Study Abroad Blog

Connie Marianacci: Study Abroad, My Life Motto

How in the world did I end up living my entire life as an exchange student? I am not sure, but  truth is, it has been enriching, I have learned more about myself than ever before and I have learned to communicate and understand others in many different ways.  I have friends from all over the world and during my last birthday, I had friend say “Happy Birthday” in 10 different languages.

I am originally from Argentina even though I often don’t feel that I come from there anymore.  I will never forget my first week of class at Permian High in Odessa, Texas and then one of my classmates asked me where I was from and I said Argentina.  His reply was “Argentina in Texas??” I wasn’t really sure how to react at that point…  

Meet 'Pink Pangea: The First Online Community for Women Travelers'

AmeriSpan likes to keep up with the latest trends in travel resources and blogs, and we know that our students, primarily those who are female, like to travel safely.  So when Pink Pangea came to us looking to recruit female bloggers who have experienced volunteering in another country, we knew it would be beneficial to share with you!

Pink Pangea allows women on location to blog about their experiences and share with other women unique places to go and things to do that are relevant to a female audience.  For example, some of the site's recent blog posts are called "Searching for Parisian Style on a Budget," "Peace on the Horizon in the Himalayas," and "The Many Faces of South Africa," to name a few.

Please contact the site to contribute, and remember that AmeriSpan offers discounts for bloggers!

To discover this great new site for yourself, check out www.PinkPangea.com

To find out how to receive a Blogger discount from AmeriSpan, visit AmeriSpan's Specials Page

Meet the School: AmeriSpan's partner schools in Argentina

Enrique Helmbrecht is the founder and director of AmeriSpan's partner schools in Argentina, COINED. The school locations in Argentina are: Bariloche, Buenos Aires, Cordoba, and Mendoza. In this interview, we spoke with Enrique about his life, work, and perspective. 

What is your background?
I'm a lawyer, and I had a law firm with an excellent reputation. I had 40 employees and many clients - many of which were banks. However, that is in the past and my passion is now helping people learn new languages and cultures.

How and why did you get into the Study Abroad market?
I have always been interested in study abroad but never really considered it as a career until I went on a trip to Germany with a client from Chile. He was a businessman who had to go to sign some things for a business and I went with him as a lawyer. I saw the challenges he encountered in a new country with a different language and culture. 

Study Abroad in the World's Best Countries

Newsweek recently published a study of health, education, economy, and politics to rank the world's top countries. Go to Newsweek's Interactive Map. 

How do AmeriSpan's study abroad locations stack up?

Overall
#2 Switzerland: Overall, if you would like to experience the country that ranks #2 on Newsweek's list, study abroad in Switzerland. With a 99% literacy rate, Switzerland ranks 6th in the world in education, and they rank 2nd in health with an average lifespan of 75 years. Switzerland has low unemployment, excellent environmental health, and is fairly gender-equal, all of which help it to rank 2nd in quality of life. Switzerland also ranks 7th in economic dynamism, and 11th politically.

   
In Switzerland, AmeriSpan offers French in Montreux, Italian in Lugano, and even a teenager summer camp in Leysin (French).  

Study Spanish in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

Itching to study Spanish at a location in Mexico that's safe and tourist-friendly but isn't an uncomfortably flashy beach resort town?  Then San Miguel de Allende may be just the spot for you!

Specials Update!

AmeriSpan is still reeling from the excitement of Spain's victory in the World Cup, and we're celebrating by knocking down program costs in select Spain locations over the next few weeks!  We've also added a few new specials and renewed some others (keep in mind that we have permanent discounts for bloggers, groups, students, and Facebook Fans!).  Here's a refresher of all our current location-specific "Recession Proof" deals:

• Spain World Cup Celebration - Save $49/week: Some people experience Spring Fever but it is different for AmeriSpan.  We catch Spain Fever! Save $49/week when you register for AmeriSpan Spain programs in Alicante, Barcelona, Granada, Madrid, Marbella, Salamanca, Sevilla, Tenerife and Valencia.  You must register by August 15, 2010 and use discount code "World Cup" when registering to receive the discount. The maximum discount on this offer is $350! Offer not valid for Teenager Summer programs.
  
• Jordan Special - Save $15: Save $150 when you register for a 4 week or longer program and start by the end of 2010 in Amman, Jordan  You must register by August 31, 2010 and use discount code "Jordan Special" when registering to receive the discount.
  
  
• Volunteer & Internship Offer: Save $150 when you register for any AmeriSpan Volunteer or Internship program in Central America (Costa Rica, Guatuemala, Nicaragua or Honduras).  You must register by August 15, 2010 and use discount code "Work in Central America" when registering to receive the discount.
  
• Free Week Classes in Quito (Value $165): Free week of group classes or $165 off any Quito language, Part-time Volunteer, Full-time Volunteer or Fun program and take at least 2 weeks or longer of group classes and complete your program in 2010. You must register by August 15, 2010 and use discount code "Quito Special" when registering to receive the discount.
  
• $250 off Quebec City French Program: Take $250 off when you register for a Quebec City program for 4 weeks or more during June, July or August. You must start your courses before end of August and use discount code "Quebec Offer" when registering to receive the discount.
  
  
• Save 15% in Panama City, Programs: Save 15% when you register for any Panama City language program 3 weeks or longer, and complete the program in 2010. You must register by August 15, 2010 and use discount code "Panama City Special" when registering to receive the discount.
  
• Guatemala Special - Save $150: Save $150 when you register for any Antigua program starting on any date AND for 3 weeks or longer.  You must register by August 15, 2010 and use discount code "Antigua-150" when registering to receive the discount.
  

To see AmeriSpan's specials, contests, and discounts at any given time, check out our Facebook page or visit our Specials Page.

Free Spanish for Critical Social Service Professionals!

Are you in the medical, law enforcement, school teaching, social work or ministerial fields? 

Do you need to learn Spanish or expand your Spanish language skills?

AmeriSpan Study Abroad has partnered once again with Bilingual America to offer a very special, high quality Spanish program for free to qualified participants. If you are in the medical, law enforcement, school teaching, social work or ministerial fields you can get Bilingual America's Basic to Expert Level Spanish Power course at no charge through The Claro Initiative. The Claro Initiative is a community service initiative to provide Spanish training to critical social service professionals at no charge. Spanish Power is considered the most comprehensive and results-driven Spanish training program in the country by many people and we encourage you to take advantage of this amazing opportunity. By the way, if you don't qualify but know someone who does, send them the link below so they can benefit.

Click or share this link to read more about this offer and request admittance to the free Spanish Power course here: https://bilingualamerica.infusionsoft.com/go/claro/immer$$ab/

Homestay and Host Family FAQs

Living with native speakers is an unequivocally educational part of the language immersion process, and in some ways it can give you the best possible scope of your unfamiliar surroundings and language.  We here at AmeriSpan couldn't help but notice how excited our former students are about their homestay experiences, or how anxious our students-to-be are to find out as many details about their families as possible!  So, we want to share with you some very common questions and answers about our homestay arrangement process, and what you can expect!

College Semester/Year Abroad in Spain

A lot of people are not aware of the fact that they can save thousands of dollars on college tuition by spending a semester abroad!  Studying abroad has long been considered a luxury reserved for those lucky enough to have extraneous financial opportunity, but the reality is that tuition abroad is cheaper, and that many US colleges and advisors are willing to approve international credit!  Additionally, studying abroad for a semester or year is a phenomenal resume-builder, regardless of your major.  Courses are taught with international students in Spanish and/or English, and there are usually several elective options.  AmeriSpan now offers 4 College Study Abroad locations in Spain: Madrid, Granada, Barcelona UAB, and Barcelona BIC!

3 Reasons to Study Italian in Venice

1. It FLOATS!
You probably know that the watery streets of Venezia are gondola-accessible, but did you know that it is built on 117 small islands?  While visiting the city, you will have plenty of opportunities to take gondola rides and tours.  But be careful!  Venice's many twists and turns can result in getting lost fairly easily!  Many newcomers like to stay close by to the city's main thoroughfare, the Grand Canal.

Flooding in Brazil: Maceio is Safe!

Due to flooding close to Maceio, one of our Brazilian locations, we wanted to pass on an assuring message from our partner school:

"Everything is fine in Maceio, the biggest problem is in country side, in cities located more than 2 hours away. In Maceio was raining a lot, but didn’t flood where the school and host families are located. Today we have a beautiful sunny day!"

For information about studying at this location, see Portuguese in Maceio