Adelante International Internships and Study Abroad

I was very happy with myself that I tried to be very open and go with the flow. With that temperament I was able to meet a lot of really interesting people and see new things. The struggle with the language, however awkward I n the beginning, was very rewarding by the end to look back and see how far I had come. I guess in summary, Spain has so much cultural richness and history and real warmth and pride within the people and most are extremely kind and if one tries patiently to see all that it is really amazing. I will always look back fondly at my time in Sevilla.

I made a ton of great friends, my roommates were great and my Spanish improved a great deal. I also got to travel around a lot.

Aside from the brutal lack of air conditioning I enjoyed my stay immensely. Sevilla is an amazing city. The school was a great place and I had an exceptional teacher. I feel a stronger grasp of Spanish as a result of them. The school I worked at was a little disorganized, but from what I observed that's how things work here.

I did Adelante because my indecision about majors left me with no time to do a semester abroad, and it turned out to be a much better use of my time. In one trip I got to see if I liked living abroad, liked working internationally, and enjoyed business as a career, not to mention the incredible people that I met. My job took me all over Sevilla distributing flyers, and to Tangiers, Morocco to test out a new type of vacation package that we could market to our clientele. This experience has proved useful even months later during employee interviews, when I'm asked to evaluate that business and discuss changes that I helped implement. If I get the job, part of the credit will go to Adelante :)

This program gave me the chance to live in another culture and experience life as Spaniards know it. This was my first time living in my own apartment by myself and working so it was very much a real-world experience and it's really cool that I got to do it in another country. I also really liked that the classes and job were only 20 hours a week. It was great to have the afternoons free to explore the city or take some down time (since dealing in a foreign language all morning can be quite draining when you're first getting used to it!).

One of the best aspects of this international experience was being immersed in the language and culture which helped me to become more fluent in the language and to learn more about Spanish life and people. Working in an international company helped me to gain knowledge and experience in international business. Another good aspect was the independence and free time.

The Adelante program gave me a valuable opportunity to work abroad in a legal environment before starting law school this year. When I say that I worked in a law firm in Barcelona for 2 months, it never fails to make some jaws drop. The experience has given me an opportunity to view not only another culture and improve my language skills, but it has also provided me with practical comparative experience that I'll be able to use in the future years. On top of that, I made lifelong friends who I recently went back to see-in Barcelona and in other parts of Europe. The connections with these students, most of whom I met through Kingsbrook language school, are invaluable and they give me an extra reason to continue to return to Europe. The most important advice I can give to anyone considering the Adelante experience is that you will get what you put into it. Adelante works to open doors, not to hold hands. They will attend to your needs and place you in the best position to succeed in whatever goals you intend to reach. It is up to you to work hard, attend classes, take in the magnificent city of "Gaudi," meet other people, practice Spanish, eat new foods(tortilla espanol y paella), watch a futbol (soccer) game, stay up until 6am, enjoy "puente," and maybe even take an occasional "siesta." Hopefully, if you're from the United States, you'll show the best side of our country and you'll go into this situation not comparing everything to the U.S, but learning how to blend in and live life from an exciting new perspective. You'll miss home at times; you'll miss food and friends and holidays that you know so well. But maybe....you'll learn that just because something is different, it isn't necessarily better or worse; that people are impressed when you go out of your way to understand their point of view....even if you don't agree; and that a smile means the same thing in every language! This program is a gateway to seeing another side of the world and another side of yourself! I'll look back at my time in Barcelona, the best city in the world, as three of the best months of my life. Adeu (In Barca you have to learn some Catalan).

Being immersed in such an amazing culture and getting to live and work amongst the local civilians was a great insight as to the daily life of Spaniards that I would have never received by simply traveling through the city. Also, I was able to meet a lot of other adventurous Americans and Europeans through this unique experience which only enhanced my learning of different cultures and customs. It opened my eyes to how other people live and I was able to compare others' lifestyles with those in the US, becoming aware of things I hadn't noticed of my own culture. It was great to have the opportunity to travel around the country as well and explore even more amazing places than just Madrid.

I was absolutely enamored with the Spanish language. I wanted to learn as much of it as I could in the shortest available time period. And I found nothing more wonderful than my ability, after a while, to communicate to my Spanish friends with real conversation topics. The chance to meet so many amazing people that I would never have met otherwise (people that have changed my life) was the greatest part about this experience and is what would make me venture forth again. I really cannot say enough about those that I had the pleasure of working with. They became a sort of family away from home. Everyone was funny and warm and it was a pleasure to go to work everyday. Taking the risk to travel alone to live in Madrid and be a part of the Adelante program was honestly the most bold and gutsy thing I have ever done. I learned so much about myself (cliche-sounding but true!) and made some amazing friends. At this point in my life, over a year later, I am still reflecting on how much I loved the experience and am eagerly plotting when I can go on my next huge adventure abroad! In fact, I have even been inspired, through this trip an my own continued language learning, to go to grad school and change careers to become an English as a Second Language teacher. I would tell anyone who asks that signing up for this internship program was the best thing I ever did for myself. Really.

The best aspects of this experience were that I learned a lot about the differences between US and Spanish business, good resume builder, friendly people willing to teach you a lot, I got to travel and learn about European culture, learned a lot about Excel. The worst aspects were that the Spanish didn't understand the pace that Americans work at, so they would give me a task for the week and it would take an hour, so I didn't always have stuff to do!! However, over a year since my experience in Madrid I still keep in touch with my boss from my internship. We email on a weekly basis, he writing in English and I writing in Spanish, in order to continue our language skills. I'm now applying for jobs after graduation and he will be giving me a recommendation, even from abroad!

I love Spain and the culture and this was a great way to see it, aside from my previous study abroad experiences. Working shows a completely new aspect of a culture - it's a different life.

Everything about this experience was beneficial, from the beginning discomfort, to the eventual appreciation, love and comfort of Madrid. The best aspect of the experience was surely the cultural immersion. I got to know the city of Madrid, and its surrounding areas as if it was my permanent home. I met the most wonderful people, experienced so many value-less events, and discovered a new educational and professional interest. My internship company opened my eyes to an entirely different and exciting field of work and gave me opportunities that I would have otherwise never had. This is why I will probably return to Madrid in a few months to continue working there.

The opportunity to actually live and work abroad rather than just travel meant I could immerse myself into the culture and lifestyle. Barcelonians are nice people but a little cold toward foreigners. The city is fantastic and just being here for this period of time was an unforgettable experience. A lot was learnt by doing things myself and making the most of the time here, but having the base of an Adelante set up was extremely helpful.

My best experiences in Barcelona were outside the internship and the classroom. Getting to know the city, the people and the customs was a wonderful experience. I also had the opportunity to travel outside of Barcelona as well. I would say that the international experience itself, the newness and originality of it all, was the best part of my experience.

The best aspect of this experience was the language school. Through this school, I was able to get information on current events in Barcelona, how to use the metro and other various cultural events. It was here where I made the majority of my friends and was able to have the time of my life. My experience would have not been the same if I only had the internship.

The culture and language immersion and the live on your own experience were the highlights of this experience.

The people that I worked with at my company made a wonderful impact on my experience. They were so sweet, helpful, and patient and went above and beyond to make me feel comfortable. It was difficult to understand some of the things that went on at the company because of the language barrier. Obviously that is no one's fault but it hampered my experience at times. Although it was a challenge I don't regret it. The school was also a great resource for friends and advice.

One of the best aspects of this experience was meeting and interacting with a very diverse group of individuals through the language school and having the opportunity (and support and resources) to travel and learn about different cultures.

My cultural immersion experience in Spain has been fantastic. I feel very lucky to have found the Spanish/European/American friends I have made here and to live/intern in a great location in the center of Madrid. I have learned so much about Spanish culture as well as American culture (the good and bad!) and I have chosen to stay in Madrid and teach English for 6 more months to see what it's like to live on my own here, to gain teaching experience and to continue strengthening my Spanish. I thank Adelante for giving me this opportunity without having had to go through a university or a complicated, super-competitive application process, so I would recommend the program to someone considering it.

The language school was great; the staff were extremely welcoming and created a family-like atmosphere that was very much appreciated as a new-comer in a foreign country. I thoroughly enjoyed my internship, I learned a lot about the business, was given a great deal of responsibility and made great friends during this experience. I am planning on returning to Madrid.

I loved the whole thing! My roommates were great and I got excellent job experience at my internship. Everything was more than I expected. I would definitely recommend this program.

At the language school I met a lot of people from all over the world, that was one of the highlights of my experience, meeting so many people from all over.

I loved the people I met along the way and experiencing other cultures first hand. A summer that I will never forget.

The best thing about this international experience was primarily my assimilation into the Spanish culture and the huge improvement in my language ability. The worst thing about it was that because I was there for only 2 months, I did not have the opportunity to make too many Spanish friends.

I think the best thing that I've got out of this experience is learning the European culture and meeting all different kinds of people from everywhere. The people that I have met really enlightened my experience and I've learned so much through them. I would suggest this experience to anyone.

One of the best aspects of this international experience was the chance to work internationally in an entirely Spanish speaking business.