CIEE Global Navigator

Everyone says that college is the best four years of your life and thus far, this has been true for me, I knew that I did not want to leave my college campus for an entire semester, so I when I heard that I could study abroad during the summer, I knew this is what was meant for me. I truly have a hard time putting my experience into words because it was so amazing. I met people in my program that I know are going to be lifelong friends. The support I received throughout my entire program is something I was not expecting, but am so glad I had this support. The psychology that I took in Prague is now preparing for my course load this semester. I honestly can say that this program and this opportunity was absolutely the greatest thing I have ever taken in my life. On top of everything, how cool is it to come back to college and tell me that you studied abroad in Europe for five weeks... so cool!!!!!

I spent three weeks in Mohammedia on a Leadership and Service in Youth Development program, and it was amazing! Our group discussions looking into biases, saviorism, ethical volunteering and more were incredibly valuable to my experience in the culture. The food was really good, and scenery was surprising and beautiful. Working with the children during our service time taught me a lot about my own community and my outlook on many issues, as well as inspiring me to redirect my thoughts in more positive ways. I was glad to learn some Darija and be able to navigate some of the city, which definitely helped in the immersive experience. Being part of this program changed me in many ways, and I hope it changes more people than just me.

I loved all of the people I studied abroad with and they were truly the highlight of my trip. The Program Leaders (PLs) were all super kind and down to earth. They were also close in age to us participants so we were able to connect with them and we became friends with them like our peers. There were 60 kids in my program since Rome is one of the most popular destinations. The kids were organized very well into 5 groups of 12 which made traveling around the city much easier than I thought it would be when I first arrived. The cultural excursions were very fun and we got to explore so much of the city. If I had to give advice to anyone traveling it would be to lower your expectations about food because the food served was not good so often times me and my friends would buy our own. Nonetheless I think that being able to try so many different things was really fun and I would recommend this to anyone. One more thing I loved was when you show up to the airport, nervous to meet your new friends, you immediately have a sense of community because of the CIEE shirts and everyone is very friendly and excited to meet people.

I really had such an amazing experience with CIEE!! They offer many amazing cultural activities and weekend excursions that can really show you the culture and life in Toulouse. My French improved drastically with this course, as I stayed with a really kind and sweet homestay. I know many people whose homestays were not so good and CIEE moved them out quickly. I know there were probably some complaints with a few staff members, however I personally really liked my teacher and PL and had no issues. CIEE cares about all the students' safety and I felt very safe and secure at all times. I had a good amount of free time for lunch and occasionally after school. We did have curfews at 8 pm on weekdays and 11 pm on weekends, but with some people having really long commutes to the CIEE center from their homestays, they weren't able to go out much after school in their limited time. I personally joined this program alone, however I think this experience would be elevated had I came with even just one friend. I did spend a lot of money on shopping for this program, and I don't think that's talked about that much. I think that it's imperative to bring a lot of money (A LOT) for the actual program.

This program was the best! During the time when I was applying to the point where I was leaving South Africa, I felt supported and helped the whole time by CIEE. They did a amazing job at providing the best experience for me as much as they could. The scholarship they gave as well was helpful the most because I was not able to go without it. I loved the other kids in my groups and my program leaders/directors/coordinators. This program truly helps expand my global lens and cultural awareness globally. I have learned and gained so much from this program.