One of my daughters has just been accepted to do a term abroad in Spain. It would be January - March of her senior year of high school. Does anyone have any wisdom to share to help this nervous parent before I agree to this? I’ve never been to Europe and I would love to support my daughter in this adventure but I’m also nervous about her being so far away and billeting with strangers. Thanks for your help.
My daughter did the exact same thing when she was a HS sophomore! She studied in Cadiz during the spring semester. She went through CIEE, which provided a lot of orientation and support. They gave her a phone number she could call 24/7 if she had any issues (which she didn’t). She had wonderful host parents who often gave her a ride to school. They didn’t speak a word of English, so DD got immersed in Spanish quickly. She went to a regular public school and made lots of friends - they enthusiastically helped her learn their language. Within a month or so, she was dreaming in Spanish!
Having said that, it’s important for your DD to understand that the transition WILL be hard. CIEE talked about that with the kids, reminding them to really understand their reasons for wanting to study abroad so they could remember WHY they’re there when times get tough.
DD went back to Cadiz in the fall, while she was studying as a college junior in Italy. She called home and said, “Mom, I have a big problem!” My heart stopped until she went on to say, “I think I have to move to Cadiz!”
My biggest advice to YOU would be to install “WhatsApp” on your phone. It’s what is used around the world. We communicate through the app with our son in Beirut every day. With a WiFi connection, you can text, send photos, talk, and even video chat. The reception is seriously better than our Verizon phone in our house!
Good luck to you and your daughter. I can’t recommend studying in Spain highly enough. It will change her life in a very positive way. 
I appreciate your comments. Thank you for the great info.!
@Snowman66 Oh, one other thought! I really wanted DD to keep a record of her experiences. I had already planned on giving her spending money, but she didn’t know that. The deal I made with her was that every time she completed a substantial blog entry, with photos, I would transfer $25 to her account. I expected her to do that on a weekly basis and she did. Her high school gave her an award for her blog. Based on that experience, she applied to be a blogger for her university this past fall, and they paid her! So now she will have a permanent record of both her study abroad terms.
I am only familiar with boarding school students who do junior year abroad with SYA (School Year Abroad).
Easy adjustment for almost all students. Several girls had to change host homes because of overly flirtatious hosts.
I did SYA 25 years ago when it was still in Barcelona. I would suggest looking for conversational Spanish opportunities to practice speaking between now and then. I as a good Spanish student, but It took me about 2 months to really feel fluent with my family. I was there for an entire school year. Since she will be there for a shorter time it will be important to be more comfortable conversationally early-on.
My son was an exchange student in Madrid in 9th grade. It was only 8 weeks, and was a home stay (he went to school with his “host brother” at their local school). It was an amazing experience and changed his life. We still keep in touch with the family. He learned so much, got to try new foods, gained in confidence and maturity… it was great.