It has approximately been two weeks in Spain and I have had a great experience.
In regards to academics, I love my classes. I believe the program does a great job with placing students into the correct class levels for their learning of the language. The pace of the classes are comfortable, and I genuinely feel like my peers and I are learning a lot. 5 hours of Spanish a day in an academic setting really helps with mastering the language.
In terms of daily life, it is manageable. Given that I do not have much experience cooking, I tend to prepare myself easy meals and occasionally eat out. I will admit that I do appreciate bringing Euros to Spain before leaving because it does make it easier to buy from different vendors and markets.
Adjusting to the daily schedule of Spain was a bit weird. Everyone starts their day really early and everyone tends to end their day relatively late. There is always people out regardless of the hour which was interesting to me. Spanish meals are also timed very differently compared to the American lifestyle. Breakfast and lunch tend to be at normal times, but they are very small meals. Dinner is a big meal here and starts at around 9 and ends at 12 which was really weird to me.
The program has gone to several excursions so far. These include the Monasterio de Montserrat, Museo Nacional de Arte de Cataluña, Fundacio Joan Miro, Castillo de Montjuic, and Casa Batllo. So far, my favorite has been the Museo Nacional de Arte de Cataluña because there is so much diversity within the art.
The photo I included in this post is a picture of locals playing soccer. I thought it looked cool and encapsulated the pride of soccer in this country given the World Cup is occurring at the moment.
Best wishes,
David Flores