CIEE Gap Program Seville

I’m really glad I went on my CIEE program. Although it wasn’t without challenge, I look back on it as a positive experience. My first host family and I were not compatible and I ended up asking to switch host families. CIEE made the process really easy and alleviated a lot of my stress about switching. My advice is that if you have an inkling that you are not compatible with your family then you should tell the program as soon as possible. Even if you don’t switch or want to switch they can put your feelings into context (maybe it’s a matter of culture clash rather than a particular family) and help you decide what to do next. Once I switched host families my experience drastically improved. I loved my host family, made a lot of really close friends and had a ton of fun. I feel that because I faced certain challenges abroad, away from my family, in a different language and culture, those same challenges seem much less daunting now that I’m back in the US.