES program staff and professors were all truly wonderful, and they placed me with a family that I know I will stay in touch with for many years to come. Some of my favorite moments from the semester were the afternoon teas that I shared with my "mama española". Every afternoon during the daily siesta time we would chat or simply spend quiet time together doing our own thing. When I wasn't drinking tea, or spending time in our beautiful IES building, I was exploring the city. There are a million tiny cafeterias and coffe shops to be found, some good and some not so good, but all worth trying. I wholeheartedly recommend this program to any and everyone!