Letters
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Testimony Letters Letters from our alumni relating their experiences. |
Testimony Letters 2007 - 2009
December 15, 2009
I had an extremely positive experience with Best Programs and would whole-heartedly recommend it to anyone looking to move to Spain for study or work purposes. Although I came to Spain with an advanced level of Spanish, the level of support I received with lodging, transportation work placement, Spanish classes and so forth was still invaluable and helped me transition smoothly to life here. Spain is a great place to live, filled with culture and life, but the bureaucracy is quite daunting.
Going through Best Programs relieved me of so much of the paperwork, red tape, and bureaucracy involved. The entire process with my visa application and student card went through smoothly, the wait time was minimal and everything was trouble free. The first week of classes was fantastic - the materials and quality of instruction provided and the cultural immersion activities at the school really helped me jumpstart my somewhat rusty Spanish skills and was a great way to segue into life and culture here, meeting local Spaniards as well as students from all corners of the world. Work-wise, everything also went smoothly as promised. Through Best Programs, I was able to find a paid work placement.
The training and support provided by Xavier and the staff there are very comprehensive, I have been working for 2 months now and am very happy with everything - the work content, the support system provided and the work salary. Jill herself was kind enough to rent me a room in her apartment for my first 3 months in Madrid. Lodging-wise everything could not have been better. I had a cozy, well-furnished room with my own private bathroom, the apartment was beautiful and there was such great energy in the house. Jill and Nimi are extremely positive, friendly people - they made my stay in Madrid very pleasant and were always there to help out with any issues that I came across while adjusting in Spain.
Initially, I came across Best Programs by pure accident while surfing on the net. At the time, I was considering a host of other similar stay-abroad/work+study programs offered by other agencies. I chose Best Programs purely out of gut instinct, and was worried about how it would be before arriving in Spain. Luckily, everything turned out great! Like I said, the support I received with just about everything was tremendous and it made life here so much easier. For me, it was definitely worth the money!
Thanks Jessica and thanks Jill!!
David Tzeng (darvinchy@yahoo.de)
April, 2008
Dear BEST,
I have just completed my last day at SOM and I feel very sad to be leaving the company. All my collegues were lovely and friendly and I have learnt a huge amount of Spanish. I would now say I am almost fluent! Until July I will be spending my last 3 months in Madrid at Glamour Magazine as an intern, much like my time at the fashion PR company. My work at SOM meant that I had the opportunity to go into The Conde Nast office and ask directly if they had any space for interns and there was a space availiable.
Working at SOM has been a great opportunity for me and I would really like to thank BEST programs for initiating and organising everything out here for me. I really feel that the whole process of obtaining work in a foreign city was made very easy by you all. My sister is even coming out to do a language course at the school you organised for me! Many thanks and I will be in touch until I leave in July.
Best wishes,
Olivia Rollins (ollierollins@hotmail.com)
November, 2007
Dear BEST,
I am really enjoying my internship and all is going well. I sent the contract in on time to my university so they know what I am up to. I realise that you will want a copy. My university does not require this and it will be difficult to get a signature from them as I am in Madrid and not going back to see them in the near future.
I have various responsibilities within the company, but mainly I am an assistant stylist. I organise collections into the database and style the showrooms. We had an event last Wednesday for an open day which I really enjoyed and think it went really well. If there is anything else you need to know I would be happy to inform you.
Kind regards,
Olivia Rollins (ollierollins@hotmail.com)
July 3, 2007
Hi Jessica,
Yes, I am doing great. My internship is keeping me very busy. ESBA has given many unique opportunities to learn more about the EU. They are very nice and fun to work with. I love it here in Brussels. I hope to find a way to stay longer or come back someday. I just wish it would stop raining right now. Anyways, hope all is well.
Kind regards,
Virginia Ellis (btrcup2003@yahoo.com)
Hola Jessica,
Sorry for not being in touch earlier. I do not have internet at my apartment so it takes a while for me to respond. Things are going great. I started my internship at the school in the reception office as well as teaching english twice a week to children. Today was my first day teaching and it went pretty well. It was not as hard as I thought. In the reception I do basic office duties like greet students, answer the phone, enter data into the computer etc. My spanish is improving day by day. Thanks for keeping an update on me!
Gracias,
Marcia Nguyen (mngy@hotmail.com)
Testimony Letters 2005 - 2006
September, 2006
Dear Jill,
How have you been? How was Italy? How is business?
I have just returned from the east coast where I spent most of the summer jobhunting...with no luck. Now I am back in Minnesota where I have had a few interviews but nothing that I'm totally excited about. If I don't find anything by Christmas, I am coming back to Spain. I miss Madrid so much. It's sad, I still log onto www.elmundo.es <http://www.elmundo.es> everyday to see what's going on there. I read it was Madrid fashion week there. You're pretty well connected, did you get to go to any cool events? I still can’t believe that I got to hear Mario Vargas Llosa give a lecture. Or drink wine all night with Elsa Peretti. Or attend a concert at the National Spanish Orchestra. I will never forget the fun things I did with you.
Well, I hope all is well with you. Send me an update when you have time. Cuidate.
Besos,
Alison (atrauley@hotmail.com)
June, 2005
Hi there, I just wanted to say hi. This internship working with immigrants here in Seville was really amazing and I'm glad I did it. I feel like I have more experience working with even more people from all over the world in all kinds of situations. Sometimes I was shocked by how hungry they were or desperate, pompous or intelligent and refined or extremely nice. I really saw a lot of everything. And I wish I could work in this sort of office, but it takes time here to get accepted by the Spanish Employment office. I'll be home this summer to enjoy the beautiful Berkshires while the weather is nice and then I must return to sunny Spain. The Spanish people have perfected the "enjoyment of life". They're really good at it.
Hope you are well at BEST
Tara Johnston (tarabel9@hotmail.com)
Testimony Letters 2004
Oct., 2004
Hi Jill,
Thank you so much for the kindness you have shown me over the past few months. Your positive attitude is inspiring, and I hope that we will keep in touch as I return to Madrid in a few months!
Have a good evening,
Kristen Bernardi
Sept. 2004
Hi Jessica,
The classes went very well; I think I learned a lot and I met a lot of interesting people at Tandem. Interacting is a great company; everyone is very nice and the atmosphere is very friendly. I'm glad to hear that they're happy with me too. Thanks so much for arranging everything. I can't believe how amazingly helpful and efficient you've been. You guys are awesome!
Muchas gracias,
Daisy
April, 2004
Dear Jill,
Thank you so much for everything! I am very sorry that I did not get the chance to meet up with you, but I´ll be here much longer. I met with Ivi. She was wonderful, and answered all my questions. I love living with Mari Cruz and Dani; they are very nice. Mari Cruz and I go out and try sangria this weekend, so I´m getting tons of authentic Madrid life! I am also having a wonderful time at Tommy Hilfiger. It is quite the experience, and my Spanish is bound to get better here with so much of it going around! (Mari Cruz and Dani have been very helpful with that as well.) I am sad to have to leave my classes, but I did meet some great people who I hope to keep in contact with! So I just wanted to email you and thank you for all your help! I´m having a wonderful time! If you have someone that would like to ask me questions, that´s fine as well. Buenos días!
Muchas gracias,
Annie Pham
¿Que tal, Jill?
I just wanted to drop you a note to say HOLA! My internship with American Express is going great! I couldn´t be happier. The people at the office are wonderful and I learn new things every day. Most of the time I work on the computer and help prepare presentations in Power Point for the sales representative and I also translate various documents from Spanish to English. I absolutely love living here in Madrid and I hope that I am able to stay longer than just three months. I thought it might be nice for you to receive a positive email! I hope all is well with you!
Take care!
Nora
Hi Jill,
There are a number of reasons why my internship at Pepe Jeans will be my best experience in Spain.
First of all, it allowed me the opportunity to work in the fashion industry, a field different from my college major.
This experience also gave me many cultural insights. You will get to live and be a part of the Spanish business culture - hands on. You will get to meet great natives (locals) and work with clients. Most importantly you will be learning the language.
The advice I would like to give to future interns is DO IT. It will be an experience of a lifetime. You only live once. What is 6 months or one year in another country?!!
Lisa Tai
leecactus21@hotmail.com
Hello, Jill:
Greta is very enthusiastic about her experience so far in Madrid. She is delighted with her home family and seems to be learning a lot about the city, people, and way of life. She loves meeting new people and is enjoying the program and her work place.
Lucy Bauer
Testimony Letters 2003
Dear BEST,
Since I left Spain without contacting, I just wanted to thank you for all your help and for an unforgettable experience.
I have sent your website to other people who have asked me about the program, so I hope that they can also experience Spain in the way that I did.
If you would like to put me on the list of contacts for potential au pairs, please feel free to send them my e-mail address: courtneypredd@hotmail.com
Thanks,
Courtney Redd
Jill,
I was in Istambul for Semana Santa, so I just got back. The internship is great. It is great for my Spanish and Tomas and Carlos are so nice. It is really a perfect match for my skills; I am actually helping them apply to the World Bank to receive funds! I also wrote an article about their NGO that hopefully will be published in the Washington Post in a few weeks.
I did two extra weeks at Tandem. It is a beautiful school.
I am just writing to say that you basically did a bang up job organizing everything from apartment to school to work.
Hope all is well,
John D.
April 2, 2003
Hello Jill!
Things in Spain have been going great. I am really glad that I decided to take the language course my first two weeks here. Even though I believe I am more of a "textbook learner", I felt that Tandem had a laid-back teaching style with which it was great to brush up on my Spanish and meet people.
I have been travelling almost every weekend and have already seen Granada, Sevilla, Cadiz (Carnival,) Toledo, Valencia (Las Fallas,) and Segovia/La Granja so far. I have plans this weekend for Avila/Salamanca and will see Barcelona and Cáceres during Semana Santa. The country is absolutely beautiful! I have done many things around Madrid as well, including visiting El Escorial, and have plans to see Aranjuez and Cuenca.
Inma and Natalia have been great. Inma really goes out of her way to make me feel at home; she is a great host "mom."
Natalia is very sweet and easy to care for too, though I must admit she´s not AS much fun to be around with Inma present.
I wanted to give as much notice as possible because I am very grateful for my experience here. Thank you so much for
this journey!
Sincerely, Jennifer Young