CIEE High School Summer Abroad

As my trip to Barcelona for the CIEE Spanish Language and Culture program approached, I was incredibly nervous. My only experience away from home had been at summer camps an hour away, and I had grown up seeing the same kids every summer. This trip would be totally out of my comfort zone – but I had no idea how much I needed to go.

The CIEE staff were super helpful and welcoming, and from Day 1 emphasized that we could contact them in the case of any emergency. I never needed to contact my Program Leader, but it was super reassuring to know that she was there for me 24/7. My host mom also made sure that I could reach her at all times – she was a single mom with a teenage daughter, and both of them went out of their way to ensure that my roommate and I had an incredible experience in Barcelona. Our family dinners every night were one of my favorite parts of the trip, where we would enjoy delicious food and strengthen our Spanish skills by talking about our day.

Although my roommate and I were placed in different Spanish classes (based on a test and an interview), we still spent tons of time together, and are best friends to this day. I really liked the other students in my class, and learned tons of Spanish daily, both from my Program Leader during our morning activity and from my teacher during afternoon classes. While my grammar and vocabulary improved during the afternoon, my appreciation for Spanish culture increased each morning. Whether we were taking a flamenco class, touring gorgeous Gaudi houses, or walking through historic neighborhoods, I always was able to try something new and have fun with my friends. Getting to meet new people was also a highlight of my trip. CIEE students came from across the country, but we all found shared interests to connect over, whether it was a love of thrifting or a desire to see as many museums as possible.

Now that I'm home, not only has my Spanish improved enough that I was moved from Level 3 to AP Spanish, but I also feel more confident and excited to try new activities and experiences. I'm still in touch with many of my friends from CIEE as well as my host family, and am planning on meeting up with my roommate during our Spring Break, and potentially seeing more friends when I travel during the summer as well.

I went on the three-week multi-site summer abroad program, and it was one of the best decisions I made. I feel like I grown extremely independent and flexible in all the amazing, weird, and quirky things that happened on this trip. The combination of a small program and amazing program leaders allowed for an experience I will remember for years to come. I wouldn't completely recommend other programs simply because of how amazing this program was. From the three amazing destinations and amazing food you will always be able to find what you are looking for. Definitely recommend.

The program I attended with CIEE was the French Language and Culture Program in Toulouse, France from July 11 to August 7, 2021. I did this the summer before my junior year. This was the first time I had ever studied abroad as well as been to France and the CIEE team organized the program flawlessly from my group flight from Atlanta to the time the program ended. My excitement overweighed my nervousness as I was eager to begin exploring France having studied for over 10 years. I would recommend this to anyone.

If you find yourself wondering if traveling abroad with CIEE is for you, my advice is to go for it. It's difficult to describe just how incredible my experience has been studying abroad in Roma, Italy. The staff is so supportive and I've formed very close bonds with the other students. It has truly been an unforgettable experience that has encouraged me to step out of my comfort zone and grow so much as a person. I'm so grateful to have had this experience and to have met these wonderful people.

I went on a CIEE High School Summer Abroad trip (HSSA) and it was amazing. Exploring Rome thru the Arts 2021. Writing as a upcoming Junior who has just completed her trip, I can say that this was truly the best experience of my life. Going into this trip, I had been looking forward to it for months and months. Just like that it rolled around and suddenly, I was with 20 kids I had never met before. At first I'm sure most of us were anxious to how we would be like. But within the first week we all clicked, all of us genuinely got together so well and began to embark on experiences we never would have had otherwise. The activities and little moments we had every single day made it feel unreal. Being able to witness the ceilings of the Vatican, roaming Tivoli's villa gardens... We laughed, even cried. I could not have asked for a better group to be with. The program itself was great, structured time for our course, and free time in the city. We explored new culture, people, food, language, in every sense. I was too busy and having too much fun to be homesick so that's a plus. By the time we were all content and starting to really take in everything, the program had ended. In the end, I was actually heartbroken and devastated to leave my new friends and the beautiful city of Rome. I know we will meet again someday and I will see Rome again, but CIEE made such a wonderful program there that has given me some of the most life changing experiences I will ever have. 100/100 recommend. Amazing staff on my program, I thank CIEE for giving me this opportunity. I would recommend students to apply for scholarships even if you don't think you will get one, it helped me a lot. Again, thank you to the outstanding support on CIEE's part but mostly thank you to all the students on this program with me! You've made it truly unforgettable. <3

Sincerely, Julia Sogol Alamdar

The program was amazing. Nothing to say here. The family experience was where most of my learning and growth happened. Of course it depends on how you spent time with family, but I personally ensured that we stayed in the target language, Italian, for most of the time with rare exceptions. I learned a little more about Italian culture and their norms as well as a significant language boost which the classroom could never provide. I took 2 trips with my host family outside Ferrara, and a couple times we went out within Ferrara to the movies or something else. The classroom was great. My teacher was very kind, and not strict at all like the program staff. The projects we did and their presentations helped me learn as well. But to be completely honest, I expected the classroom to benefit me more than it did. The family experience turned out to be much more effective than the class. Then there were the weekend trips and after school activities with CIEE. We got to tour a theater, make pizza, make pasta, learn to sing, learn photography, etc. All those activities may not have necessarily helped with learning the language, but rather they helped learn the culture. They were all very fun and entertaining so I'm glad they were there. The 2 weekend trips to Venice and San Marino were also very good. We had a lot of free time there to roam with friends and enjoy sight seeing, as well as some shopping. I only have two criticisms for this program. 1. The missions in the street- They were these activities where we had to approach strangers in Ferrara and ask them questions and have a conversation. Most of them turned out very awkward and I ended up faking all the ones for the last week. It seems like a good idea but in practice it just puts students into uncomfortable scenarios. Perhaps it may work with a few tweaks. 2. Program leaders - They seemed nice at first but there were moments where they acted very unfair and unreasonable. They are biased towards certain students, and don't give chances for behavioral improvement. Basically, if they see something negative in you the first day, you are going to have a bad experience with them for the rest of the program. I personally was on their good side but I still noticed how unreasonable they can be at times, sometimes on a very small but irritating scale. For example, I didn't do an assignment along with 7 other people because there was a misunderstanding on the due date. They ended up pulling me out mid way through a movie we were watching to make it up. I feel like that was a little unfair. There was also a point where we were buying water and the program leaders told us to leave the store just as we were about to pay for it because apparently we had to go. We have to put the water back and upon exiting the store, we took a few steps away and stood there with the rest of the group doing nothing for 10 minutes while they figured stuff out. We could have bought water and it wouldn't hurt anyone. The program leaders also cancelled the third weekend trip because of rain and the rain never happened. Felt like they were simply lazy to go and jumped at the first excuse. There were many other much worse examples that happened with other students though like I said, I kept to their good side. My opinion on this program overall is that CIEE puts you through an amazing immersive experience, but the program leaders break some of that immersion.

Going to Peru for a month is by far one of my best experiences. I enjoyed myself on this trip. At first, it was very difficult because it was a new environment and everyone spoke to me only in Spanish: the teachers, my host family, everyone. I always wanted to become fluent in Spanish, so this was helpful for me to have this immersion. My favorite experience was when I went to Machu Picchu. The scenery was amazing and the town was even better. My friends and I had pizza at a restaurant, then we listened to some music in the main plaza. Another thing that I loved was my host family. They were so kind and spent a lot of time with me and my roommate. I genuinely feel that my Spanish has improved living in Peru. I recommend this program to anyone who is interested in expanding their horizons and learning the Spanish language.

I choose to study abroad with CIEE because I wanted to get outside of my comfort zone; I’m generally shy and quiet but I love animals. At the beginning of my program I didn’t know anyone but by the end I had made so many amazing friends along the way, and I still keep in touch with most of them. The program leaders were fabulous and so much fun to be around (I was room mates with one). The excursions you do on this trip were so incredible and absolutely life changing. Seeing the animals on T.V. Or in zoo is okay but going out into the wild and seeing them in person was such a surreal experience. For those of you who are thinking about going abroad I highly recommend doing so; you will regret it if you don’t. If you are one of those people who love animals, loves helping them and learning about them, making a difference and isn’t afraid to get on you hands and knees; this is the program for you.