Program Reviews

The Republic of Ireland is rich in history and culture. The city of Dun Laoghaire is coastal and lively. The Saturday market is a great place to get a feel for Dun Laoghaire and experience the food culture and art of Ireland. The scenic views throughout Ireland are unforgettable.

The trip advisors and professors were welcoming, helpful and supportive in every way possible. The assigned homestay ensured the students time in Ireland was authentic and homey. I loved staying with my family. Family dinners made my stay across seas a little less daunting.

I Couldn't have asked for a better summer.

My time in Ecuador was life changing and amazing in every way. Not only did I learn so much about my field of studies, environmental studies, but I also learned so much about myself. This opportunity was once in a lifetime. I don't think there is any other way to get such an integrated experience while still participating in classes. I feel like I was able to have such a genuine experience and learn about the people and culture in Ecuador in an organic way. I invite everyone who is thinking about this program to do it. I don't foresee anyone regretting that decision or having anything less than an amazing time. I have gained a more appreciative outlook on life and a greater respect for nature. I cannot say enough good things about this program!

Oviedo is a charming little city nestled in the green mountains of Northern Spain. About 4 hours from Madrid, and very close to the Cantabric sea (and beautiful beaches!) it is the perfect place to immerse yourself in the Spanish language and culture. Being in a less-traveled area, most people only speak Spanish, which I found very helpful when trying to learn the language. The city is big enough that you will never be bored, but small enough to feel right at home. The GEO site staff, Carmen and Silvia, were both wonderful as were most of the professors at the Universidad de Oviedo in the Casa de las Lenguas. I was able to travel all over, meet and study with people from all over the world, and live like a local with my wonderful host family! I wish I could go back and enjoy Oviedo all over again.

I went to Rosario not really knowing what to expect from the city, program, or people. Everything was amazing. The city is not very touristy so it is a great environment to learn Spanish even outside of the classroom. It is a city very similar to Portland. The climate is relatively similar and it is located right on the river. There were a lot of good restaurants to eat at, especially the ones included in the program for lunch. We became close with the managers from our favorite restaurant, and were sad to leave them. There were a lot of places to shop at, touristy and not so touristy, and everything was decently close. If you did not want to walk somewhere taxis are very safe and very cheap.
The home stay was great. I stayed with a mom and her daughter (who was about 45 years old) and they were both very welcoming. They always had advice about what to do on the weekends and made the best food. This also helped improve my Spanish because they did not really speak English. They knew a few words but not enough to be able to converse.
My Spanish improved a lot during such a short period of time (I only did the 5 week program although I wish I would have done the 10). All of the professors are very willing to help you with whatever question you had, and I felt that it was a lot more beneficial learning from someone who spoke Spanish as their first language. I also got to learn a lot about the history of Argentina which is very interesting. Overall, the experience was amazing. I met a lot of great people and I learned a lot, even about myself.

When I first arrived at the homestay in London, my host-father offered to carry one of my bags up the stairs. He lifted it up and exclaimed that it was heavy. I replied, "Oh, well, it's all my pants." He hesitated for a moment looking confused and a little concerned, and then suddenly it dawned on me. In the UK, "pants" means "underwear." For a moment there, he had thought I had brought an entire bag full of pounds of underwear! I was so embarrassed, but we had a good laugh afterwards.

The Fibers in Florence program was an amazing experience during which I not only learned a lot about Jacquard loom weaving and textile design, but was able to immerse myself in a different culture. Days spent in studio were hard but rewarding. We were pushed to analyze complex weave structures but also had time to experiment with repeat patterning and create our own woven designs. Overall I loved the 3 weeks spent in Florence and would definitely recommend the program to any art or design major looking to study abroad.

I traveled to Paris for a three day trip from London during my program. I was surrounded by French signs and French natives. As I sat in a cafe, I struck up a conversation with the waiter. He spoke English and French fluently. Seated on my left were three ladies from Chile. They only spoke German and Spanish. The waiter tried to get their order, but it ended up me trying to translate from Spanish to French. I don't know French. So, you can imagine the miscommunication. We resorted to making animal noises and hand gestures to demonstrate a oinking as pork and mooing for beef. We laughed over our differences. And better still our similarities. None of us thoroughly understood each other's language. That's the beauty of traveling. We get to learn how to relate to people from all over the world with different backgrounds and languages.

A truly unique and incredible experience! Being one of the most isolated places on Earth, arriving on Rapa Nui is almost like stepping foot on another planet. Exploring the striking landscapes, culture, and archaeology with the two leading archaeologists, and having the chance to conduct my own research while on the island was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. Nearly every inch of Rapa Nui is an archaeological site, and you can't go far without finding something amazing. If you have the chance to visit Rapa Nui, this is the trip to take. You will not find anyone more knowledgeable about the island than Dr. Hunt, and he provides an in-depth, educationally immersive experience you won't get anywhere else. This was one of the first years this trip was offered, and as amazing as my experience was, I know the trip will only improve in quality every year as the kinks get worked out!

For those interested in the NGO world, this is a great opportunity to learn from working NGOs in Thailand and Cambodia. It included a nice mixture of NGO visits with downtime exploring tourist sites and gaining cultural competency. Physical workload was minimal; discussions after site-visits served as the "class time" while abroad. CIS staff were excellent and our group enjoyed traveling with them!

The Siena program far exceeded even my highest expectations for studying abroad. I loved being able to go on wine tasting excursions with the whole program and learn about the products we were trying to market to customers through our class. I loved being able to try all of the different wines that Tuscany has to offer and learn what makes types of wines different from one another. I also really loved how easy it was to travel all over Italy from Siena and how much there is to do in Italy. I did travel one weekend to Amsterdam and it was one of the most amazing trips and I was so happy to be able to do it with people on the program. Siena is such an amazing little town and it was so much fun to be able to live there and learn all about the culture.