Study Abroad in Bilbao, Spain

The ISA Bilbao Program is perfect for students looking to get the most out of their study abroad experience. A combination of prestigious art and history museums, easy and manageable public transportation, and a nurturing educational environment made it the perfect place for me to meet locals, practice Spanish, and learn about a completely new culture to me. For those looking to occasionally travel outside of Bilbao, there is an airport, train, and bus station that allows you to do so--although it may become pricey depending on the season and destination. Situated within the rolling green Basque Mountains and a 30-minute metro ride out to Spain's Eastern Cantabrian coastline, there was always something new to explore around the region. On the academic side, the course-work was challenging but very manageable and super applicable to the greater social context of living in the Basque Country. I chose the ISA Language and Liberal Arts program, so my classes were focused on bettering my reading, conversation, and writing skills while learning about the history and culture of Bilbao and its surrounding regions. My university provided a ton of extra-curricular opportunities (sports and hobbies) that all students (both international and local) could participate in together. I went on a couple hikes with the hiking club and they were some of the most memorable experiences of my semester. ISA offers a home-stay or independent housing option for living, and I would 100% recommend a homestay. My host family made my experience so much more incredible and it was a very easy way to understand the city better. My host family has given me a personal connection to the city, and I already can't wait to go back to visit them some day!

It is hard to believe that my study abroad program in Bilbao was coming to an end almost a year ago this day. It is weird to think that an experince I reflect on so much ws that long ago. I know it is corny to say but studying abroad was the best time of my life. There were many highlights of the trip and almost impossible to mention them all but I will name a few favorite moments. First off, living with a host family was such a cool experine as it was a great way to be immeresed in the culture and practice my spnish. I feel I got extmemly luck with my family as we connected immidieatly and they did so much for me to try to give me an accurate representation of spanish/basque culture. The many events ISA through made it easy to make friends and I never ran out of things to do. I felt I could have easily spent a year in Bilbao still without completly getting to know the city. With that being said, I felt Bilbai was the perfect size as everything was within walking/commuting distanc. I miss my ride to school in the metro, starting with a beautiful walk through the city. I miss the nightlife and packed streeets of Casco Viejo on the weekends. I even miss the rain a little bit too(even though everyone told us we got lucky as its usually much worse). The only part of the experince that I would have wanted a littl different was the lack of oppurtunities to meet local friends. My host family was a great local connection, but the kids whom i stayed with were younger and it would have been fun to have some people my own age to share the experience with.

I always knew I wanted to study abroad, but I chose Bilbao specifically because I wanted to experience the culture, language, nature, and people of Spain without having to deal with ginormous cities like Barcelona or Madrid. Bilbao is absolutely one of the most beautiful cities I have ever been in. It's surrounded by green mountains on either side with plenty of hiking and multiple insanely beautiful beaches 20 minutes away on the Metro. In Bilbao, I lived in a homestay, and between my host mom, Elena, and my program manager, Genoveva, I always felt safe. I also felt supported in my academics at the university and adjusting to the homestay. This freed me up to experience Bilbao, Spain, and Europe. I took many trips to the historic cities near Bilbao, like Pamplona, San Sebastian, and Guernica. I experienced nightlife with some great friends I met on the trip and got to eat some of the best food I'd ever had. On a normal day in the first month, I would walk across the river, with a great view of the Guggenheim, and into Universidad de Deusto, which is this beautiful European building full of smart Basque students and teachers. After my language, history, and culture classes, I would most likely take the metro to the beach with my friends, where we would relax under the sun and cool off in the Cantabrian Sea. Then we'd grab a pintxo, probably tortilla de patata, and head home to have dinner with our host parents and siblings. I will never forget all those beautiful moments I had while studying abroad, and I can't recommend Bilbao, or anywhere in Spain for that matter, enough! It's also great if you're looking to build your resume. There are local programs that hire students to teach local kids English.