PicklesTravel

Me with my Spanish host sisters (in AFS gear).

I want to preface this post by saying that I have lived abroad in many different settings; high school, college, and professional levels. This post is only about study abroad programs for high school students; focusing on year-long programs. I personally find a year’s time to be the best possible option, as it allows for the ups and downs of life and the difficulties of a cultural experience, while giving you time to grow relationships that will last you for life.

There are three programs with which I am most familiar, either because I or family members have been involved in the program on one level or another. They are; AFS Intercultural, Rotary Exchange, and ASPECT foundation. As a result I may be able to offer more information about these programs than others; and I also may have preconceived notions that may not be totally accurate so I encourage you to please chime in and give your thoughts and experiences!

1. AFS Intercultural Programs
AFS exchanges students from 50 different countries and place you with a host family. The host family is responsible for taking care of you. Each family environment is different so this is a good way to experience the culture through one specific environment.

2. Rotary Youth Exchange
Because Rotary Youth Exchange is all done through Rotary International there is a ready-made support system in being a part of that group/club. The biggest difference with the Rotary Youth Exchange program is that you will change families during your stay. This gives you an opportunity to see the culture through many different “lenses”, in the form of families, but it also means packing up and moving semi-frequently (appx. every 3 months). Numerous Rotary Clubs have scholarships set up that could help with the expense of airfare.

3. ASPECT FOUNDATION
This program is a great program for students outside of the USA that want an opportunity to study in the US. It’s a great program for those hoping to study in a high school setting within the US.

4. AYUSA Study Abroad
AYUSA has been around for 30 years and goes to a select number of countries, including China, Japan and several Spanish speaking countries and many more.

Cost is a big consideration- I didn’t want to say one was a more cost effective option than another, as each country’s cost is completely different. All of the websites have very good break-downs of costs associated with specific country travel.

There are so many different programs and choices. This is a great website for finding even more of the study abroad companies that are out there.

What are your experiences and thoughts?

Ana, Greta, y Rosa

I was 16, a junior in high school, and I was embarking on a completely new adventure, not quite sure what to expect. I left Minnesota; my family, my friends and my school all to be replaced by a new set, in Linares, Spain.

I could not have been more excited as I boarded the plane that would take me to Spain, to a world I knew nothing about. I knew it would be a great experience, I knew it would be fun, and I knew it would be hard; what I didn’t know was just how great, how fun and how hard it was going to be!

My host family, the Mata Ruizs, met me at the train station near our town of Linares in Andalucia, Spain. Twin girls my age as sisters! These two girls, Ana and Rosa, became my world as they helped me slowly learn Spanish and my new country’s culture. Although neither of us could speak the other’s language, we made fantastic headway those first weeks;

¿Qué sonido hace un perro en Inglés?

Woof, Woof – What does a dog say in Spanish?

Guau, Guau

My Spanish host parents

For my first three months I cried every day from homesickness and the stress of not understanding a word of my surroundings. I was miserable, every day I promised myself that if I just made it to Christmas, I would allow myself to go home.

My host family became my family. I called my host parents Mamá and Papá, and they were. They were so supportive and got me through it. My sisters helped me with my homework, spending hours explaining the meaning of simple phrases. Without them, I may not have made it a whole year.

My Papá gives a cheer to life

One day I was sitting in my Philosophy class at school when all of the sudden I realized that I understood EVERY single word that the teacher was saying!! I was no longer trying to translate things from Spanish to English, I just knew what he was saying. It was a turning point in my trip. I had accomplished the most difficult part, and the one goal of my travel abroad experience – I had learned Spanish!

It was like a switch had been flipped! Every day I learned more, I couldn’t get enough of Spanish and the culture. Little things became significant. I belonged in Spain! Sure, I didn’t pass all of my classes, but that didn’t matter, I learned more than any class could ever teach!

I was sad on my last day in Spain, but excited to return to Minnesota. I was ready to “move on” with my life. Crazy thing is, after less than 2 weeks back “home” I was homesick for Spain.

I missed Spanish, I missed my family, I missed my friends and I missed the culture. I now belonged to two places.

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Me and my host parents on a recent trip back to visit.

It’s been 11 years since I lived in Spain, and every day I miss it as if I had just left. Whenever I hear a Castilian Spanish accent my heart skips a beat!

In my heart of hearts, and as goofy as it sounds, that year abroad made me feel as if I am part Spanish- I was re-born in Spain.

Ana, Greta y Rosa

Chile, 2003

This blog started too late to discuss my study abroad experiences as they happened, so I have decided to do a short series about study abroad. Some things have changed significantly since I was abroad (internet is now available in every home) and others have barely changed (completos are still completos and paella is still paella!).

I traveled abroad with an idea of what I thought I was going to experience, and came home with a completely different experience. I can only talk about my experiences as an exchange student and can’t guarantee how others would react. The hope of this series is to give you an idea of what it’s like to travel to distant lands, at length, as a student, even when you don’t know the language. I write based on my experiences to:

Linares, Jaen, Spain, from 1999-2000, as a high school student.

Valparaiso, Chile, in 2003, as a college undergrad.

I also want to give you resources to learn more and insights into what to look for in all the different angles of study abroad. The focus will be on staying abroad for a year, rather than the short terms options. Shorter terms options are also readily available and may be right for you, depending on your life situation.

High School Students Abroad
1. My AFS-Intercultural Exchange: Spain 1999-2000.
2. Questions to ask about your High School Study Abroad Program?
3. High School Study Abroad Programs.

University Students Abroad
1. My COPA Exchange: Chile 2003.
2. What is your Study Abroad Goal?
3. What steps to take to make your trip a reality and still graduate on time.

My visit to the Golden Gate Bridge was met with a complete wall of fog. The fog horns were blowing strong and we were quickly swallowed up in the heavy mist as we walked across the bridge, (ok, halfway across).

I swear the bridge is in the center of this photo

Perhaps I should have been disappointed that I couldn’t see the GG Bridge in all its glory, but honestly, I think this is probably more the norm than a clear view of the bridge, and I loved every minute of it. Here’s why:

1: It’s the dead of summer, here in the San Francisco area, and I’ve been suffering in the heat (to be fair, I should note that anything over about 73 degrees Fahrenheit makes me hot, though to give me credit- it has been over 90 degrees every day), so the cool breeze and fog was a nice reprieve for me. I donned a sweater for the walk, and it was cool enough that my ears even started to hurt a bit from the cold (that’s my kind of thing).

2: I would rather experience what the normal, every-day San Franciscan experiences, rather than be special. I think this view is just as lovely and so different from the typical photos you see- How is that a fair representation if it normally looks like this?

3: I did see it several years ago, though only briefly and without walking on the bridge.

4: The Golden Gate is still golden no matter what the weather’s doing!

Minnesota Grown

I love that with every trip I take I see and do something that I never would have before. More than that- I get to do things that I never would have dreamed of doing! In Chile I took a 27+ hour bus trip from Valparaiso to Arica, sat on the beach in complete darkness when the electricity failed in the cities of Vina del Mar AND Valparaiso, and visited a salmon fish farm (and packaging plant) in Chiloe. Or eating a paella in Spain where the guests brought live chickens to kill, pluck and add to the rice…

That being said, I also love coming home. The state of Minnesota is my home, and it too has so much to offer in terms of history, beauty and stories. Sometimes the excitement of “new things” while traveling makes the “routine things” in MN seem rather, well, routine. But the more I travel, the more I realize that what I take for granted in my every day life is just as exciting and new to someone from another part of the world, and just as important to share. I hope to share some of it with you here.

The Majestic Dungeness Ruins on Cumberland Island

Cumberland Island in Southern Georgia, USA is at the top of my list. There are wild horses to be seen just about every time I go, and occasionally a dolphin will join us alongside the 45 min. ferry from St. Mary’s, Georgia.

The history of the island is fantastic and I learn something new every time I go; like this is the island where John F. Kennedy, Jr. and Carolyn Bessette got married. This book has made my trips out there all the more fulfilling, as it talks about the history of the island’s famous owners; from Nathaniel Greene, to the Carnegie family, and finally, to the National Park Service.

Of course where there’s history, there’s old buildings. There is nothing I like more than an abandoned building. It gives me the chance to use my imagination and visualize it as it was, “back in the day”.

Dungeness Ruins, Cumberland Island