AIFS Abroad

I went to Granada this past Spring for the AIFS Abroad program and it was an amazing experience! Granada is a beautiful city full of lots of rich history. It was a great place to go as a college student because food and drinks were super affordable. Granada is known for its Tapas culture, where every time you order a drink (alcoholic or not), you get a free tapa, or small plate, to enjoy with it. This was a great way to sample the local cuisine! Granada is a fully walkable city and everywhere you need to go is within a 30-minute walk. There is some public transportation but walking is the best way to explore the city. The academics at the University of Granada's Centro de Lengua Modernas were rigorous but the workload was light to allow for time to explore the city and travel on the weekends. A basic knowledge of Spanish language is helpful but do not let that deter you! You will be surprised at how much you pick up from both classes and just living life in this beautiful city! Overall, Granada is a beautiful place and AIFS did a great job providing assistance and planning fun activities for us!.

I went into this study abroad program not knowing anyone but ended the semester with life-long friends. I spent the semester attending Veritas University, where I took incredible classes in Spanish language and dialects, Ecotourism in Costa Rica, and Mural Painting and Public Art. All of my courses had cultural components and/or excursions included, which I loved as a way to get outside the classroom. AIFS took our group on three weekend excursions at the beginning of the semester, which provided awesome opportunities to see more touristy parts of the country (Manuel Antonio, La Fortuna, Arenal Volcano) and make new friends in the program. They also did smaller excursions into the city throughout the semester, such as museums or butterfly gardens, and had a nice goodbye-dinner at the end of the semester for all of us. AIFS, unlike the other study abroad programs partnered at Veritas University, has a small student center right near campus. This place was a lifeline for me during the semester; I loved having a place to make lunch, reconvene with friends, or talk to the incredible program staff Karla or Jesenia. They truly got me through the semester and I don't know what I would have done without them. I loved my experience abroad because of the support I received and would definitely recommend any program with AIFS!

I absolutely loved my experience with AIFS abroad! In Salamanca, Spain, we were fully immersed in Spanish culture through flamenco classes, cooking classes, museum tours, and neighborhood walks. I stayed with a host mom through this program, which allowed me to learn/ practice more Spanish and have 3 home-cooked meals a day. I took 2 classes at the University of Salamanca through this program and I felt very supported by my professors and AIFS staff throughout the whole program. We took excursions to Porto, Portugal, and to La Alberca, Spain, which were both such fun trips!!

I am pursuing a career in the film industry and have always wanted to study abroad, so I did some research and found the European Cinema course through AIFS Abroad. I was given the wonderful opportunity to travel to three major cities, which included London, Paris, and Rome. It was the experience of a lifetime! My fantastic tour manager, Edu Padial, took my class and I around to see different filming locations of major motion pictures, we saw Warner Brother Studios where they filmed the Harry Potter series, and a variety of different museums, while also being given an opportunity to see the sights that each location had to offer. As the class traveled, I was able to learn about the different European film movements from Dr. Caleb Turner. I truly cannot speak more fondly about my experience. Both Edu and Dr. Turner were fantastic and it is a trip that I will never forget!

It was absolutely the best experience I could ask for. Everywhere we stayed was beautiful! AIFs made sure that where we stayed was in the most PERFECt locations throughout the three cities we went to. The travel between countries was such a fun experience too! Getting to experience the Eurostar, and going on trains and planes with the group was such a fun time too I never minded the travel days! The tour manager and staff were all so very kind and helpful- our tour manager was the BEST. He was so helpful, funny, and always so welcoming- truly MADE the experience what it was. The people I met on the trip were amazing and having 3 weeks to bond with each other was great. Lifelong friendships were definitely made on this trip. I could not recommend going with AIFs more. I had the best time and would absolutely go again if I could.