AIFS Abroad in Barcelona, Spain: Summer

I decided I wanted to travel abroad 2 years before actually making it happen. I knew I wanted to travel far away from the States, where I could go on walks in the city and the beach. After doing some research on many abroad programs AIFS seemed like the best option for what I was looking for. AIFS programs had lots of activities included, reasonable program prices depending on locations, and scholarship opportunities for funding. Upon acceptance to my program, the AIFS staff was great at keeping communication with me through the application process. The staff abroad was also very caring and helpful making sure all students were accommodated well and safe. My experience with AIFS in Barcelona, Spain was an unforgettable experience. Housing was great, activities were fun, the UAB campus was close in distance from my apartment, and other students from the program were also great! I chose the "flight package" for my departure option because I had never been out of the country on my own so I thought it would be better if they arranged my flight and pick-up/drop off to the airport in Barcelona to be more at ease. I am glad I did that because it saved me so much time and stress. Amy from AIFS was super sweet when I met her at my pick-up spot. If you are thinking about studying abroad with AIFS, I would definitely recommend! 10/10 experience. I was only there for six weeks in summer, but I wish my time there would've been longer.

My wife and I were both students looking for a study abroad experience together, and decided to try out Barcelona. The ordeal was easy and AIFS was eager to answer any questions we had. The best part was that AIFS was able to accommodate our situation, and found us a host-family we could stay at together.

The level of acceptance and support I received while abroad was life changing. As a trans man I was nervous about traveling and having my identity respected, but the AIFS staff welcomed me with open arms and continued to advocate for me through my entire time there. My host family was beyond everything I could have imagined and I was able to create a bond with them which I believe will last a lifetime. I could not be more grateful for my experiences with AIFS and I’m eager to see more of the world on my own.

My time in Barcelona was AMAZING. I made so many great friends, had amazing professors, and enjoyed getting to know and love Catalan culture. I highly recommend staying in a homestay and branching out!! I loved celebrating local holidays and eating the local food. GO TO BARCELONA you will not regret it!

Initially I was skeptical of doing a study abroad, because I was going to be investing so much money and placing my full trust on, well, a bunch of strangers. However, I was pleasantly surprised. The AIFS program allows you opportunities you would never have on solo travel. It is a very unique experience, with incredibly caring staff who quickly become your friends. Our host family was inviting and awesome, and we loved getting to know our other roommates. Overall, this was one of the most memorable experiences of my life, and I wish I could go back!

I did a summer in Barcelona and it sparked my travel bug. Ever since this experience I have had the travel bug and been fortunate enough to travel to many place and even did a second Abroad experience with AIFS. My time in Barcelona was amazing. I stayed in an apartment with 5 girls in my program who I got along with so well. I was also able to learn so much Spanish in just a month. Barcelona is such a fun, beautiful city. Amazing food, amazing beach, amazing culture!

I arrived in Barcelona, Spain, three days before I was scheduled to meet my host family. I stayed in a hostel three blocks from Plaza de Catalunya, where I slept in the same clothes for three nights as I awaited the delivery of my delayed luggage and discussed language and traditional cultural practices with travelers from Germany, Japan, and Czech Republic. I explored the city on foot, something not too common in my home state of California. After my stay at the hostel, I trekked a mile to the address of my host family, where Annika greeted me warmly and directly, like we had just reunited after a few years apart. She introduced me to her and her husband Tony's apartment, their massive pitbull/mastiff Ken, and my roommate for the next week, Tyler. She told me about Barcelona's energy and water shortage during the hot summer, and told me to be careful and conservative with the lights and water. This inspired me, and continues to affect my decisions today, because I have been privileged, along with most of the United States it seems, with seemingly unlimited water and energy. I took minute-long cold showers every day before leaving for school. The day after settling in, I was escorted by Annika to a place where I would meet fellow students studying abroad and have a tour of the city and a chance to meet my peers. Over my one-month long stay, I went on many excursions with that group; some of them were guided by AIFS, and we went to see the old town of Girona, the breath-taking Sagrada Familia, and gather at a local studio to try Spanish wine and paint with our peers before we departed from this country. Through this connection by the program, I was invited by my friends to beautiful Tarragona, an amusement park atop Mount Tibidabo, and the amazing Parc Guell. At first I felt overwhelmed and alone in this astonishingly new and different environment, but AIFS excelled in providing many activities and bonding experiences where I could meet peers and make friends to share the adventure with. Additionally, the staff were incredibly friendly and welcoming, and I always felt safe and taken care of when they were with us. They gave us phone numbers to reach them, emergency numbers, briefings so that we were prepared to explore independently, and personal recommendations and advice accumulated from years of travel. On that first day meeting my peers, we went together as a band of confused foreigners to buy Metro cards for the month of July. Taking the trains and buses around and trough the city was an amazing part of the trip. It felt liberating and exciting to travel anywhere in the city on the timely and expansive public transportation network and my squeaky and new Hoka tennis shoes. This experience gave me a new perspective on transportation, and since then I have been able to criticize the United States' dependence on cars and singular, inefficient transportation. Furthermore, using the train, which was strongly encouraged and maybe required by the program, allowed me to further immerse myself in the local culture; I people watched, rode to different neighborhoods, visited many beaches and art museums, and learned the city through careful study of the bus and train maps. I took the train most weekdays to school. Classes were among the highlights of my trip. The campus was small and beautiful. The professors were fun and taught thorough and well rounded lessons on language and culture, and there was a cafe where the students and I would go on breaks to get coffee, pastries, fresh orange juice, and Bocadillos. I met many more friends in my Spanish class, and spent a lot of time with students from Germany, South Korea, China, and Ukraine. It was such a valuable and impactful experience to be able to talk with and laugh with these people from all over the world, and to share about our lives and countries and our experiences in Barcelona. The food was incredible as well. My host family cooked amazing meals for me every weeknight: Tortilla, Paella, Patatas Bravas, fresh tomatoes drizzled in olive oil, ribs, fish, and many more amazing, fresh meals. There was never a meal without wine. We sipped Cava mostly, and on occasion they would bring out a Porron and Moscatel, a sweet desert wine and a vase to drink from. During these dinners, which were traditionally eaten around 10pm, we would discuss my classes, my adventures, global politics, stories from my hosts' lives, and many more enriching and lively conversations.

I really enjoyed my summer with AIFs - the staff is amazing, and are always willing to help. One staff member accompanied me to the doctor when I got sick, which I really appreciated. This summer, I had the perfect mix of academics and cultural experiences. The classes were fun and interesting while challenging, and on the weekends we had plenty of activities to do around Barcelona. We even took some day trips to other places in Spain. Overall, it was a great experience!

I will remember this time for years to come. i met some incredible people here and i hope that we remain in contact. the places i went and the things i experienced were life changing. it really opened my eyes to the world outside of my home country. i went places and saw things i never in my life thought i would see. and i am forever grateful for that.

I constantly did new things I never thought I'd be able to do and met a ton of friends. Barcelona is amazing and this program helped it be even better. The San Joan festival is a must. Don't be scared to step out of your comfort zone and have fun all over the city.

This was such an incredible summer! I can't think of a better way to spend 6 weeks of my life. Barcelona has made such an impact on me and I can't wait to come back in the very near future. I have fallen in love with both the city, and the language. The people of Barcelona are so kind and welcoming to visitors and people who are not so familiar with the language. I plan to tell everyone that Barcelona is the city to go!

When I first arrived, I didn't know what to expect at all. I liked my roommate and had my own room so that was nice. My Spanish is not very good because I have only taken a beginner course before this summer. It has been very difficult to communicate with my two Senoras and I wish I could have gotten closer to them or known more about them. They were very kind to me and always made sure we were not hungry after dinner haha! It took me awhile to get settled in here and get over how homesick I was everyday for the first half of the program. Once I started to do more activities and get closer with the other girls in the program it got better. My classes are not super difficult but the Spanish course was very different than what I was used to. I wish I could have gotten more out of the class because it was more of me teaching myself as each day went on. I got to visit France and Switzerland which was one of my favorite memories of the trip. Overall, I feel way more independent after these past 6 weeks and feel more confident in traveling by myself and figuring things out on my own. Coming to a big city like Barcelona was a huge adjustment but I am glad I got the opportunity to do so.

I really liked the AIFS program. They were very accommodating with my situation. The staff helped me switch to a homestay last minute. They were very helpful. It was a great way to incorporate summer school into my college experience. The classes are not too difficult. The classes did not have a heavy workload. I was able to enjoy my time in Barcelona without being stressed about school. AIFS did a great job with preparing us for the classrooms differences that could show in the classroom. The homestay accommodations were amazing. My senora was so sweet. I wish she spoke a little bit of English so there was a closer relationship formed. The history class at UAB was my favorite class. I liked all of the excursions that we took part in.

Awesome experience, highly recommend! I would definitely return back. Super thankful for the opportunity. Great teachers and great administration. Fun classes and quick walk to school. Only suggestion would be supplying the living accommodations in cleaner conditions.

I had a wonderful time exploring Barcelona and immersing myself in its cuisine and culture. Living with a homestay allowed me to become conversational in Spanish and truly understand what it's like to be a local. It was unbelievable how much I learned and experienced in such a short period of time. I'd highly recommend taking a summer abroad in this amazing city :~)

I really enjoyed studying abroad in Barcelona through AIFS. However, I would be hesitant to recommend this program to someone who does not want to commit 3.5 hours M-F to school. It was a little much taking 6 credits, and I would have preferred the program offering a 4 credit class.