Pure Study Abroad

Pure Study Abroad truly lived up to its tagline of “no frills. just adventure,” and far exceeded my expectations for the language immersion and adventure components. Because there really are no frills to this program, the schedule is largely open and simple. The schedule focuses on the intensive language immersion classes but also allows students to practice the language as they explore the area and culture. I found this structure to be the perfect balance of academics and adventure.

But even more, the academic learning is not merely confined to the classroom environment. This program emphasizes the importance of experiential learning by allowing the students to explore the area with their tutor. For example, we were able to take a walk to a market, pharmacy, and home goods store where we both practiced what we had learned in the classroom and experienced new things that we had not yet learned. After gaining confidence by exploring the town with our tutor, we were afforded plenty of free time to explore the town and neighboring towns on our own. Choosing our own adventures was another highlight of this program, and I am truly grateful for the relationships built with my fellow students through this experience and my new found knowledge of another part of the world. If you are independent, open-minded, and adventurous, then I would highly recommend the Pure Study Abroad program to you.

With Pure Study Abroad, I was expecting to continue the kind of learning I experienced daily at my University, sitting in a classroom and worrying over homework. Learning with Pure Study Abroad rather meant exploring with locals; immersing myself in their time and traditions; and having only a few, compact classes to support our travel endeavors as a team. It was so about the culture, I almost forgot the classes were structuring our learning; they didn't feel like work. I loved the community we built with one another, as well - thanks to Carolina for teaching me Spanish and to my teammates wonderful travel ideas while on the island. These students and travel endeavors will always be something worth looking back on!

Some of the greatest days were when we had language class with an enthusiastic teacher in the morning and then spent the rest of the day exploring the island. Because of our new (albeit basic!) knowledge of the language, most locals were happy to help us navigate and find the local favorites for sight-seeing and great local cuisine. This program caters to the kind of person that likes to explore at their own pace (for me, that means exploring every day!) and prefers less programming. Our teacher was fantastic with teaching as well - she took us to local markets and stores to learn a lot of new items as well as worked with us in the classroom on sentence structure and grammar.

Pure Study Abroad definitely delivered its "No Frills. Just Adventure" motto. Having already participated in several study abroad programs, I expected a similar experience when I signed up for Pure Study Abroad. Instead, PSA was incredibly unique and distinctive. I loved the intensive immersion Spanish class, especially because we had the opportunity to experience its practical application outside of the classroom every day. I started at a beginner level, and was amazed when by Day 2 I could already communicate with a waiter enough to order my meal without lapsing into English.

My favorite part of the program was how much time we had to explore the island and find our own adventures. I've never had so much free time built into any other study abroad experience. Since we only had class every other day, we had the rest of the time to travel to different towns and beaches, hike, and sight-see. The best part of the experience was that the time I spent adventuring outside of the classroom really helped develop my language skills, since I had to interact with locals every day!