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Wanting to step into the footsteps of a school pupil who studied overseas in Spain? We lately spoke with AIFS Overseas pupil Sara from College of Colorado Denver who spent her spring semester within the metropolis of Valencia.
Uncover how Sara’s expertise as a pupil with AIFS Overseas in Valencia gave her hands-on educational expertise and helped her develop priceless profession abilities!
Selecting a Research Overseas Program Vacation spot & Time period
Deciding when and the place to examine overseas generally is a powerful determination for a lot of college students (our crew can assist with that!). There are a lot of choices and each private and educational components to bear in mind. Thankfully, with an AIFS Overseas program, you’re assured a top quality educational expertise in an thrilling metropolis overseas, regardless of which one you select. Right here’s why Sara selected to go to Valencia within the spring:
“I selected Valencia for my examine overseas program as a result of it provides the right stability of wealthy cultural heritage, fashionable innovation, and a tremendous high quality of life. The town’s deep historical past, vibrant native traditions like Las Fallas, and powerful sense of neighborhood made it a super place to immerse myself in Spanish tradition. Plus, its location on the Mediterranean meant I may take pleasure in lovely seashores, nice climate, and unimaginable meals—particularly paella, which originated right here!
I selected to review overseas within the spring time period as a result of it felt like the right time to expertise Valencia at its liveliest. One of many greatest highlights of learning within the spring was attending to witness Las Fallas, town’s most well-known pageant. The power, the large creative sculptures, the fireworks, and the nonstop celebrations made my expertise unforgettable. Spring additionally meant nice climate and hotter [without] the extraordinary summer season warmth, so exploring town, the seashores, and even close by locations was snug and satisfying.”
Tutorial Experiences
You possibly can consider the examine overseas expertise as being made up of two components. First, there’s the cultural and journey side—all the advantages of attending to stay like an area in a brand new nation and immerse your self within the tradition when you construct a world perspective and turn out to be extra impartial. The second half is the educational expertise, which can also be crucial (in spite of everything, it’s known as examine overseas)—taking programs overseas provides you distinctive alternatives and helps you construct helpful educational and profession abilities. Thankfully, all AIFS Overseas applications are held at famend universities and host establishments the place programs will advance your educational information.
“Whereas learning overseas, I attended Universidad Católica de Valencia (UCV), and the expertise was really unforgettable. The college had a welcoming and supportive environment, making it simple to regulate to life in Spain. The small class sizes allowed for extra interplay with professors, and I appreciated how engaged and approachable they had been. Lessons had been structured in another way than what I used to be used to again house, with a larger emphasis on impartial studying and important pondering, which challenged me in a great way.
The most effective facets of learning at UCV was its location within the coronary heart of Valencia—being surrounded by historic buildings, native cafés, and vibrant metropolis life made daily really feel like an journey. The college additionally had a powerful give attention to international views, which made it simple to attach with each native and worldwide college students. Whether or not it was by way of coursework, cultural actions, or just navigating each day life in Valencia, my time at UCV was an unimaginable mix of educational development and cultural immersion. I’d extremely advocate this program to college students in search of a stability of teachers, cultural exploration, and a supportive studying surroundings.”
Sara explains one of many nice advantages of learning overseas—it exposes you to individuals from all around the globe, resembling locals, different worldwide college students, and AIFS Overseas members from throughout the U.S.:
“In my courses, there have been different AIFS Overseas college students, however I additionally had courses with native Spanish college students and different worldwide college students from completely different international locations. This made for an fascinating dynamic, as we received to listen to completely different views and experiences. Having native college students in school additionally helped me enhance my Spanish abilities and get a greater understanding of Spanish tradition from their standpoint. It was an effective way to attach with individuals exterior of the AIFS program and get a extra immersive educational expertise.”
Many examine overseas applications supply educational alternatives you may’t get at your house college. For instance, Sara was in a position to examine Marine Ecology within the Mediterranean Sea—how’s that for hands-on studying!
“One of the crucial memorable facets of my educational expertise in Valencia was the Marine Ecology course, which mixed classroom studying with discipline journeys to the Mediterranean coast. Getting to review marine ecosystems in a hands-on means made the fabric really feel a lot extra actual and interesting. One other standout was my Service Studying: Social Justice class, the place I had the chance to have interaction with the local people and study social points in Spain from a firsthand perspective. The lectures on Spain’s cultural and historic evolution in my Tradition and Society in Modern Spain class additionally deepened my understanding of how historical past shapes fashionable Spanish identification. Outdoors of sophistication, attending visitor lectures on sustainability and concrete planning in Valencia was eye-opening, particularly seeing how town integrates inexperienced areas, public transport, and environmental initiatives into its infrastructure. These educational experiences not solely challenged me intellectually but in addition gave me a deeper connection to town and its individuals.”
Language Studying
Though you do not want to be fluent in one other language to review or intern overseas, some college students select to go to a rustic that already speaks their native language, as Sara did:
“Since I’m a local Spanish speaker, learning overseas in Valencia was a novel expertise as a result of I didn’t have to fret a couple of language barrier the way in which many different college students did. Nevertheless, I shortly realized that Spanish in Spain is completely different from the Spanish I grew up talking. The accent, slang, and even some on a regular basis phrases took some getting used to. I grew to become extra assured utilizing formal Spanish, improved my listening abilities, and even picked up a couple of Valenciano phrases alongside the way in which.”
In case you solely communicate English and don’t need to examine overseas in a rustic that speaks one other language, no worries! We provide a number of program locations in English-speaking international locations.
Making Connections Overseas
If you intern or examine overseas, you’ll be round a lot of new people who find themselves keen to fulfill you. Finding out or interning overseas is the right alternative to make associates and develop your skilled community, as Sara skilled:
“Constructing private {and professional} connections whereas learning overseas in Valencia was one of the crucial rewarding components of my expertise. I made associates by way of my AIFS Overseas program, courses at UCV, and my homestay, however I additionally pushed myself to fulfill locals and different worldwide college students. The most effective methods I linked with individuals was by saying sure, whether or not it was to a gaggle dinner, a weekend journey, or simply grabbing espresso after class. Being open to new experiences and stepping out of my consolation zone helped me type significant friendships that I nonetheless cherish.”
Adjusting to the Native Tradition
Tradition shock could sound a bit scary, but it surely’s simply a part of the method, and most examine overseas college students handle simply high quality whereas they regulate to their new surroundings. For a lot of American college students who examine overseas in Spain, the extra relaxed way of life and later meals generally is a little bit of a problem initially:
“One of many greatest tradition shocks I skilled whereas learning in Valencia was adjusting to Spain’s each day rhythm and way of life. The later mealtimes had been an enormous change—lunch round 2-3 PM and dinner as late as 9-10 PM. At first, I discovered myself ravenous at what would usually be dinnertime again house, however over time, I adjusted by snacking strategically and embracing the slower tempo of meals.
The siesta tradition was one other shift. Whereas not every thing shuts down in huge cities, I did need to plan errands and grocery procuring round mid-afternoon closures. As a substitute of combating it, I realized to make use of that point to loosen up, discover, or make amends for studying, which truly helped me decelerate and revel in my days extra.
Socially, I needed to get snug with Spain’s extra direct communication model. At first, I mistook it for rudeness, however I noticed that Spaniards are simply extra easy—which made conversations simpler as soon as I tailored. One of many issues I actually admired about Valencia and Spanish tradition was the emphasis on residing within the second and prioritizing neighborhood and connection over always speeding by way of life. The slower tempo of each day life, from lengthy, relaxed meals to night strolls (paseos) by way of town, actually stood out to me. Individuals take their time to take pleasure in their meals, their conversations, and their environment, which felt so completely different from the fast-paced, always-on-the-go mentality again house.”
Housing
All AIFS Overseas applications embody housing. Relying in your program location, housing choices could embody a pupil residence, a shared house, or a homestay. Right here’s why Sara was so glad she selected a homestay:
“I stayed in a homestay throughout my time in Valencia, and it was truthfully among the finest components of my examine overseas expertise. My host mother and I grew to become besties, and he or she made me really feel like a part of the household from day one. Residing along with her gave me an inside have a look at each day Spanish life, from home-cooked meals to lengthy conversations about every thing from historical past to native traditions. It was additionally one of the simplest ways to totally immerse myself within the tradition. I received to expertise firsthand how Spaniards construction their days, from late dinners to weekend household gatherings.”
Weekend Journeys
As Sara emphasizes beneath, weekend journeys are an enormous bonus of learning overseas. Keep in mind, whenever you’re not in school, your time is yours to do as you select—in case you’ve nonetheless received the journey bug whereas overseas, you may select to journey past your host nation!
“The most effective components of learning overseas was having the chance to take weekend journeys, and my absolute favourite locations had been Morocco and Portugal. Visiting Morocco was an unforgettable expertise. I received to discover the colourful markets of Marrakech, trip camels within the Sahara Desert, and expertise the unimaginable hospitality and wealthy tradition firsthand. The colours, the meals, and the power of town had been in contrast to something I had ever seen. Portugal was equally wonderful, with its beautiful coastal views, charming streets, and laid-back environment. I fell in love with Lisbon’s colourful structure, the well-known Pastéis de Nata, and the unimaginable viewpoints overlooking town. The mix of historical past, tradition, and journey in each Morocco and Portugal made these journeys among the most memorable experiences of my examine overseas journey, and I might advocate them to anybody in search of a mixture of tradition, journey, and breathtaking surroundings.”
Profession Alternatives Overseas
Finding out overseas won’t solely lay a powerful educational basis in your future profession however it’s going to additionally assist you construct a world skilled community and develop tender abilities that can be invaluable in your skilled life. Right here’s how learning overseas helped broaden Sara’s skilled horizons:
“Finding out overseas in Valencia has had a big impact on my profession objectives and future plans. Residing in a brand new nation, adapting to a special tradition, and navigating challenges independently gave me a degree of confidence and adaptableness that I do know will set me aside in any skilled setting. I’ve realized how you can talk throughout cultures, problem-solve in unfamiliar conditions, and construct relationships with individuals from numerous backgrounds, all of that are extremely priceless abilities in at the moment’s international workforce.
This expertise additionally deepened my curiosity in sustainability and international points. Seeing firsthand how Valencia integrates inexperienced areas, sustainable transportation, and environmental consciousness into each day life impressed me to discover methods I can incorporate these values into my profession. I now really feel much more motivated to hunt out alternatives that align with my ardour for sustainability, worldwide collaboration, and social influence.”
Why AIFS Overseas?
There are such a lot of causes to decide on AIFS Overseas, resembling our nice program inclusions, thrilling examine overseas locations, and our devoted on-site assist workers. One of many issues about AIFS Overseas that stood out to Sara is our dedication to sustainability:
“I selected AIFS due to its sturdy popularity for offering immersive and well-supported examine overseas experiences. I had heard nice issues in regards to the group’s dedication to cultural trade, pupil assist, and educational excellence. What actually stood out to me, although, was AIFS’s give attention to sustainability. The truth that they combine environmentally accountable practices into their applications, from encouraging sustainable journey to supporting eco-friendly initiatives, made me really feel assured that I used to be selecting a corporation that aligns with my values. I wished to review overseas with a program that not solely prioritized training and cultural experiences but in addition cared about its environmental influence.
Throughout my time overseas, the on-site AIFS Overseas workers in Valencia had been wonderful. They made positive we had every thing we would have liked, checked in commonly, and arranged excursions and cultural actions that helped us expertise Spain past simply teachers. If I ever had questions or issues about teachers, security, or simply navigating each day life, the workers had been all the time obtainable and supportive.”
Last Ideas
Lastly, to sum up the influence of her expertise, Sara mentioned:
“I didn’t count on how a lot this expertise would form my future. Whether or not it’s my profession objectives, private confidence, or simply how I view the world, learning overseas has expanded my perspective in methods I by no means imagined. I now really feel extra impartial, extra open to new alternatives, and extra linked to a world neighborhood.”
Are you a pupil whois able to take the leap and examine overseas with AIFS Overseas like Sara did in Valencia? We’d love that will help you begin your journey!
Right here at AIFS Overseas, we all know a factor or two about serving to faculty college students examine overseas. Our applications include many priceless inclusions, which takes a whole lot of the stress out of planning. From coordinating your housing to offering issues like journeys and excursions, complete insurance coverage, 24/7 emergency assist, on-site workers, and cultural and social actions, you’ll take consolation in understanding you’ll have assist all through your total expertise overseas.
