I loved my time in Buenos Aires so much. It was so cool to be a part of another country’s culture and get to live here for a few weeks. I felt safe most of the time unless I was walking alone and had a great time at La Boca and the local markets. The best food I tried was Cang Tin summer rolls. I would also recommend Atalaya if you’re here, it’s a cute little beach town about 2 hours away, a super easy uber from the city. Here, I got to swim and experience Carnaval which was a bucket list experience!
What was your funniest moment?
I loved Carnaval in Atalaya!! If you’re here you have to visit!
I chose CIEE because I wanted to live in more than one place. Sure, you can travel every weekend and go many places for a couple of days each, but there is something so special about living somewhere and learning the ins and outs of a city, so getting that experience in more than one place was important to me. As I am about to leave Paris to go to my second block, I really feel like it flew by. Some of my favorite moments from this block have been on my commute to class (though longer than I'd like), I've grown to love it. When I finally could turn on auto-pilot and put headphones in on the metro, I felt like a real local. The metro is easy, everything is accessible, and the trips that CIEE planned for us were really fun! The city is beautiful and as a lover of people-watching, this is the best city for that. I don't know French, so that comes with its challenges, but almost everyone here speaks enough English. I have really enjoyed Paris, and I hope to come back some day.
What was the most nerve-racking moment and how did you overcome it?
It sounds funny, but going into the grocery store for the first time was nerve-racking for me. I don't cook very much at school in the States and I don't speak French, so trying to buy the right things was daunting. I couldn't read anything in the store, they were blasting American music with strange lyrics that I hadn't heard in 8 years, and I was very overstimulated. To overcome this, I took a deep breath, used the Google Translate camera feature, and got the job done. Then came checkout. I was so nervous and then I said bonjour and everything was fine. Everyone says that people in Paris are rude, but not if they can see you are trying your best.
Pros
6-week long classes are fast paced and fun. Very engaging.
Ability to study in multiple places.
Cons
Random Standard Housing placed me just outside the city. Many other students were much closer and faster commute to school, restaurants, museum, nightlife, etc.
Classes are 2.5 hours usually back to back but only 3x a week.
I was unsure how the program would be at first but the CIEE staff along with the fellow students in the program were extremely nice and outgoing. The educational program is fun, much of it is immersive cultural and food activities in either Merida or in day trips in other parts of the Yucatan. We learned words in the Mayan language as well as cooked Mayan traditional dishes and discussed/used local ingredients often. Even if you are super interested in history it is still really fun and interesting. Overall it was a great opportunity to meet new people and learn more about Mexican cuisine and culture!
What was your funniest moment?
As a group we got to visit a cenote (a pool of water naturally forming in the Yucatan) after visiting Chichén Itzá. We all had a great time, the water was cool and there were small harmless fish swimming with us. It was one of my favorite memories from the experience.
It was a fun and enjoyable experience. The teachers and staff were great, the facilities were well organized, and I learned a lot about nutrition. Overall, it was a really positive experience, and I feel like I could continue to grow and learn even more from it.
What was the most unfamiliar thing you ate?
I ate the mascot of New York City the pigeon it was pretty good
I loved Paris so much! My teacher through CIEE was the absolute best. She was fun and engaging. I was nervous about having class for so long throughout the day but my professor made the time fly by. We were in bercy village which gave us access to many restaurants and stores right outside of our hotel. It was so much fun and I made so many friends. Exploring the city was exciting and the metro got a lot easier to navigate during my stay. I would recommend this program to anyone who wants to study abroad!
What was the most surprising thing you saw or did?
I saw someone playing the accordion on the metro it was such a fun experience.
I had an amazing time in my study abroad experience. The staff are wonderful and they were very supportive throughout the program. The housing was also excellent and it was great to live in a residential part of the city that was very close to the campus where I had class. I also really enjoyed the day trips that the program offers and they acted as a great way to get to know other parts of Portugal along with the culture. The classes were also great and the program offers a good variety of subjects.
I had a lovely time on CIEE's Paris study abroad program. The staff was super supportive and very responsive, creating an ideal environment for me to immerse myself in the Parisian lifestyle. They organized a number of enriching activities, both in Paris and outside (day and overnight trips to Normandy, Tours, and etc.), for students to participate in. I had a lot of fun traveling to the Loire Valley and Tours with CIEE. CIEE Paris created a perfect environment to be my home base for my semester abroad.
My experience abroad in Lisbon was amazing. There was the largest variety of food I had seen throughout everywhere I travelled in Europe. The Uber and Bolt rides are extremely cheap, making it super easy to travel to places like Sintra, Praia Da Ursa, and Ericeira that would normally be an expensive journey. The public transportation is very easy and affordable with the metro and bus system going nearly everywhere I could want to go. The weather was another game changer, with it never going below 50 even in December. The sunny days make the city lively and bright with people always out walking or biking. I can not recommend Lisbon enough for people who love food, drinks, a fun nightlife, immersive culture, beautiful landscapes, and a friendly community.
What is your advice to future travelers on this program?
My advice to future travelers on this program would be to take advantage of the public transportation and cheap Uber and Bolt prices and explore the parts that are a drive or bus away such as Sintra, Cascais, Lagos, Ericeira, Porto, and all the other beautiful places that travelers will often miss because it seems far on a map, but Portugal has amazing transportation services that are easily accessible.
Studying abroad in Prague allowed to me to travel to other nearby countries! CIEE staff encouraged safety and gave useful tips when packing for the weekend! When traveling to different countries, there are other CIEE locations within those countries that you can utilize and go to if ever in an emergency.
CIEE is flexible and prepares you for your time abroad. They give tips of what to be aware of, what to carry with you, and who to call if ever in need of something.
They also respond via email very quickly and communicates with me clearly addressing all my needs
I absolutely loved my experience with CIEE study abroad program! From the start everyone was super attentive to your questions through emails. There’s also a ton of ways to save and make money by referring a friend, getting the app, and becoming an ambassador! The professor I had for my class was amazing and really was passionate about what he was teaching. I also loved how classes were only Monday Tuesday Thursday which allowed for travel on the weekends! You got to experience your country while also traveling experiencing other cities and countries.
What was the most surprising thing you saw or did?
The most surprising thing I saw/ did was traveling to Morocco Marrakesh, which is something I would’ve never done on my own or have thought to spend money to travel there for a vacation. I got to experience their culture. What just happened
