Other people tell me about how "crazy" their study abroad experiences were. They went somewhere in Europe. They drank beer and sat on a beach and partied for four months. When asked about their classes, they laugh. If that's the study abroad experience you're looking for (no shame), Tanzania is not for you. If you're looking for something more boundary-pushing, CIEE Iringa might be it. It's four months of adjusting to a completely different culture, floundering through a new language, and using every ounce of resourcefulness and flexibility in your body. I won't sugarcoat it; CIEE Iringa is hard. Living so fully in a new culture, with Tanzanian roommates and then a rural Tanzanian host family, is really hard. But I have never had another experience that fulfilling in my life, and I shaved my head on a Buddhist monastery. It had been my dream for years to go to Tanzania after a summer Swahili intensive in high school, and CIEE exceeded my expectations. Anyone can tell you how much I changed when I was there - I came back more confident and capable in a crisis. And I got to lead my very own Passover seder and #exposethepriest and slaughter (read: be slaughtered) in a soccer game against Tanzanian. Plus, Paolo and Justin, our program leaders, are the greatest. No better people to have in your corner when the going gets tough. If you hypothetically go on an unsanctioned trip to a city two hours away with your host father and hypothetically get in trouble with immigration, they will hypothetically save you. Hypothetically of course.
TL;DR CIEE Tanzania is a fantabulous program 10/10 please go but only if you can handle the pressures of such a different environment and plumbing.
What would you improve about this program?
Most importantly, there wasn't a lot of preparation for the female/male relationship. It would have been helpful to have a female speak to us about how to respond to catcalling and unwanted attention. While I felt perfectly safe 95% of the time, the other 5% invariably involved a man who was being very forward. Pro tip: find some trustworthy male friends and travel in packs. But there's a lot more nuance and it'd be nice to have a good session about it.
Smaller: a lot of people had some different ideas of what the trip would be like before we got there. This isn't necessarily a bad thing - I was pleasantly surprised and wouldn't have changed my mind - though a clearer picture of what it'd be like before committing would have been helpful in preparing. There were also certain aspects that we had totally misunderstood - something about an internship in a rural village? - that could have been cleared up prior to getting there.
For me, the CIEE ALA Program has provided me with much more than simply an unforgettable semester abroad in the most enchanting city I have ever been to. By directly enrolling in classes with local students at the University of Barcelona, I was able to challenge myself and push the boundaries of my linguistic competence. From navigating the city's beautiful sights, to living alone with a host family, this program changed my life forever.
Not knowing anyone in this program or in Barcelona prior to this experience, I was very nervous. Because of this program, I not only enhanced my academic knowledge, but also my cultural knowledge. This program made it very easy to adjust in a new city with a language I was, for the most part, unfamiliar with. The guardian angels made it easy to meet Spanish friends and also better understand the city.
I really enjoyed my time in Barcelona. I felt like I had a great balance of freedom and support and that I was capable of meeting the challenges that I faced throughout my time abroad. Barcelona is incredible and I enjoyed living there so much that I would like to return. I liked taking my classes at the Universitat de Barcelona. I learned a lot and experienced a different educational environment than the one to which I am accustomed in the US. I loved the program trips - I went on every single one and I enjoyed the opportunities to practice Spanish with locals. One of my favorite memories from the semester was going on a field trip with my class. I was a little nervous because I didn't know anyone else in the class very well and it was a full-day hiking excursion. However, I started talking with more and more people throughout the day and felt like I made friends that I kept through the semester. It was a great day spent in the outdoors, seeing a different part of Catalunya from a unique perspective.
What would you improve about this program?
My only real complaint about the program was my host family. I think that that was largely bad luck and bad timing. One other idea might be to increase the number of opportunities to practice Spanish with locals, have more language exchanges.
Our time in Barcelona was fantastic. We stayed in an apartment in the Les Corts area. We always felt safe in our neighbourhood, even coming home late at night. Our classes were interesting and engaging and the professors were wonderful. All of our professors and the staff at CIEE were so kind, passionate and fun. We looked forward to our classes every day and really enjoyed our time spent in the CIEE house.
The great thing about studying abroad in Guanajuato is the community. The program allows you to enroll directly in the local state school and will help you take classes on any one of their campuses. Myself and some of my fellow CIEE students took Chemistry and Biology classes, which allowed me to go abroad without getting behind in my major area of study. The school itself is fabulous, the professors are kind, and if you see them on the street they might ask you to coffee!
The area is great, people were very patient with me as a language learner but did not speak English to me, which I know can be a problem in some study abroad experiences.
I really enjoyed my time in Guanajuato, I got to meet people from all over the world while I was there, and my Spanish was greatly challenged.
CIEE ALA in Barcelona - amazing experience in a great place
Jan 8, 2017
I highly recommend Advanced Liberal Arts program of CIEE based in Barcelona. In terms of academics, it is a perfect fit for those people who would like to improve their Spanish skills and immerse into the language and culture directly from the first day. The CIEE support is very thorough and you won't feel as if you were just left there on your own. The staff is very helpful with whatever queries or doubts you might have during the whole stay whether it concerns academics, residential life of local traditions and ways of doing things.
Don't miss any of the excursions or trips organized by CIEE because they are worth it - every place you visit with CIEE leaves a bunch of good memories, pictures and great impressions of the wonderful places you get to see and learn about.
I liked this program so much that I wanted to extend my stay and I managed to do it, thanks to the supportive staff of both CIEE and the College. If there is anything you want to address to the staff, do not hesitate to do so and try to solve it by yourself - they are there to help and they can come up with a solution you might have never even thought of.
Coming to Barcelona, I was nervous about so many things. I wasn't sure what the living arrangements would be like, how well I was prepared for taking 5 classes in Spanish, or what living in a new country would be like. From the moment I landed, CIEE ALA had everything taken care of. Alberto, the program director, helped us select classes with professors that he knew would be sympathetic toward exchange students whose first language was not Spanish. He even invited his professor friends to our CIEE school to help us prepare for the exams at University of Barcelona. Whenever I was nervous about anything, I was confident Alberto could help me figure it out. As for my living arrangements, I immediately met Carla, my Spanish flatmate, when I stepped off the plane. Over the semester, Carla became one of my absolute best friends. My other 2 American roommates and I knew we could go to Carla for anything be it an academic situation, a question about Spanish, or even something personal. Today, 2 weeks after I am home from my abroad semester, I still talk to Carla almost daily. She is someone who I know will be a lifelong friend. CIEE ALA was by far the best semester of college. I learned so much about myself, my own country, and another culture. The friendships I made will last a lifetime and the lessons I learned are sure to guide me in the future.
One of my favorite memories from Barcelona was going to an FCB soccer game with my group of girl friends. I have been to many NFL games in the U.S. but I have never attended a sporting event like this one. It was incredible to see the amount of pride the fans had for their team through their jerseys and various chants. Cheering on FCB for the win was the first time I truly felt like a native. I will forever call Barcelona my second home!
What would you improve about this program?
The only thing that I would say could be improved is the orientation. I was so jet lagged and felt like I missed a lot of information because I was falling asleep during the initial orientation sessions. Other than that I have zero complaints!
I decided to study abroad in order to experience a new culture, improve my Spanish speaking skills, and gain global work experience in the tourism industry. My expectations were far exceeded! The island of Mallorca is so diverse and there is so much to explore. You can spend a morning walking the charming streets of Palma, grabbing coffee and a croissant, chatting with locals and then an afternoon at the beach, swimming in the clear water and soaking up the sun. It is simple to navigate the island and definitely worth it because of the breathtaking mountains and all the different villages that are about an hour bus ride away. One of my favorite things to do was explore the markets, sprinkled throughout the city, with loads of local produce and vendors who love to chat. I loved being able to practice my Spanish with my host mom, professors, neighbors, and locals. Everyone was welcoming and accepting. My advisors were extremely helpful, even before I arrived in Spain. They answered numerous emails and were always there to support me throughout my time with them. Classes were fun, interactive, and beneficial to my degree in tourism. It was a really cool experience to attend a Spanish university and be surrounded by Spanish college students, with whom I could make friends. I was paired with two girls native to Mallorca with whom I met with weekly to speak one hour in Spanish and one hour in English so we could both improve our conversational speaking skills. My internship experience with a local hotel really made my time abroad. I was able to truly immerse myself in the company, speaking mostly Spanish, and the work I was completing was benefiting the company. It was professional and I have been able to utilize the skills I learned with the company now that I am back in the states, applying my experience directly to my degree and adding a standout internship to my resume. I felt at home and included by my coworkers, always laughing and smiling. I was also able to travel Europe on breaks and long weekends which was incredible. The group of students I studied abroad with were all unique but we bonded over our collective curiosity and wanderlust, traveling to places I only ever dreamed of visiting. Overall, my experience changed my perspective on the world, making the globe feel smaller. My confidence is higher because my experience showed me that I can fluidly adapt to a new culture, communicate effectively in another language, and work efficiently within the tourism industry around the globe. I am grateful for the opportunity to be a part of the CIEE Business + Tourism Program in Mallorca and have made lifelong friends, mentors, and memories.
