What led you to participate in this program?

Ivan: What led me to participate in Greenheart Travel's Paris summer program, was my interest in French history, language and culture. Also, I just wanted a new type of vacation.

During the summer I am usually never home, but I always end up visiting the same country and/or cities. I knew it was time to put my newly learned French and independence in action.

A lot of high school students will just fly through their French class and not even get to use their newly found tool at use. I knew within myself that if I was not going to use my French out of school, I was practically losing my time.

So fully immersing myself in a French speaking country was the answer. When I came back to the states, It took a while to realize that I was not back in Europe, and that the language here was English!

What did you find most challenging?

Ivan: The most challenging part for me from my trip was being independent and responsible for myself. There was nobody that would come and wake you up, that was up to yourself. If you slept through your alarm, maybe your roommate would wake you up. But there is a slight chance that he/she already left.

So you would have to find your way to class. Also, the time zone difference really got to me. I live in California which is a ten hour time difference from Paris. Make sure to get your rest the night before, because our days were filled with learning and amazing excursions around la ville.

Also make sure to pack appropriate clothing! I learned the hard way and packed like if it was winter. I had to buy shirts and other clothing inorder to be comfortable. It is a good idea to check local weather before leaving for the airport!

Another essential on a trip overseas, is money! Everyday items or even food I noticed is way more expensive in Paris, than any other city I have visited.

What was the best moment of the trip?

Ivan: The best moment from when I stepped out the door of my house was the flight to Charles de Gaulle. On the plane I was realizing and reminiscing about how Paris was a reality.

Flying over the Atlantic ocean and watching the day turn to night and the night turn to dark was amazing. Who knew that the flight attendants and fellow passengers would speak French and engage in conversation with me.

Also, I was the very first person to arrive at camp. I was the first one to pick a bed, and unpack. My other favorite part of my trip was just having a conversation with others. I was able to learn about their home country and what it was like. Its like I was there.

We would talk for hours, because our countries are different we would never run out of things to talk about. Spending time with my new friends from Germany, Austria, Cyprus, Turkey, Greenland, England, Spain, Italy and roaming the city was really fun too. We would take silly pictures or even run into gift shops and start trying on berets.

If you could go back and do something differently, what would it be?

Ivan: Even though my friends and I would stay up late talking, or just roaming around the hallways of the residence.

If I could go back, I would have spent more time doing the camp-wide activities. It was a great time for bonding with everyone at camp and not just with your friends. Who knows, I could have probably made more friends.

Any tips for potential participants?

Ivan: For any of your who are considering doing this program... it's a must!! I cannot even express in text or in person how great my experience was. I know that if I could, I would do it all over again one million times.

If you have a passion for French culture, language, and the experience to meet new people, this program is perfect. It was fun, educational, surreal, and just amazing. I know that many people's parents first thought about sending their child out into the world is the concern about them being alone. Take it from my testimonial, I was never alone.

I always had a camp leader/advisor with me/group, and if we ever got to go our own direction we would use the buddy system. On our arrival you will receive a CCI information card with the companies main telephone phone number, and the camps headmaster incase of an emergency.

Did YOU study abroad?! If so, where and what inspired you to go?

Anna: While in university, I studied abroad in Valparaiso, Chile (not Indiana as my friends liked to joke!) My family is originally from Argentina so I initially had plans to study there instead; however, given the economic, political, and social situation at my intended time of travel, a family friend instead encouraged me to choose a safer option, such as Chile, for my study abroad experience. I was there for 5 months and I think it was the best decision I have ever made (as I would probably have never gone to Chile otherwise.) I'll get to Argentina someday!

So you haven't made the return trip to South America yet? Where have you been going in the meantime?

Anna: After graduating, I lived in France for a little while, where I attended a language school and did some volunteer work with a company out of Israel. I also did a lot of exploring! I went to Switzerland, and spent a few weeks in Turkey. I could rave about Turkey for hours - I had already done a bit of travel throughout the Middle East, mostly Jordan and Israel, but I was fascinated by this corner of Eurasia. Turkey's history, the physical geography, the people - it was stunning and all came together seamlessly in this beautiful country. You really feel like you're experiencing the past there. Its extraordinary.

What separates CCI from other study abroad program providers?

Anna: Greenheart Travel is the travel abroad department within our umbrella organization CCI, and most of our programs are available for high school students only. While we all been around for over 25 years, we formed Greenheart Travel about 5 years ago to highlight and emphasize our unique commitment to environmental action within study abroad. By incorporating the Greenheart Travel initiative into the CCI family, we give people a better idea of what kinds of programs students can get involved in, which ultimately emphasize a commitment to social and environmental projects as an integral part of study abroad. We also are unique in that we strongly encourage students to work in community-based volunteer or research projects while abroad. This makes Greenheart alum stand out in future college applications and job applications (beyond the fact that they have already shown initiative by studying abroad in high school!)

CCI also funds grant programs for volunteer projects. Right now, we recently funded an English book library in the country of Georgia; as there are few English books in Georgia yet a great demand for learning the language, we knew this project would be a worthwhile investment. It is projects like these that Greenheart Travel seeks to be a part of and contribute positively to.

What does the future hold for CCI? Any new programs on the docket?

Anna: We have new volunteer projects popping up in Asia - one in Nepal and another in Vietnam, and Greenheart Travel has our sights set on China! We're hoping also to create teaching partnerships in the coming years.

How interested are high school students in studying abroad?

Anna: Well, in the past year, 2000 US high school students studied abroad. This figure sounds like nothing when compared to the 30-40,000 international students who come from abroad to study in the US each year. I think there is a lot of interest from students but there are many hurdles to jump for study abroad - the biggest set back being the ability (or lack thereof) to transfer credits. It takes a bit of legwork to convince administrations to allow certain classes taken overseas to be considered the equivalence of classes offered by the students' school. Some schools really understand the benefits of study abroad and are really flexible with their curriculum, and yet others are more strict and difficult to work with.

What it comes down to is education: people need to learn and understand the invaluable benefits of studying abroad, and how much it transforms and challenges students to become worldly and independent thinkers. When parents and students know and agree that study abroad is a worthwhile investment, further pressure will be placed on legislation to make studying abroad a less difficult option for students.

What is the best advice you can give some considering studying abroad?

Anna: Do it now! The biggest thing is that life quickly starts to happen and if you don’t travel now, then you most likely never will. Excuses are many but opportunities are not! Instead of pushing and pushing and pushing it off until it never happens, travel now. There’s no better way to gain life skills than by traveling and experiencing other cultures.