Program Reviews

I went on The Experiment in International Living's trip to Italy this past July and it was an incredibly unique and exciting experience. I got to see new places and experience new things all while learning about Italian culture and cuisines and connecting with the other kids in my group along the way. The in country partners and individual group leaders were amazing and really helped the trip go smoothly. Overall it was a very positive experience and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to really get a feel for many of the different parts of Italy.

This was undoubtedly one of the best experiences of my young life. The whole application was extremely easy and the team was amazing. I got to visit places I could never imagine and meet incredible people. Honestly, I didn't want to leave. Going to Granada and Guadix gave contrasting yet starking experiences of spanish life. The people I met in spain are some of the most amazing and inspiring I have ever met and I am still in contact with many even now. Throughout the trip I also got assilamed into spanish culture. My spanish is hundreds of times better now than it was before and I can now confirm that siestas are amazing.

The first half of the trip involved our group going to the cities of Madrid, Toledo, and Granada. We spent a few days in Madrid getting orientated and meeting our amazing guides from CELEI. We ate some typical spanish meals and toured the city. Next we went to the historic city of Toledo which is one of the most beautiful cities I've ever seen. We wandered around the city and saw the cathedral which was stunning. after leaving Toledo we went to Granada which is where we were for two weeks. There we met local kids and did all kinds of activities in the city. We saw the ancient alhambra and went to a flamenco show among other things. We also took part in interactive spanish lessons where we would go one the street and learn spanish first hand.

After taking day trips to Cordoba to see the cathedral-mosque which was one of the highlights of the trip, we went to guadix where we took flamenco lessons along with spanish cooking and pottery lessons all in spanish. In guadix we spent a ton of time with the local kids and went out to the city for food or to play soccer a lot. In guadix the focus was much more about Spanish culture and we spent more time exploring culinary and home life aspects. We even spent a day with a spanish family.

As a whole it was an amazing experience and one I will never forget and I thank the people at the experiment as well as the amazing teachers and guides at CELEI. I would highly recommend this program for someone looking to have an immersive experience in spain.

By far the best experience I have ever had the privilege of being apart of. Not only did I gain a better ability to speak Spanish and experience another culture, but I also was gifted 5+ absolutely amazing role models, who opened my mind and altered my ways of thinking for the better. We visited the most beautiful cities and sights: Madrid, Toledo, Granada, Guadix, Cordoba, Castril, and the beautiful Alhambra palace and fortress. There was definitely a lot of walking, which I enjoyed; In Granada, most of the neighborhood streets are paved in river rock and the architecture is stunning, the 100+ years old stone walls, the archways, and homes, everything was absolutely breathtaking. Our residence had the most beautiful view of the Alhambra. While in Granada we went to school, both teachers were absolute delights, they were understanding, funny, and really cared about our educations and well beings, Im really grateful I was able to meet them. During our stay in Granada we did many activities: our guides took us on a graffiti tour of the neighborhood ( the artwork was skillful and beautifully crafted, the locals admired the murals greatly), we walked up to a gorgeous viewpoint to watch the sunset over the entire city, hiked a mountain path to overlook the landscape and get to know some of the local teens, traveled to the river to have a survival skills class, visited the Alhambra and toured the grounds with an amazing and knowledgeable tour guide, visited multiple Cathedrals, and roamed the neighborhood and shops.

While Granada was packed with adventure, Guadix was equally great. Our activities included Flamenco, Art, Cooking, and Ceramics classes, we spent our days with local teens from the area, whether we were swimming,on the trampoline, playing connect four or uno, or just hanging out, we were always making new friends and getting to know each other. Due to Covid-19 we were unable to have host families, but we did each go with our friend/s to their homes and spent the day with them and their families. On the last day of our stay in Guadix we all participated in a talent show for the residents living where we were staying, there was skits, dancing, and music.

While on this trip I made some amazing friends and even more amazing role models, people who truly wanted to help others and see change in their communities. We were taught to "Act Local, Think Global" when it comes to making a change in our communities. I left this trip with a completely different mindset than I had come with. I have truly grown so much as a person because of this trip and I could not be more thankful to The Experiment for allowing me to experience something I never thought I could.

My time in Spain was truly life changing. I learned so much about an amazing, culture rich country, about what life is like for kids my age there, and about myself. The Spanish classes I took were unlike any others I had ever taken. I found them particularly helpful because we were building our vocabulary while also discussing things such as the history, government, and society of Spain. I definitely felt my Spanish vocabulary and comfort level speaking it increase, and it has even more since I've continued to practice it. I also made so many great friends along the way. The other Americans I traveled with and I became such a close knit group and we still continue to talk every day. In addition to them, the groups of Spanish kids we met there have become some of my best friends. I think one thing that made the experience so unique was being able to not only learn from them about their lives, but also to teach them about us and help them speak English while they helped us speak Spanish. The trip taught me more about my likes, dislikes, what I can actually do when pushed outside of my comfort zone, and as soon as I visited Granada, I knew I had to go back there. Because of the trip, I have decided I want to do a year abroad of college at the University of Granada, where one of my wonderful group leaders did the same. The Experiment in International Living was a life changing experience that I think more people should try.

This summer I studied abroad in Switzerland about global health and humanitarian actions. It was definitely one of a kind experience. I had the opportunity to make new friends and get to know people from all over the U.S. I am very happy that I was able to excel and expand my knowledge about humanitarian roles and how they help and change lives. One of my favorite learning opportunities was when we went to the International Red Cross Museum. It was a very touching experience that I will never forget. We got to do these activities because of Alexandre Lebert and our teacher Clair. They did everything in their power to show us the beauty of Switzerland. I felt very honored to be invited into a different culture for a month. We also had the opportunities to do excursions such as hiking with Saint Bernards, taking a gondola to Matterhorn, and being able to try fondue and cheese which was delicious. I strongly recommend joining this program and get to experience what I learned. As a high school student, taking the opportunity to go to Switzerland with the experiment was one of the best decisions I have ever made. I would have never known that by the age of 16 I would have traveled across the sea and gotten to the beauties of Switzerland.

This summer I went with the experiment to Spain. I had a lot of fun with my experiment group, and made what I believe to be long lasting friendships. I was very immersed in the Spanish culture, and was able to learn the Spanish language as well. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who is worried about leaving the country without any guidance. It’s also great for people who do not have the means/experience to travel on their own or with family. It is a fantastic first step for seeing the world.

Participating in The Experiment and being able to go to Ghana allowed me to fully immerse myself in Ghanaian culture and learn a lot more about it. I was able to gain insight into the contemporary art culture in Ghana, and how the history of Ghana including the various ethnic groups and the Transatlantic slave trade impacted current Ghanaian art and culture. My program also included an internship, where I interned at Untamed Empire, an organization dedicated to spotlighting up-and-coming Ghanaian artists. Getting first-hand experience in another country was incredibly informative. My favorite part of the trip was probably getting to explore different cities in Ghana, including Accra, Cape Coast, and Kumasi, and diversifying my perception of Ghana as a whole rather than being confined to just one city through the whole trip. The program leaders was also very welcoming and helped me feel at home in country. I think the only downside to this program was that I wasn't able to do a homestay because of Covid restrictions, but other than that it was amazing! I'd definitely recommend this program for anyone who wants to do an international summer program!

I loved how genuine the participants were. They were all so open to share their views and hear the views of other people. Every participant was so nice, and I am so happy to have been able to participate in this program. I also love the enriching content. I truly feel more empowered to evoke change in my community. The program allows students to think about what issues they face in their community, and they pushed us to really evaluate what we could do to help it. With this, I have a community service project that I would love to implement in my community!

It was a great experience for me, I got to know people from all over the world and share my ideas with them, that really had a great feeling. I learned a lot of things about being a leader and having a good effect on my community.
The only problem I faced is when using some of the digital tools like Padlet, it was glitching a lot and that prevented me from completing my activities in time.
I recommend this program for everyone who is interested in solving problems in their community or becoming a leader.

I learned a lot of stuff in this program about leadership, SWOT analysis, different cultures, issues in different communities. We discussed stereotypes. We brainstormed solutions together via slack and family dialogues. The virtual homestay was one of the most fascinating experiences in the program because I had a conversation with my sibling about our countries, issues in our communities, knew the similarities and differences between our communities. The facilitators were so cooperative. I also learned about the SMART goal and action plan timeline. Coming up with a solution that solves one of my community issues.