"Not better or worse, just different."

When you travel anywhere, there is only so much that words can do to describe your experience, if you weren't there you'll never fully understand.With that being said, I will still try my absolute best to describe to you my experience. Studying and interning in Barcelona, Spain was life changing, to say the very least. Not only was I adapting to a new culture and language, meeting new people, learning new things and seeing new sights, but I gained a new perspective on life overall. One of the biggest take aways I got from Spain was, "if something is different, it does not have to be better or worse, it is just different". That is a perspective that changed my entire view of life and I took back with me to the States. IES and their staff truly brought that quote meaning to life in everyday class settings, field trips, excursions or just conversations. My experience and time in Spain was only as amazing as it was, due to IES. The support staff prior to my departure were very helpful, but once I got there it was phenomenal. IES does an amazing job at truly immersing you into Spainish culture. There are so many informational and cultural excursions you can go to, language assistance and even personal-life support. Anything you can think about potentially needing while living in a foreign country, IES has you covered and then some. I never felt alone or unsafe due to the supportive staff at IES. I am so grateful to have chosen a program that truly cares about the students in the program and the outcome of their experience and future. I would recommend this program to any and everybody and I promise you I am not getting paid or any incentive to say this. If you want more details about my experience abroad please feel free to email me at: mglinsey@umail.iu.edu.