Why did you decide to study with CEA?
Morgan: I decided to study abroad with CEA because they have a fantastic reputation. I had two of my friends study abroad before me, and both of them highly recommended CEA. I was looking at all of CEA’s programs and they had a wide variety of programs with flexible dates. I really liked that I could go through a program that would have programs in English. I mean I spoke Spanish when I was deciding but it helped relieve some of my anxiety knowing I could have classes in English if I wanted.
As far as the program fee, a lot of things were included and that impressed me. CEA took us on three excursions and one of them was to a place that I consider to be one of the most beautiful, natural creations on Earth. In addition to excursions, we had cultural events and dinners that were planned for us. I liked that CEA was affiliated with my university and that they had staff onsite. The onsite staff was amazing, and any question that I had they were very quick to answer!
What made this study abroad experience unique and special?
Morgan: I think a lot of what made my experience unique and special was the culture that I was immersed in. Going to Argentina, really opened my eyes to a whole new world. Things in South America are so much different than here in the United States. I learned so much about the rich Argentine culture and some of their traditions that really made it special. I would give anything to go and sip mate (mah-tay) with my host mother. Mate is Argentina’s national drink and everyone drinks it; which is just one of the unique customs that I had the opportunity to learn about. The history that happened in Buenos Aires also impacted me.
In essence, I think what really made my experience so special was that I was able to adopt this beautiful country, and its people and customs, for an entire four months. I fully intend to go back someday, and I am even considering living there after I graduate! I also had the opportunity to travel around South America and see places like Machu Picchu that I had only dreamed of going too.
How has this experience impacted your future?
Morgan: This experience has impacted my future in more ways than I can count. First off, I come from a very small hometown of only 4,000 people so going and living in a country where I had to learn things on my own and navigate big city streets really put me outside of my comfort zone; and gave me an enormous amount of self-confidence! I have made so many great friends from all over the United States, and I have already traveled to Boston to meet them since I have gotten back. It’s really nice having people like that to share such and impacting experience with.
Studying abroad has also given me the confidence to travel more; actually, I am tentatively planning a trip to South East Asia next January. If I hadn’t gone to Argentina, there is no way that I would even consider going to Asia. On a professional note, having a cultural experience like studying abroad really makes you more marketable to an employer. Employers love diversity and studying abroad is a great way to diversify yourself. Plus, my language skills increased tremendously and employers love that too!
Academically, I was able to take credits abroad and I didn’t get behind in my home university. The best part was that I got to pick what classes I took and I had an entire semester to take classes that only I was interested in. There are so many more ways to talk about how this experience impacted my future, but until you go yourself you will never know what I truly mean!