When I was 16, I wanted to do something new and exciting, and a semester abroad sounded like the way to do it. I found CIEE online and compared it's prices, services, and opportunities to other programs I found, and CIEE definitely had me captivated from the beginning. I chose to go abroad to Spain, and in preparation to leave I had many questions, and I was quite exceedingly nervous. The staff at CIEE was consistently quick to respond to my emails and were always willing to Skype call with me to ease any fear and answer any question I had. At orientation in Boston, we learned through hands on activities what kinds of challenges we might face while abroad, and learned what made the difference between a successful and unsuccessful experience. Upon our arrival in Spain, we were seamlessly transitioned from CIEE to the Spanish exchange partner, InterHispania. When meeting my host family for the first time and experiencing the rollercoaster of emotions that are associated with homesickness and culture shock, I always had resources to help me cope, and I was not blindsided by how hard the transition would be because of the efficiency and thoroughness of the orientation. My time abroad was the best experience I could have had at my age, and has lead me to come back to Spain three years later. As I write this, I live here in Madrid permanently, and am still very much in touch with the host family I was so lucky to have been paired with three years ago. In fact, I consider them my family, second to my own, and still visit them every other weekend. CIEE provided me with a once in a life time opportunity that shaped my goals for the future. I know I would not be where I am today if it had not been for this program.
What would you improve about this program?
One local coordinator in particular in Madrid was definitely not a favorite. He could often be condescending, but otherwise my time in Spain was challenging in its own right but worth everything.
Response from CIEE Global Navigator
Thank you very much for commenting on your positive experience with CIEE. We value our participant feedback and are always looking to understand what the student experience looks like in an effort to create even better programming. CIEE holds a very thorough placement process when it comes to selecting both schools and host families. In the case of school recruitment, CIEE visits with school teachers and administrators in order to ensure staff understand what it means to host an exchange student to communicate the motivators on the behalf of an exchange student – primarily to develop both language and intercultural skills. It’s critical that teachers and administrators understand the challenges associated with being an exchange student and we ask pointed questions around how the support structure will work for that individual within the school and we make very clear students come with a wide range of language levels.
As an exchange student operating in a second language in a country where cultural norms and academic environments can be very different than in the United States, there are often misunderstandings and misinterpretations. As is customary, CIEE reaches out to our school contact upon a student completing the High School Abroad program to capture feedback on the experience. In your case, the school was very pleased with your effort and performance and enjoyed hosting you. Therefore, it could be that the feelings you experienced were a result of language and cultural differences in communication style – a very common experience for exchange students.
If you would like to discuss your experience further, of course please reach out to our Portland office. We are always happy to speak with participants, whether past or present!
All the best,
Your CIEE Global Navigator Team