Last December I started looking into a study abroad program for this summer and found a handful of programs in Valencia, Spain that offered Spanish classes. Florida State and University of Virginia both had programs in Valencia, but then I found a few less expensive third-party programs. One of these third-party programs, ISA, caught my eye because they had good online reviews. Without knowing too much else about ISA, I decided to take a risk and sign up for their program. It was a great decision. 

My month studying in Spain was incredible and the people at the Valencia ISA office were a huge part of that. As soon as we landed in Madrid, two of the ISA directors, Eduardo and Mario, picked us up and took us to the hotel where we’d be staying for the next two nights. Eduardo frequently asked us, “Are you guys good? If you need anything at all, tell me.” Mario quickly made himself known as the guy who can get to work but is also there to have a really good time. Eduardo and Mario continued to look out for everyone studying with ISA throughout the duration of the program. And they didn’t just do it because it was their job. They knew how foreign (literally) this experience was for almost everyone, and wanted to do whatever they could to make it go as smoothly as possible. Manuel and Amparo also worked in the ISA office and always emphasized that they were around if we needed anything. 

The ISA program was also great. ISA provided what I’d call optional structure. There were “excursions” almost every weekend: a day in La Albufera, a bike tour through the Turía, a walking tour through the city center, a day at Gandía Beach for water sports, a weekend trip to Barcelona, etc. While we had the freedom to choose whether or not to participate, almost everyone went because it was essentially guaranteed to be a good experience.

All in all, I was really fortunate to study abroad in Valencia through ISA. I wish I could’ve been there longer than 5 weeks!

Hasta la proxima vez, Valencia!

* The cover photo for this blog post was taken by Taylor Skram, a great photographer and even better person!