I loved my experience abroad and with CISAbroad. All of the staff was always willing to help. It was easy to schedule a phone appointment with staff before I left and the on-site staff was so supportive and always there to help if we needed her. My

host mom was the best . Carmen had 3 dogs which made it so much fun! She was a great cook and was always there to talk if I needed her. While I was there, she had two other students from other programs there as well, it was fun because we would all speak together in Spanish and talk about our days and weekend plans! The only thing about my experience that was questionable about my experience was the university I attended. I loved my professors and my classmates, but the university itself was a little unorganized. They are a young university, but sometimes it took 30 minutes to an hour to begin an off-site activity because they were not organized.

My experience in Madrid was amazing. I came to love the hustle and bustle of Madrid city life. Culture was rich and adventure was always around the corner. There was always an opportunity to try something new; new places to explore, new cuisine to try,

new activities to participate in. Madrid is a city that surprised me every single day. CISAbroad was extremely helpful in making me feel as comfortable as possible during my stay abroad. The onsite advisor was almost always available to answer my questions or resolve possible issues. The activities that CIS organized helped me build relationships with the other students in the program and helped me learn more about Spanish culture. I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to study abroad, especially with such an organized, helpful, and caring program, CISAbroad.

During my first 2 years of college, I wrestled with the idea of studying abroad and asked countless friends, family and professors for their advice. Everyone I spoke to told me the same exact thing: Do it. Friends who had previously studied abroad shared

stories of their incredible adventures, the amazing food they ate, and the lifelong friends and memories they made. In my junior year, I decided that I wanted to go abroad, no matter the cost or nervousness I may have felt. I searched through the different programs my university offered and found nothing that interested me or was beneficial for my Spanish minor; that's when I came across CISabroad and immediately fell in love with the locations they offered for the Summer, the amenities included in the program and the reviews were great. The application process was seamless and gave me no problems or concerns while applying. Once I was accepted, the process continued with Webinars and constant emails about pre-departure activities, what to expect and how to prepare before going abroad. That constant communication gave me the confidence in this program and showed me that they truly cared about their students going abroad; I felt safe, protected and excited about going to Madrid, specifically with CISabroad. From the moment I touched down in Madrid, CISabroad was always there for me, both in person and electronically. My site director was the most incredibly kind-hearted and fun person I have had the pleasure of befriending; she thought of us as her kids that she needed to look-out for during the summer, and we really became a little family throughout this experience thanks in-part to her. While there were a few bumps in the road concerning the actual school part of the study abroad experience, everything outside of school was great. Every week CISabroad provided us the opportunity to travel to different cities together, go on wine tours, visit historical sites, watch flamenco dancing, and so much more. CISabroad made sure that their students got the most out of their time abroad as they could. It has been almost one year since I studied abroad in Madrid with CISabroad, and I yearn for it daily. I miss the friends I made, the food I ate, the places I got to see, and living in that lively city every day. Everyone told me that this experience would be one of the greatest of my life, and they were correct. Thanks to CISabroad, I had the chance to live my very best life for one short summer and I made memories to last a lifetime. This was easily the best decision I ever made, and hopefully it will be yours too.