Alumni Interview with Amanda McEnroe

What inspired you to go abroad?

I wanted to experience another culture. More importantly, I had studied Spanish for many years and wanted to see the sites that I had read about and studied.

Why did you choose Academic Programs International (API)?

I chose to study with API because the price was right, but also because I liked the excursions offered for the spring term.

What was your favorite part about Salamanca?

I loved that I could walk everywhere in Salamanca from where I was living. The residencia is located in a prime location to the building where I had classes, the bus station, many parks, and the main plaza, where I always met up with friends. Meeting up with friends in the plaza is such a big part of Spanish culture, so I loved being able to meet up and explore every day with ease.

What made your experience abroad unique?

API helped tailor my study abroad experience to what I wanted. At the time, I did not want to teach English like many of the other students. Per my request for a position elsewhere, API found a tutoring position for me just outside of the city. I got to see the more residential side of Salamanca and get to know a family without having to live with them.

How did local staff support you throughout your program?

The resident directors helped me tremendously throughout my program. Don't know where to get a good haircut? Ask the RD. Don't like your class? Ask the RD. Want to get involved in the community but don't know where to start? Ask the RD. The resident directors were super approachable and I never felt like a burden to them, because I felt as if they genuinely were there to help me have the best experience and easiest transition to Spanish life as possible. 

Once I got sick and needed to go to the doctor and Maria met me where I was in town, walked me to the doctor, helped me translate my symptoms, and walked me home. She even messaged me later to see how I was doing. I never felt alone or helpless because I always had someone to turn to.

What's one thing you wish you would have done differently?

I wish I would have gone out every afternoon after class to just sit in a park or wander around. Some days you feel tired and want to sit in your place with Netflix, but that is not why you traveled to another continent! I wish I would have never turned down an offer to do something new or just be out exploring.

Describe a typical day in the life of your program.

A typical day started around 8 a.m. I would wake up, get ready for class, eat breakfast, and have coffee with other students living in the residencia (even though some didn't talk as mornings weren't their thing). Then I would walk to class with a friend that lived nearby. We had class from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

What did you enjoy doing in your free time?

I enjoyed meeting up with my intercambio friend, Sandra. We would get coffee or go shopping and teach each other how to say random things we saw in English and Spanish. I also enjoyed watching the news or Spanish TV series with the people that lived in the residencia with me. We would eat dinner and then often stay hours later talking or watching TV together. A bunch of my friends and I would meet up at our favorite Panaderia to drink coffee and eat our respective favorite pastry, like many Spaniards often do.

What was your accommodation like? What did you like best about it?

I lived in a residencia (residence hall) with both Spaniards and API American students. We had a huge patio with picnic tables, so when the weather was nice a group of us would go out there and chill. I lived alone in a room; I had a bed with sheets already provided, a bedside table, a desk, shelves, and a wardrobe. The residence hall had a living room with couches and a TV, and a dining room where we ate meals together that were cooked by Pilar, the woman who runs the residencia. She also cleaned our rooms, took out the trash, and made our lives so much easier in every way.

The best thing about the residencia was the fact that I got to know so many students in a better way by all living together. Pilar was amazing as well. I was constantly looking to her for guidance and just for someone to talk to about how I was feeling or something cool I had learned. I loved sitting in the kitchen chatting while she cooked our dinner.

What is one thing every participant should know before participating in your program?

If you really put in the effort, you can leave Salamanca with a great level of Spanish. The opportunities to get into the community are there if you look for them. Your experience is really what you make it, so don't wait because it'll fly by and you'll wonder where the time has gone.

Now that you're home, how has your time abroad impacted your life?

My time abroad impacted my long time goals, but also how I looked at everyday life. In Spain, there is a common saying, "No pasa nada". Which kind of means, it's no big deal. I try my best to adhere to this lifestyle and let the small, unimportant bumps in life go by without stressing or worrying too much.

Would you recommend API to others? Why?

I would absolutely recommend my program provider to anyone and everyone. Without API, I would not have met the lifelong friends I now have or had the customized experience I got. They were so attentive and made it possible for me to get everything I wanted out of the experience.