Program Reviews

I not only improved my Spanish, I gained a whole new perspective on the Spanish culture by constantly being immersed in it. I gained a bunch of close new friends, and we have met up many times, despite living far away from each other. I had the most amazing time teaching the Dominican children Spanish, painting the houses in the neighborhood, and exploring the local beaches and cities. My favorite memory was bonding with this little boy named David at the camp we were teaching at.

As a low income minority, studying abroad was too out there and seemingly impossible. However out of all the study abroad programs that I found online this one was the one that offered the most financial help, and it ended up with me going to Tokyo, Japan entirely for free. I am eternally grateful to CIEE thanks to them I see myself more than what I used to and my confidence and ambition has gone up. A great program not just for learning languages, but for learning about yourself and growing, I advocate heavily for CIEE and encourage many to take the chance to apply for their programs and to take the time to file out the financial aid documents.

In July of 2017 I, along with 29 other students, headed to the Donovan republic for 3 weeks we will never forget. Overall this trip had everything you could ask for, a great community, amazing food, beautiful beaches, fun service time with children, and so much more. One of most memorable things about my trip to the DR was meeting an amazing friend. Her and I instantly hit it off at the airport and I never thought I could become so close with someone in such a short amount of time. We still communicate regularly and plan to spend time together this summer at the beach since she is going to college this fall 2018. Another great memory from my trip was going on a 2 hour hike in the jungles of the Donovan Republic. This hike was definetly y messy but so worth it! The views were magnificent and it has been one of the coolest things I’ve ever done! I loved disconnecting from the world for a little bit and just enjoying nature. Overall my trip to the DR was amazing and I would do it again in a heartbeat. I think everyone should have an opportunity like this because exploring these new places, meeting new people, and spending time with kids made each day turkey special. I miss all the children I worked with everyday st the local school and Id do anything to check back in with them.

Last summer I had the opportunity of traveling to Portugal for three weeks. What I thought was going to be an intimidating trip to a foreign country turned out to be the best experience of my life to date. The whole way to the airport and in the weeks leading up to my trip my mom was worried sick about my safety. However, from the minute after I stepped off the plane in Portugal I felt safe. My leaders were these really inspirational and kind people that really cared about all of the kids they took on this trip. They were dedicated to making this trip the best that it could be for everyone in my group. I made twenty nine new friends on this trip and we still talk every week. It’s truly amazing how close you can come to someone when your stuck in a foreign country learning about a new language and culture. This program really impacted my life when I got home. I never realized how independent I actually was or could be. My parents started to trust me more and I started to trust myself. I also learned about a whole new culture which was super interesting to me. The most important lesson I learned, though was that there is more to life than what’s just on my phone or in my neighborhood. Going on this trip really opened my eyes to a lot of opportunities and adventures that I can take in my life. I am just excited to see what I will be able to do in the future!

This trip was an amazing experience. Not only did I get to visit a unique, beautiful, new country but I made so many friends, with my group and locals fro Botswana. My leaders were incredibly supportive and made me feel comfortable and safe throughout my whole experience. They were very attentive everyones needs and were very knowledgable and experienced. The wildlife was by far the best part. All of the wonderful animals we saw continue to inspire and amaze me. I highly recommend this trip to someone who loves animals and adventure and has maybe already had some international travel experience. I also recommend investing in a nice camera, it doesn't have to be a DSLR but you will definitely want it to remember your trip.

Whenever I get the chance to talk, I make sure to tell everyone about my experience with CIEE's program for Valparaiso, Chile. The program itself was extremely beneficially, because my Spanish is much stronger and I feel more comfortable speaking with family and friends. I also enjoyed the program thanks to the team leaders, Maria Paz Montes was such a kind lady and the group leaders were just as great too. The environment I was housed in was perfect, and I got lucky enough to have a veteran host family who had worked with CIEE for many years. As for the country itself, it was spectacular! I cannot wait to return one day, hopefully with my own family or maybe even with CIEE? I think that would be an amazing opportunity if it were to present itself.

I got to meet different high school students from all around the US. From strangers to friends to best friends! I also learned how important is to protect our environment. The program leaders are nice and the food we have was delicious too. That’s was the best summer experience I ever had, I gained independence, leadership and resourcefulness. I definitely would recommend this program to my friends.

This program was amazing! We went on weekend excursions and night activities which were the best part. I distinctly remember the time we went paddle surfing. You will have to step out of your comfort zone but it is worth it! You will absolutely love every second of it. Studying abroad in another country is very eye opening and probably one of the best experiences that you will ever have. Amazing teachers from all over the world that have made an impact on me as a person. Not to mention the fact that my family host was amazing. If you have the opportunity to participate in this program then you should.

The summer i soent in berlin was amazing. I met so many people and learned so much about german culture. Traveling since then has been my passion and i have gone to minor in german at my college. German has become such a big part of my life now. I continue to talk about my trip and share pictures with my friends. If i had the money i would go back in an instant. I an excited to study abroad during my forth year of school and now hope to work abroad, in Germany.

From start to finish, CIEE made my summer in Valpraíso, Chile unforgettable. I signed up super late, yet CIEE was very accommodating in helping me be part of their program. All of the group leaders were funny, charismatic, and intelligent. Everyone shared their backgrounds and experiences and what led them to this experience in Chile and I was lucky to be surrounded by some truly fascinating individuals with whom I still have contact with, almost a year later. My host family was extremely caring and funny. I wouldn’t have been able to grow as much in the Spanish language if I hadn’t been with them. My family did not know English, so I was forced to develop my speaking skills, which was truly invaluable. The program confirmed that I wanted to study Spanish and international relations in college; experiencing another country’s culture for a straight month by living in it was incredible and I have to thank CIEE for having such a huge impact on my life.