Program Reviews

This cultural immersion experience has been one of the best things I've ever done in my life. The classes are rigorous and challenging and I improved my French skills by one hundred percent. I made so many friends that I hope to keep for the rest of my life, I lived the life of a French citizen with my host family, and I've been inspired to make world travel a lasting part of my lifestyle from now on.

One thing that I would say about the program is actually not about the experience, but more about the preparation to leave, I would say that it's super important to get in touch with the program director, Sue. Her fifteen years of experience with the program means that her advice is invaluable to prospective students, and GEO definitely does not use her to her full potential as a resource for students. The other thing that I would say is to definitely choose the home stay option. This is what truly improved my French more than anything else, and I learned so much about French from this experience.

Finally, if your schedule and budget allows, I would definitely suggest staying for more than one session, or more than one month. Four weeks is just enough time to get settled, and then you have to leave just when you're getting the hang of being abroad. More time allows you to really expand and travel around.

Spending nearly three months in the beautiful Siena was truly a life changing and unforgettable experience! Walking the medieval streets and learning the history of how they came to be was surreal. Weekend adventures, discovering new foods, and the life long friendships and memories that I have made throughout the course of this program are what, I can honestly say, some of the best months of my life!

I really enjoyed my time studying abroad in Segovia! I went there without having done much research into the country or the area. I enjoyed living in Segovia. I was blown away by the beautiful architecture, especially the Acueducto! Segovia is a nice city, with a lot of tourist shops and restaurants and I felt safe during my stay in Segovia. There are many spots in the city to that have a gorgeous view of the mountains and buildings as well as many walking trails. Everything was within walking distance as I had a ideal living situation since my host mom lived only a 5 minute walk from the school. There were a couple of festivals during my stay that were amazing! There were free concerts all over town and various times.

I also really liked living with a host family although I only had a host mom, I felt like she made an effort to converse with me everyday and make me the food I wanted. My level of Spanish is not the greatest having only studied for a couple of years so it was a struggle understanding what my host mom or the professors would tell me . I enjoyed my classes and my schedule for the summer although, I think I set an unrealistic goal of becoming fluent within 6 weeks! However, I feel like I learned a lot and it has inspired me to keep learning Spanish. My confidence in speaking Spanish has improved and I also picked up on the Spain Spanish grammar. I learned a lot about the culture and history of Spain rather than the language/grammar which is not a bad thing.

I really enjoyed being in Spain because we were able to travel during the weekends at a decent price. Their public transportation was pretty easy to figure out and everything was safe. Living and studying in another country has definitely been a great experience! I feel like I learned so much about myself and what I am capable of. I would encourage anyone who has the chance to take it! It also opened my eyes to the struggle of not having a full grasp on the dominant language in a country. It has made me more aware of the struggles people who speak English as a second language face. This experience definitely showed me other perspectives to current world issues because I was given the chance to see the world through another language.

After being back home in the US for a few days and reflecting on my experiences, I must say those seven weeks in Chiapas were some of the best and most eye-opening weeks of my life. San Cristobal de las Casas is a small, enchanting city nestled in the mountains of Chiapas. It is rich in culture and history and despite its small size, there is always something new every day. As you can probably tell, I fell in love with this city and cannot wait to go back.

In addition to the awesome location, this study abroad program is unique for several reasons. The first is that we were taught by a professor who traveled with us from the University of Oregon. This was a great opportunity to get to know a professor outside of the traditional classroom setting. Forming personal relationships with professors can be pretty difficult at UO sometimes, but this study abroad program made it easy to get to know not only the other students in the group, but our professor as well.

This program also had a two week service learning portion where we each had different projects working with various non profits throughout San Cris. Everyone in the group was paired with a Mexican student as well to help facilitate the project. Mine was a little bit unique because it was actually located in Zinacanta, a Mayan community about 15 minutes outside of San Cris. I was able to get a glimpse of a whole different culture. I had a great time those two weeks working with kids in Zinacantan and getting to know the other student I was working with. Some of my best memories from the trip are from my service learning project.

Also, minus the fact that the bus rides there were kind of uncomfortable due to the winding, bumping roads, the excursions on this trip were really amazing. Waterfalls, Mayan ruins, gorgeous countryside... This area of Mexico really is beautiful and I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to explore it!

There were also quite a few guest speakers for our classes which I enjoyed because they covered a wide range of topics and gave new perspectives on various issues or ideas.

Overall, I would absolutely recommend this trip. I left the link to the blog I wrote while I was there as well if you are interested in some more specific stories of my time in Chiaps!

https://searchingcielos.wordpress.com/blog/

Going into the program, I had no prior expectations and was a bit nervous considering I was slightly behind the other students in knowledge of the Spanish language. However, I was in for a memorable ride I would never forget. We were all picked up from the bus by our host family. The entirety of the car ride to my host house consisted of my host dad speaking and me not understanding a single word. All I could think of was "what did I just get myself into."

I did not expect to pick up on the language so quickly, but being immersed in the language taught me in a way the classroom never could. I had no idea that Spain Spanish was so different (both in word choice and accent) from the Latin American Spanish I was used to in school -- now I am a bit of a Spanish snob as I prefer Spain Spanish over any of the others. My family didn't become just a host house, but still to this day feels like an actual family. Needless to say, I miss them oodles. We still Skype once a week.

Going to another country has taught me independency and confidence in a way no other experience could have. First of all, if I can speak with strangers in a total alien language, I can for sure give a speech in my native language in front of a crowd. I took full advantage of my weekends, traveling all over Spain. Public transportation and hostels taught me how to safely fend for myself and figure things out on my own. This was done, shockingly, without Google, considering my phone only worked in spaces with wifi. Becoming less dependent on my phone made me experience life in the moment, instead of half living it while simultaneously worrying about the lives of everyone else.

I can't even rave enough about my experiences and how they changed my life. All I know is the hardest thing is getting back into the flow of a normal, set scheduled life in a busy and stressed American lifestyle. I miss the slow and relaxed, but completely lovable culture of Spain. It is impossible to describe the ways in which you will grow as a person, or to relate your experience to a person who hasn't been in the position themselves. It was worth every penny and all I can concentrate on is on the day I will return.

I am very glad that this program accommodates students with a host family since it provides unparalleled opportunity to practice the language and experience the culture and everyday customs of the people. I lived in an apartment that was a ten minutes walking distance from the school (everything is within walking distance in Segovia) and I couldn't have asked for a better host family! They were very understanding, patient, helpful, loving, and fun. I was made a part of their family and all their activities. Knowing that I now have a family in Spain gives me even a greater reason to return quickly. Segovia is perfect for truly experiencing all aspects of the Spanish culture and language - I am convinced of this after traveling all around Spain. The director, professors, and staff were incredible, very skilled, and passionate about teaching and giving their students opportunities to experience personally all that they had learned. The excursions were well organized and greatly complemented the coursework. Also, the nightlife is very lively as there are many students within the city, including international students studying at the nearby IE university in Segovia. Studying in Segovia through the GEO program was truly the most incredible experience of my life!

My favorite part of this program was definitely the excursions. From visiting Kilmainhaim Gaol (jail) to hiking Glendalough, every place we visited was breathtaking. For one of the weekends, we went to the west coast of Ireland and stayed in Galway, Ireland for three nights. There, we went to the Galway Film Fleadh (Film Festival) and ate the most amazing seafood. This was hands down the best study abroad experience ever.

I had never been to Southeast Asia prior to this trip. My interest is in NGO management, so getting to explore a new place while studying what I loved sounded perfect. There was an even amount of face-to-face time with NGOs while we also had enough time to explore the cities and see the sites. My favorite memory was seeing sunrise over Ankor Wat in Siem Reap, Cambodia. We did it as a group, and it was an incredible sight.

This experience was a once in a lifetime opportunity for me. The study abroad program was lead by one of the world's leading Rapa Nui experts and we got access to more of the island than almost anyone else could. This program was fantastic overall, if a bit disorganized. Even with the problems with organization, we still got to see all of the island and do everything on the island in the two weeks we were there, except for hiking one of the volcanoes. In addition, for anyone who likes stars or the night sky, my program was there during a new moon, resulting in some of the best Milky Way and night sky views I have ever seen, complimented by the moai statues that dotted the island. I highly recommend this experience, I learned a lot about archeology, Pacific islands, and especially Rapa Nui all while seeing some of the most incredible sights I have ever seen.

If you are studying the Spanish language and do not study in Segovia through GEO, you are not experiencing what it is truly like to live in Spain. The architecture, food, dance, tradition, and language exposure is truly unlike any other city in Spain. I traveled a lot in Spain, Segovia was the only city where I truly felt at home. Sitting on top of the aqueduct looking out over the Sierra de Guadarrema mountain range is an experience that you will never forget for the rest of your life, and can only be experienced in Segovia. After my home-stay experience, I now have a second family that I am honored to be a part of. GEO pushed me to get out into the community and truly experience the culture and day-to-day life in Segovia. The program director, professors, and staff were beyond helpful, intelligent, and talented at what they do. The excursion trips made the weekly class schedule all come together to produce an incredible academic learning experience. Segovia is a second home for me, and I cannot wait to return.