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Katharina from Germany, Spring semester 2010

About a year before my exchange in Spain, I started thinking about where I should go. All my friends had decided to go to English-speaking countries, but I really wanted to go to Spain because I simply love the country. Besides, I had already been learning Spanish at school for two years at that time.

When it came to choosing my city, I asked several people for their opinions, and almost everyone told me they would choose Andalusia because you can experience traditional Spanish culture up close there. I also knew that I wanted to live in a city rather than in a small village.

After asking around, I finally came across Seville. Since I wasn’t sure whether I would like it there, I initially signed up for two months. The last few weeks before my departure flew by, and I became more and more nervous, but at the same time, I was really looking forward to it.

When the day finally came and I got on the plane, I suddenly realized what I was actually doing and how crazy the whole thing was. But that feeling quickly turned into excitement. When I landed in Barcelona, Ismael met me at the airport and took me to the accommodation for the preparation weekend. There, I met many other girls and boys who were doing the same thing as me, and we were able to talk about our fears and doubts. The weekend in Barcelona was short but very fun, and I learned a lot about Spanish life and culture, which helped me a lot during the following months.

On Sunday, the time had come to say goodbye to some of the people we had met, as we were divided into groups and took different trains to our respective cities. When I arrived in Seville, my host family was already waiting for me. They welcomed me incredibly warmly and took me to my new home. The family was very kind and supportive and helped me a lot with my language difficulties. My room was great, and I lived right in the city center, just five minutes from my school.

My school was generally amazing! Of course, you cannot compare the Spanish school system to the one in Austria or Germany, as teaching in Spain is mostly frontal instruction, but you get used to it over time. Both the students and the teachers were incredibly kind and helped me with everything from day one. Although it was a bit difficult at the beginning because of the language, I quickly felt connected. Spaniards are very open people, which makes it easier to integrate. My friends invited me to everything and took me everywhere, so I was able to experience and learn a lot about the city.

By the way, Seville is a wonderful city! It is one of the most beautiful cities I have ever seen, and I can only recommend everyone to go there. For me, the size of the city was perfect — not too big and not too small. The old town in particular is incredibly beautiful, and you can reach all the important places in the center on foot. There are also good bus connections to all parts of the city. Semana Santa (Holy Week) and the April Fair were especially impressive for me. These two festivals take place every spring and are particularly famous in Seville. I highly recommend being there during these celebrations because they are truly unforgettable experiences.

One of the most important things in Spain is to be open — at school, with friends, and with your host family. Talk as much as possible and don’t withdraw. You will see that Spaniards are warm, open, and helpful, and it will not be difficult to integrate. The first few weeks can be challenging because everything is new and you only know a few people. What I did — and what I would recommend to everyone — was to take part in every activity that was offered to me. Whether it was a celebration, shopping, a trip, or anything else, I always joined. These experiences help so much in building friendships and relationships. Sometimes I really didn’t feel like going, but I still participated and was always happy afterward that I had done so. Spaniards also notice and appreciate when you make an effort to spend time with them.

After just a few weeks, I was already sure that I wanted to stay longer than two months, so I extended my stay to four months. In the end, I didn’t want to leave at all. Unfortunately, those four months passed very quickly, and my departure slowly approached. During the last few days, my parents came to Seville to visit and see my new “home” for themselves. They were also fascinated by the city and the culture and understood why I would have preferred to stay.

The last day at school and with my host family was the hardest. Saying goodbye was incredibly difficult, and there were many tears, but I knew that I would visit them again soon.

In conclusion, I can say that my stay in Seville was one of the best decisions of my life so far, and I do not regret it in any way.

I learned so much and I am proud of what I accomplished — not only linguistically, but also personally and culturally. This experience gave me so much, and I can only recommend it to everyone to take a step like this.

I know exactly how difficult the decision can be and how big the fear often is. But at the end of your journey, you will look back and realize that your worries were unnecessary.

All my love, Kathi

Katharina – 2010

About a year before my exchange in Spain, I started thinking about where I should go. All my friends decided to go to English-speaking countries, but I really wanted to go to Spain because I just love the country. (I had also been learning Spanish at school for two years at the time.) When it came to choosing my city, I got a few opinions from people, almost all of whom told me that they would go to Andalusia because there you could experience the typical Spanish culture first hand. I also really wanted to go to a city and not a small village.

So I asked around and finally came across Seville. Since I wasn't sure whether I would like it there, I signed up for two months. The last few weeks before my departure flew by and I became more and more nervous, but I was really looking forward to it.

When the day came and I got on the plane, I first realized what I was actually doing and how crazy the whole thing was, but this feeling soon turned into great anticipation. When I landed in Barcelona, Ismael met me at the airport and took me to the accommodation for the upcoming preparation weekend. There I met many other girls and boys who were doing the same things as me and we were able to talk about our fears and doubts. The weekend in Barcelona was short, but still very fun and I learned a lot about Spanish life and the Spaniards, which was quite helpful for me in the coming months.

On Sunday the time had come and we had to say goodbye to some of our acquaintances’ separate because we traveled in groups on different trains to our respective cities. When I arrived in Seville, my host family was waiting for me, who welcomed me incredibly warmly and took me to my new home’ drove. The family was really nice and helpful and helped me a lot with my language problems. My room was also great and I lived in the middle of the city, just five minutes from my school.

My school was generally really great! Of course you shouldn't compare the Spanish school system with that of Austria or Germany, because in Spain there is total frontal teaching, but you get used to that over time. Both the students and the teachers were all so incredibly kind and helped me with everything from day one. Although it was a bit difficult at the beginning because of the language, I got along straight away. (Which is pretty easy with Spaniards because they are a very open people) My friends invited me to everything and took me everywhere so that I was able to experience and learn a lot about the city.

By the way, Seville is a fantastic city! It is one of the most beautiful cities I have ever seen and I can only recommend everyone to go there. For me the size of the city was perfect, not too big and not too small. The old town in particular is incredibly beautiful and you can reach all the important places in the center on foot and there are also good bus connections to all parts of the city. Semana Santa (Holy Week) and the Feria de Abril were particularly impressive for me. These two festivals take place every spring and are particularly famous in Seville (I recommend anyone who goes to Seville to be there for these festivals because they are unforgettable experiences) One of the most important things in Spain is that you are open! At school, with friends, with your family…talk as much as possible and don't retreat! You will see that the Spanish are so warm, open and helpful and that it will not be a problem to integrate you. It's always a little difficult in the first few weeks because you have to get used to everything and you only know a few people. What I also did (and what I advise everyone) is to take part in all the activities that are offered to you. Whether it's a celebration, shopping, a trip or anything else, you definitely have to go! Because things like this can help so much to strengthen friendships and relationships. Often I had absolutely no desire to do something, but I went along with it and afterwards I was so glad that I did it. In addition, the Spaniards also notice that you make an effort and enjoy doing things with them. After the first few weeks, I was sure that I wanted to stay longer than two months, so I extended it to four months. (In the end I didn't want to leave at all) Unfortunately, these four months went by very quickly and my departure was already slowly approaching. The last few days my parents came to Seville to visit and got to know my new “home” for themselves. They were also fascinated by the city and the culture and understood why I would have preferred to stay there.

The last day at school and with my family was the worst! Saying goodbye was extremely difficult for me and there were many tears, but I knew that I would visit her again soon. In conclusion, I can say that my stay in Seville was one of the best decisions of my life so far and I don't regret it in any way.

I have learned so much and am proud of myself for what I have achieved! This trip brought me a lot, not only linguistically, but also personally and culturally, and I can only advise everyone out there to do something like that.

I know exactly how difficult the decision is and how great the fear is, but at the end of your journey you will look back and realize that it was all for nothing. All the best, Kathi

Hanna’s parents – Spring semester 2022

At the beginning of 2021, our then 15-year-old daughter Hannah asked us whether she could spend the 11th grade abroad. It was not an easy decision, especially in the middle of the COVID crisis. At first, Hannah really wanted to go to Australia for one year (!), which, as parents of a 16-year-old, was out of the question for us.

Eventually, she found a very interesting alternative online: the organization Interkultur. We contacted Carson Bohlmann from Interkultur by email, and from that moment on, everything moved very quickly. Communication was always prompt and extremely friendly. We felt very well advised and supported by the organization right from the beginning.

Of course, there were many things to organize: a visit to the doctor to obtain a medical certificate confirming that Hannah was fit to travel, a meeting with her school principal, and various documents that had to be completed. But everything was manageable and well structured.

A few months before departure, video calls also took place, which allowed us to clarify everything “face to face.” That was very important to us.

Three to four months before departure, we received photos and a kind of profile of all the members of the host family in Dos Hermanas near Seville. Everything proceeded smoothly, and the excitement slowly began to grow as the departure day approached.

Since Hannah had already been vaccinated twice at that time, there were no issues related to COVID regulations.

On September 12th, 2021, the day had finally come. We drove Hannah to Frankfurt Airport with a 23 kg suitcase and her hand luggage. The adventure could begin.

One more thing: it was not easy for us as parents — especially during the first one or two weeks. But after that, it became easier and easier. We stayed in close contact with our daughter through regular phone calls and WhatsApp messages, which reassured us a lot.

Unfortunately, school did not start as planned on September 15th, but one week later. However, this was not Interkultur’s responsibility. There were probably organizational reasons on the school’s side for the delay. After that first week, everything ran smoothly and a routine quickly developed. Classes took place daily from 8:15 a.m. until around 2:30 or 3:00 p.m.

There were also meetings with other exchange students who were spending either a trimester or a full school year in Andalusia. During this time, strong friendships were formed, many of which continue to this day.

Stephanie H. from Austria – Spring semester 2012

The beginning of my long journey goes back quite some time. Because I decided very late that I wanted to do an exchange year, I couldn’t waste any time finding the right exchange organization. Since there are more than 70 exchange organizations offering programs in Spain alone, I started asking my friends for advice.

Many people recommended InterKultur to me because it is very rare for students to have to change host families. They really try hard to match every student with the right family. That was actually the most important thing to me — to feel comfortable with my host family for five months.

As I mentioned, I applied quite late, so I was a bit afraid that no host families would be available anymore. But unexpectedly, I received a call from Ismael, who told me that something had come up. As I said before, I received my host family’s details before Christmas. I was extremely excited because I hardly spoke any Spanish and was worried that no one would understand me. However, as I later realized, this fear was completely unfounded.

On January 21st, 2012, at 5:00 in the morning, I began my journey into the unknown. I was very nervous. Saying goodbye to my family was incredibly difficult, and I even thought to myself, “I wish I had just stayed at home.” However, during my trip I met many friendly Spaniards who helped take away some of my fear and nervousness.

When I arrived in Alicante, my host family and my supervisor, Reyes, were waiting for me. Thankfully, my host cousin was also there, and she spoke good English, so I was at least able to have a small conversation with them. When we arrived home, I was immediately allowed to call my parents in Austria. Afterwards, we went shopping and later had a typical Spanish dinner together.

I have to admit that I felt a bit homesick and worried on my first evening, thinking about having to spend five months there. However, my host family did so many things with me that I barely had time to think about home. That helped me a lot. On my first weekend, we went to Barcelona, where I met the other exchange students and was able to make new friends.

The next few weeks flew by. I went to school, met many new people who helped me with my Spanish, and quickly got used to my new daily life. However, coming from a small village in Austria to a Spanish town of 18,000 inhabitants — which was already considered quite large there — was definitely a cultural change. I have to admit that it wasn’t always easy for me.

The Spanish sense of humor was also new to me. Sometimes they criticized me quite directly, but they didn’t mean anything bad. I probably took things too personally at times, and that occasionally led to small disagreements. But these experiences shaped me and helped me grow. I tried to adapt while still staying true to myself.

For my host family, it was surely not easy either to have someone new living in their house, to take care of me, and to share everything. My host father was also my music teacher, which sometimes made things a bit more complicated. It’s not always easy to separate private life from school, but I think we handled it well.

I learned a lot, received relatively good grades, and my Spanish improved very quickly. I bought small grammar books and asked my host parents whenever I didn’t understand something. Considering that at the beginning I could barely say more than “hola” and “how are you,” it was a huge personal achievement for me. After less than three months, I was able to communicate only in Spanish without needing English translations.

My friend Ellen, who is also from Austria and was living in the same town for a year, was very helpful — not only with the language but also when I had problems. In certain situations, even she couldn’t help me, and I was very grateful that I could always turn to Ismael, who immediately supported me whenever I needed help.

Overall, I can say that everyone will have different experiences during an exchange, but in many ways the feelings are similar. I didn’t have any problems with the food or with the temperament of the people. Sometimes I just found it funny how loudly Spaniards talk to each other — to strangers it can look like they are arguing terribly, even though they are just joking! The only thing that really caused me problems was the heat, which I simply wasn’t used to.

Saying goodbye at the end was very difficult. For three days, I had to say farewell to all my friends and relatives, which was emotionally exhausting. But I know that I will return.

These five months changed my perspective on foreign cultures, and I am incredibly happy that I dared to take this step. I am also very grateful to my family for making this experience possible. I will return to Spain very soon to see all my friends and host family again — I am absolutely sure of that.

Martina, Spring vacation 2014

On the 15th of January, my adventure began. I was very excited and curious about the next six months. The day before my departure, I had to say goodbye to all my friends, which was really difficult because I knew it would be hard to be without them for such a long time.

Then I was standing at the airport with my family. When we reached passport control, I had to say goodbye to them. I had been putting off this moment the whole time because I knew it would be one of the hardest parts.

Of course, I was extremely nervous and kept asking myself, “Why am I doing this? How did I even come up with the idea of leaving home for six months? Am I mature enough to do this alone? To go to Spain without knowing anyone there?”

Suddenly, I became very unsure and didn’t know what to think. But this nervousness disappeared quite quickly on the plane because I was lucky enough to meet a well-known Austrian athlete, which distracted me from the pain of saying goodbye.

When I arrived in Barcelona, I didn’t know where to go at first because the airport was so big. So I simply followed the crowd, which turned out to be a good decision. I received my suitcase quickly and then immediately found an Interkultur employee who picked me up. He took me to the train station, where I waited for my train to Alicante. While waiting, the usual doubts came back because, despite all the people around me, I felt very alone.

After about an hour and a half, I was finally able to board the train. What surprised me at the train station was that they even checked luggage there, just like at the airport. I wasn’t used to that because in Austria I had only ever taken the train without such controls.

During the four-hour train ride, I kept thinking about my host family. What would it be like to live with a family who were complete strangers for six months? I was also worried about whether my Spanish would be good enough to communicate properly and make friends.

When I arrived in Alicante, my host family and my supervisor were waiting for me at the train station. It was already very late in the evening, and I was tired and exhausted, so I fell asleep very quickly after arriving home. Of course, I texted my family in Austria to let them know that I was fine.

After some time, I slowly got used to Spanish life, which is quite different from life in Austria. It took me a while to process the goodbye to my close friends back home, and especially at the beginning, I struggled with homesickness. On top of that, I didn’t feel completely comfortable in my first host family. After a few weeks, I decided that I wanted to change families. Luckily, everything happened very quickly, and just two days later I moved to another host family whom I had already met through school.

From that moment on, I truly enjoyed every second in Spain. I got to know many people very quickly — not only other exchange students but, more importantly to me, many Spaniards, because I had come to Spain to really improve my Spanish. We spent a lot of time together, even when they had to study for school, and explored Alicante together.

Every single day was special, and I miss my time in Spain very much. I am still in contact with my Spanish friends as well as with the other exchange students, and I am sure that I will return to Alicante very soon to visit my friends and my host family.

I can recommend an exchange year to every young person. An opportunity like this does not come along very often in life, and you should definitely take it. Even if the beginning is difficult, it gets better every day, and in the end, you can fully enjoy your time in Spain.

Stephanie H. – 2012

The beginning of my long journey dates back a long time. Since I only decided very late that I wanted to do an exchange year, I couldn't waste any time finding the right exchange organization. Since there are more than 70 exchange organizations just for Spain on the Internet, I asked my friends for advice. Many people have advised me to go for Interkultur, as it is very rare for people to change families, as the people there try very hard to match every single student with the right host family. And that was actually the most important thing to me - that I would feel comfortable in my 5 months there. As already mentioned, I was very late and that's why I was a bit afraid that no family would be available. But quite unexpectedly I got a call from Ishmael who told me that something would happen. As I said, I received my host family details before Christmas. I was terribly nervous because I knew almost no Spanish and was worried no one would understand me. But as it later turned out, this fear was unfounded.

When I began my journey into the unknown at 5:00 a.m. on January 21, 2012, I was very nervous. Saying goodbye to my family was very difficult and I thought to myself: “I wish I had stayed at home.” However, I met a lot of nice Spaniards on this trip who were able to take away my fear and nervousness about something. When I arrived in Alicante, my host family and my supervisor Reyes were waiting for me. Thank God my host cousin was also there and she speaks good English, so I was able to at least have a little chat with them. When I got home, I was immediately allowed to call my parents in Austria, we went shopping and ate a “typical Spanish dinner” together. I have to be honest and say that I was a bit homesick on the first evening and was worried about having to spend 5 months here. However, my family did so much with me that I didn't even have time to think about home. J That helped me a lot. On my first weekend we went to Barcelona, where I met all the other exchange students and was able to make friends.

The next few weeks flew by, I went to school, met lots of new people who also helped me with my Spanish and quickly settled into everyday life. However, since the cultural difference between my small village in Austria and a Spanish “town” with 18,000 inhabitants was already large, I have to admit that it wasn't always easy for me. The Spanish's sense of humor was also new to me. Sometimes they criticized me harshly, but they didn't mean it in a bad way. I probably took it too much to heart and that's why we had a bit of an argument from time to time. But that's exactly what made me the way I am now. I tried to adapt, but also to stay the way I am. For my host family it was of course also a difficult situation to have someone in the house, to look after them, to share everything... My father was also my music teacher and that sometimes didn't really make the whole situation any easier. Separating private life from school life is quite difficult, but I think my host father and I managed it well.

I learned a lot, got relatively good grades and my Spanish got a lot better in no time. I bought little grammar books and asked my parents when I wanted to know something and the language was actually pretty easy for me and considering that at the beginning I could only say “hola”, “que tal”,… that was a huge step forward for me personally. After all, after less than 3 months I was only able to converse in Spanish and (almost) no longer needed English translations. Furthermore, my friend Ellen, who is also from Austria, lived with me in town and was here for a year in total, helped me a lot. Not just with the language, even when I had problems. Sometimes in exceptional situations she couldn't help me anymore, and thank God I was always able to turn to Ishmael, who was immediately there to help me. I am very grateful for that.

Basically, I can say that everyone will definitely have different experiences and experiences, but basically everyone is the same. I had no problems with the food or with people's temperament. I just found it funny sometimes when they joke with each other and talk VERY loudly and to strangers it just looks like they're about to kill each other... hahaThe only thing that gave me problems was the heat, which I'm just not used to. That was pretty hard at times.

It was very difficult for me to say goodbye, I had to say goodbye to all my friends and relatives for three days and that was very tiring, but I know that I will come back. These five months have changed my view of foreign cultures a lot and I am incredibly happy to have dared to do it and also grateful that my family(s) made it possible for me. I will be coming back to Spain very soon and will see all my friends and family again. I'm quite sure of that!

Martina's mother – 2014

When my daughter Martina first expressed her desire to spend a semester in Spain in the summer of 2010, I was surprised. She, who is so close to her family and friends and only 15 years old? So I suggested that she collect information material and arrange everything for a stay, with the idea that she would probably lose interest in doing this work….

I was skeptical and Martina's father was against staying in Spain. But Martina stubbornly stuck to her wish. She looked for an organization on the Internet and found “Interkultur” with which she communicated intensively. I had never heard of interculture before and so I had great concerns. But Martina made it clear that if she were to go to Spain, then only with interculture!

I sensed that Martina was serious, and that seemed unreal to me. Questions after questions popped up in my mind and made me uneasy: How will she get to Spain alone? Will she live with a nice host family? How will she be received at school? Can she cope with the Spanish mentality and Spanish food? What if she gets sick? Will it get lost somewhere?

This was followed by a meeting with Mr. Carson Bohlmann in Vienna, a long telephone conversation with Mr. Ismael Nieto, both employees of Interkultur, and a conversation with the Spanish embassy in Vienna, which dispelled my doubts and from that point on I also supported Martina's wish.

The last days before departure in January 2011 I was under electricity. Have we really thought of everything, travel insurance, party favors, winter clothing, yes or no? Booked the flight correctly? Will we reach Vienna Schwechat Airport in time if there is snow chaos here? Again and again, Mr. Ismael Nieto answered my emails professionally and practically immediately, always patiently addressed my concerns and solved all problems. The day before departure was bad when Martina said goodbye to her best friend in tears, so I feared something like that would happen to us at the airport when we said goodbye.

But despite the tension, we got through it well. Then came the fear, will she arrive safely at her host family??? Martina relieved us of this worry with a short text message; everything was fine. We had agreed at home that she could come to us at any time, but that we would show little initiative on our part to make contact, especially at the beginning, so that she could settle in to her new surroundings in peace. Of course that was extremely difficult for me, but I felt that it was best for us. After a few days it was clear to me that Martina was having a hard time dealing with the many new impressions in her new surroundings that were raining down on her. I encouraged her that everyone in her situation goes through this and that she should continue to keep in touch with her host family.

She tried. We skyped, she told me she was fine, but I sensed that wasn't really the case. My whole family encouraged her and gave her the feeling that she would do well and settle in well.

Martina – 2014

It started on January 15th. I was very excited and curious about the next 6 months. The day before I had to say goodbye to all my friends, which was really difficult because I knew it would be very hard without them for such a long time.

Now I was standing there at the airport with my family and we got to passport control, where I had to say goodbye to them. I had been putting off this moment the whole time because I knew it was one of the hardest ever.

Of course I was terribly tense and thought to myself, "Why am I doing something like that? How do I suddenly get the idea to leave home for six months? Am I mature enough to do this on my own, to go to Spain without even knowing anyone there?

Suddenly I became very skeptical and didn't know what to do, but this nervousness actually disappeared very quickly on the plane because I was lucky enough to get to know a very well-known Austrian athlete and that distracted me from the pain of saying goodbye.

When I arrived in Barcelona, I didn't know where to go because the airport was very big. So I just followed the crowd, and that was good because I got my suitcase very quickly and then immediately found an Interkultur employee who picked me up. He took me to the train station and I waited for the train to Alicante. While waiting, the usual questions came up again because I felt alone despite the many people in the station. After about an hour and a half of waiting, I was able to get on the train. What was completely strange to me at the train station, however, was that they even checked luggage here like at the airport. Of course, I didn't know anything like that because I've only ever taken the train in Austria.

During the 4-hour train ride I was already thinking about my host family. Will I be living with a family that is initially strangers for six months? I was also worried about whether my Spanish was good enough to be able to communicate with Spanish people and make friends. When I arrived, I was greeted at the train station by my host family and my supervisor. After it was very late in the evening and I was very tired and exhausted, I went to sleep very soon and of course wrote to my family in Austria that I was fine.

After a while I got used to Spanish life, as the lifestyle has a lot of differences. It took me a while to process the farewell to my friends from Austria and it was particularly difficult at the beginning not to feel homesick. In addition, I didn't feel comfortable in my host family and after a few weeks I wanted to move to another family. Luckily, that happened very quickly, and just two days later I was staying with another host family that I had previously known from school. From that point on I just enjoyed every moment in Spain. I got to know a lot of people very quickly, not just exchange students, but also, which was very important to me, a lot of Spaniards, because I had come to learn Spanish well. We often do something, even if they have to study for school, and we also went out here and there in Alicante.

Every day was just uniquely great and I miss my time in Spain very much. The contact with my Spanish friends and also with the other exchange students continues and I am also sure that I will go back to Alicante very soon to visit my friends and host family. I can recommend an exchange year to every young person, because such an opportunity doesn't come along very often in life and you should definitely take advantage of it. Because even if it is very difficult at the beginning, it gets better day by day and you can fully enjoy Spain.