CIEE High School Summer Abroad

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.

I wasn't sure what I was expecting, but I know for a fact that I wasn't expecting it to be like that. I admit, the beginning was tough. I didn't feel like I fit in with the other participants, I wasn't used to cold showers and bugs in my room and sheets that would never stay in place, I was bored out of my mind during orientation, and I had no idea children were so exhausting and journal entries were so hard to write. I admit, I felt like I didn't belong. I felt a little like a small stain in this country that wasn't mine in the first place. But those challenges are what helped me grow the most. And I think(hope), I've become a much better person because of it. I feel more confident, more comfortable in conversation, more appreciative of things I didn't see before, more flexible, more motivated, more at peace with myself. And those are things that would've taken me a lot longer than 3 weeks had I not gone on that trip-- frankly, some of those things never would've happened had I not gone on that trip. And I am so thankful I did. Ghana was beautiful and good to me and I miss her already.

I had my doubts when sending my teenage son to another country but I have to say that CIEE exceeded by far my expectations. The communication with the coordinators was wonderful and they guide me trough every step of the way. The chaperones made me feel immediately comfortable and I was able to live my son's experience by reading and seeing the pictures they were posting on the blog.

My son couldn't be happier with his host family, the food, excursions and the culture in general. Seriously, CIEE thought of everything to make his trip a great experience.

His Italian improved greatly, he made tons of friends, was introduced to new variety of foods and I, myself made friends with the hosting family and can't wait to meet them in person.

I would strongly recommend studying abroad with CIEE.

My program in Valparaíso, Chile, recently ended and I am returning to the United States where I live (unfortunately). First of all, let me say that this program is absolutely amazing, but it still has its pros and cons. When I began my journey, I received nothing less than support from on-site staff, program leaders, and language teachers. I do not recall any bad experience with them and I will miss them as much as I will miss the destination itself. They were all very nice, respectful, and helpful. My host family and host sibling placement was amazing. I got along well with them and the only problem I had was with the bathroom in the house breaking and a slight invasion of ants into the hallway (which is out of control of anyone). The activities in this program are almost always enjoyable. There is a lot of walking, and viewing street art and museums, which can be boring if you aren't into that. The larger weekend trips (one of which was overnight) were amazing. One problem with being so busy is just how tired you will get. The projects and journals for class are also required and very time consuming. You must be prepared to be going and doing all the time, and you will have fun on this trip!

The program I attended was a massively beneficial experience. The program leaders were always there to check up on me and my peers, making sure everybody was well and good. The support was staggering, there was so much. The experience was so enriching, the excursions were so fun, and the food so good. CIEE is genuinely concerned for their participants and that shows through their constant questions and check ups on their students. The program was great and so enriching and life-changing.

To be completely honest, I was very scared and nervous going into this trip. I didn't know what to expect at all! My first week transitioning was a little hard because everyone was a little scared of opening up to all of these strangers. By the second week, however, I realized that I had been with the most amazing people who share a common interest with me and I became great friends with all of them to this day. The leaders of the trip were so nice and helpful throughout the entire trip but knew when to be strict with us for our safety. Living in Portugal for three weeks was an experience I will never forget. The culture and history was absolutely amazing (as well as eye opening to all of the differences between two countries) and the beautiful streets, buildings, and nature was the cherry on top. Every day there were activities on the itinerary as well as an hour or so of leisure time where you can roam around anywhere you want with a couple of buddies. That was probably the highlight of the trip since you can truly get firsthand experience with the country. Not to mention I learned so much about aquatic ecosystems and sustainability while on this trip that carried into my following years of education. I will always remember this trip and I will always recommend CIEE to anyone planning on studying abroad!