Study Abroad Programs Blog

Weekend in Valencia

By Kent Truckor - Guest Blogger studying in Spain

I have started my second week of classes and things are going well. I continue to meet individuals from various countries, which is excellent. In my class, there are students from China, Turkey, Austria, France, Belgium, England, and Hungary. It is a fun environment because everyone is going through the same thing of the battle of learning a new language. The past weekend was good, Valencia held the 4th meeting of The Catholic Families of the World and Pope Benedict the 16th was in town. Two of my friends and myself checked out some of the events that took place and the weather was nice for it as well. The majority of the event took place at Santiago Calatravas Campus for the Arts and Sciences which is truly amazing (check it out online to see for yourself or better yet come to Valencia to see it in person!) The streets were filled with the symphony playing music for the event and the night ended with fireworks. I was able to see more of the city this past weekend and have found that the center of the city is very beautiful with all of the old winding streets, buildings, fountains, and statutes that you would hope or expect to see in an older European city. Up to this point the experience has been terrific and I look forward to gaining a stronger grasp of the language in the weeks to come. Adios!

The Importance of Packing Right

By Bradley Rehak- Guest Blogger studying in Ecuador

Packing is the most important part of travel and study abroad. This may sound surprising, but keep in mind that I said "most important", not "most interesting" or "most exciting". How well you pack can have a profound effect upon your entire trip; for example, if I forget my diving license, then I won't be able to dive. A forgotten passport might mean days of intense negotiations with the local consulate or embassy—maybe even expulsion from the country. Most people don't forget such major things; however, less obvious items can easily be overlooked. I've just finished packing for 8 weeks in Ecuador, and as a somewhat veteran traveler, I am wise enough to know that I have forgotten something important. The key is to always forget those objects, which can be readily and inexpensively acquired wherever you're going to be. For this reason, I always start and end by listing in my head—and then laying out on my bed—what I don't want to have to buy again: shoes, pants, watches, sleeping bags (on some trips), cameras, etc—the need to repurchase such things might mean not being able to afford a weekend trip to a national park. The next step is to consider those objects, which might be difficult to obtain, or even unavailable, such as glasses (prescription sunglasses?), prescriptions (Allegra, antibiotics for traveler's diarrhea) and gym shorts (in some countries people just don't wear them, or exercise). Finally, I consider items that the average traveler doesn't carry, but which I have come to use and appreciate: green tea, a pocket electronic dictionary and a reading light, for example. Having completed all of the above, I am generally certain that I haven't forgotten anything that will damage my trip or my wallet excessively. To finish all I have to do is: pack. As a soldier, I very much appreciate a tight and organized packing job, so in a very anal retentive manner I roll all of my socks, underwear, towels—and shirts, if I'm running out of room. This saves an incredible amount of space, meaning I can bring Frisbees, video games and other items that probably wouldn't fit otherwise (and that are important to my entertainment, usually). And I always leave plenty of empty space when I'm departing the States, because if there is one rule more true than that I will forget something, it's that I will always return home with twice as much gear as I left with: I'm going to have to cram it all in somehow.

Arriving to Valencia

By Kent Truckor - Guest Blogger studdying in Spain

I write you after spending three days in Valencia and I must admit I have not done a great job of seeing the city - it is good size eh. The classes are good and the instructors are very good. As time progresses I have gotten better at speaking with my madre, although it is still an act that demands patience, more from her than me.

One of the things that I find exciting is that the class that I am in now there are students from China, France, Belgium and Russia. The entire school is this diverse, which makes it a great environment to learn in and outside of the classroom. Everyone is here it seems to achieve the same goal of strengthening there Spanish skills as well as experience the culture which makes it great. I must admit that it is an uphill road in learning a new language but the rewards of doing so are innumerable.

From what I have experienced everyone carries a story and it is nice to be able to communicate with people in order to hear their's. This is one of my strongest ambitions in learning a new language and I would recommend to other if they have even a slight interest to give study abroad a look. All for now, I must go to mi casa for dinner.

A few days later....

Things are going very well - it should be know that learning a new language is very demanding on the mind :) However, it is very fulfilling to be able to communicate with peoples of different backgrounds. The school is great; I love the diversity. The other day I played cards with four girls from Turkey and two guys from China. It is great because we all have a unified purpose of learning Spanish.

My homestay is going well. My Spanish mom, Carmen, is a very good cook and is patient with a gringo learning the language. Valencia will be very busy this weekend because Pope Benedicto is coming to town - something exciting for me because I am Catholic and it is rare opportunity. Tomorrow, two of my friends from school and I will go out and see what he is up to :)

Valencia is very warm this year but not outrageous, it is a nice city with a nice beach - I hope to see much more of it in the days to come.

Tonight, I was able to communicate with Carmen at the dinner table and we had a conversation, which was pretty incredible because I have only been here for 6 days and my Spanish knowledge was minimal coming here. Study abroad is going well - so far so good.

My Last Night in Costa Rica

By Laura Miller - Guest Blogger studying in Costa Rica

Hello!

So it is almost the last night I will be here in lovely Costa Rica! I promise to return bronze and speaking Spanish (well probably not at all fluently, but I think I can hold my own for about 5 minutes). I am excited to come home and see you all! I am going to my last day of school tomorrow, then this silly little graduation they have for us students. Then for a ride on a public bus for 5 hours to the capital city of San Jose. In San Jose we are really excited to stay at a Hampden Inn (with warm showers, no bugs, and a free continental breakfast in the morning! Could I be any more excited!!) Oh wait I can be more excited! Because we are also going to eat at Denny's Friday night. So when I return I hope to talk to you all and share pictures and stories, and listen to how you have been for the month I have been gone! I feel like I have been gone for so long and that so much has happened while I was not here!

Love

Laura

Travel Abroad

Not just for Young Ones! - By Alexa Boyce Did you know that over 50% of AmeriSpan's participants are over the age of 35? And about 20% are over the age of 55. Many people associate our programs with college students, because of the high numbers of students who participate in study abroad programs. We do get our share of college students, but that is certainly not the only age group for our programs. Most program locations participants average age is on average anywhere between 25 and 35. Language immersion can be a great way for people of all ages to experience another culture, learn a new language quickly, and meet interesting people from all over the world. Learning a new language can be a fun and interesting way to bond with children, grandchildren or other family members. A recent article on seniorjournal.com termed it "grandtravel" and said that 80% of grandparents surveyed thought that traveling with youngsters was a great way to go. By taking them on a language immersion trip, you can open their minds and accompany them on a life-changing vacation. If some of our mature travelers are not comfortable staying with host families, many of our locations offer accommodation in student residences and student apartments. Tamarindo, Costa Rica also offers a premium residence upgrade for those used to more "creature comforts". In any type of lodging, couples or families traveling together can usually be accommodated if registering with enough notice. Many locations also offer special activities that may interest the older crowd. "Birding" is a popular and fascinating hobby, and the birds of Costa Rica are often rare and beautiful. There are so many different species of birds, in fact, that the ticos say they make up for the country's lack of an army! We also offer specialty classes including tango, flamenco or samba lessons, wine tasting, cooking and more. For interesting Spanish programs in Latin America, check out this.

Study in Costa Rica

By Laura Miller - Guest blogger traveling in Costa Rica. Well I am in week 4 of Costa Rica and still loving it. I have had so much free time to sit and read and relax (a foreign word to me, perhaps why I had to come to a foreign country to learn how to relax). This has been a super mellow week. Not to many crazy stories to share. My basic routine is wake up, eat some sort of breakfast, then head to class or the beach. I think when I return I will not be able to handle the fast paced life I once led! Actually my latest adventure involved the adventure with breakfast. Yesterday I sat there with my coffee awaiting breakfast (and feeling like a helpless child who cant feed themselves) and turns out we were out of regular milk. So once again, off Cristina (my Costa Rican mom) goes to get lovely thick warm milk straight from the cow. Oh the pleasures of living on a farm! I mean really though, who has back up milk straight from a cow? Oh I miss The United States! And cold milk from a bottle! I also miss fast internet, feeling clean for an entire day and warm showers, but despite that it is fun here! Well that is all for now! How is everyone doing?

My Last day in Cusco

By Tina Lin - Guest blogger traveling in Peru. Today was the last day for me to shop. I left the house at 9am on the quest to buy lots of souvenirs and alpaca goods. First stop was Mercado Artesanal or Mercado Rojo. Everything was irresistibly beautiful and unique. I cannot help but wonder into these cute shops and chat with each vendor. After buying many things, I walked to Plaza de Armas. I wanted to take a panoramic picture of this gorgeous plaza and its fountain. I am especially emotional and introspective today. The guide book to Peru was right. Cusco is such a lovely place that once you lived here, it is hard to leave. I continued to walk toward San Blas in the quest for quartz and crystals. My mom believes that crystals can bring positive energy to our house. I have been putting off my shopping list until now. With some luck, I found a lady by the street with a small collection of crystals. I bought some from her and made sure to write down the name of each and their uses. On my way back to Plaza de Armas, a woman tried to ask if I wanted a massage. To be polite, I asked her how much it would cost and it turned out to be very cheap in US standards. I thought it would probably be a long time before I can have another Incan full-body massage. So, I walked into the nice and cozy room for a half hour of massage. This is the first time in my life getting a somewhat professional massage. It was blissful. I wanted more after the half hour if only she had asked. Afterwards, I went to Mercado San Pedro to buy some flowers because it is the my host dad's birthday tomorrow. In the afternoon, I went to my last day of class. Laura (our instructor this week) took us to a curandera at Huasao. We took a cambi bus to Huasao (it only costed 1 sol). Huasao looked like countryside in comparison to Cusco. We saw a hen walking with her 6 chicks on the street. As a rule, we would have to each buy our own coca leaves to be read. Then, the curandera picked out the leaves he wanted to use, asked for my name, then started to drop 3 to 4 leaves on the table at a time. He told me that my travel plans may change in the near future. Also, he mentioned that I will not have a love life for five years because of my studies. It is very interesting to see how the leaves were read and listen to my other classmate's fortunes. After coming back to the school, we had 45 minutes of class on future tense. After school, it was hard to say goodbye to everyone. I hope I will come back to Cusco again in the future.