Best Study Abroad Destinations

Barcelona_study_abroad Studying abroad as many know is a neccesity.  There are many recomendations on where to go and why.  AmeriSpan's number one recommendation is to study abroad in Barcelona, Spain. Our programs integrate Spanish classes, a wide variety of electives taught in English, after-class activities, excursions and… no classes on Friday, ever! The best value in Spain is clearly our Barcelona International College program.

Recently, we came accross a blog about the 10 Best study abroad destinations for English Majors. We like the article but we strongly disagree.  In today's multilingual world, we think that studying abroad in a country that is not English-speaking is a must. 

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Spanish Language Resources

Granada_school_dQ_students_maps AmeriSpan has made great strides over the past few years supplementing its website and program details with blogs, photos, videos, tips and tricks to help participants discover any and all resources to give them a boost before, during, and after their study abroad program. But we also encourage our students to conduct their own research and find resources of their own! Whether you plan to study Spanish in Madrid, Buenos Aires, San Jose, or Guanajuato, there is an endless supply of free materials out there to help you build Spanish language skills!

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Meet the School: Amman’s Founder

Amman_alibaba_group2 Meet Ali Al-Haj, Founder of AmeriSpan's Amman Arabic school

What is your background?
I was born in Amman, Jordan, on Friday April 11, 1963 ( 48 years old). I have a PhD degree in Electronics Engineering (obtained in 1993). I live in Amman in the suburb area of Dahiyatt Al-Rasheed.

My wife has a Masters degree in Speech Therapy. She takes care of me and three children (two boys and a girl aged 11, 6, and 10, respectively).

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Striving to Be More “Tranquila”

Blog9_hammock By Jennie M., guest blogger studying Spanish in Heredia, Costa Rica

In my day-to-day life in the United States, things are busy.  I have obligations at work and home, and I often find myself hurrying to get from one place to another. I came to Costa Rica with this mindset, with leftover stress and a sense of urgency.  I was coming here to learn, and it was important that I got the most out of my experience. 

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Meet the Fundraiser: Lucie C.

Honduras_beach Meet Lucie C., Fundraising participant who will study Spanish and volunteer in Honduras

 What is your background?
I'm a seventeen year-old high school senior. I'm going to be on a plane to go volunteer in Honduras at 5:00 am the very next day after my high school graduation! So much culture shock, haha! I live in Austin, Texas, and I volunteer a lot and currently work part time for two nonprofit organizations. I'm headed to university next year to be a psychology major, but I plan to go into social work after that. I currently live with my parents, younger sister, and dog (who is the love of my life).

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Fundraising Tips and Tricks

Cadiz_activities_beach As you may know by now, AmeriSpan recently launched its Fundraising Program to assist participants with the costs of their study abroad programs. Fundraisers can submit their story and goal and then use AmeriSpan buttons on their website or blog to share with friends and family that link to their very own fundraising story and page.

So far, this feature has been popular and a very helpful tool for students to finance their plans. Our site has an FAQ page for those wanting to find out more, including some ideas for getting your fundraising started! Some of these ideas include:

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Donation to AmeriSpan General Donation Fund!

Argentina_Cordoba_Highlights_city_038 AmeriSpan would like to give a special thank you to Sasha O. for her kind donation towards the AmeriSpan General Donation Fund.  We greatly appreciate her assistance with our 'Study Abroad Push it Forward' promotional campaign and her contribution to help AmeriSpan participants fulfill their study abroad goals.

For more information see: Study Abroad Fundraising

Studying Italian in Italy

Sorrento By Great Travel Abroad Participant Halina C.

Two years ago, I went with my school to Naples, Italy to study Italian and the culture of Naples. It was an amazing and eye-opening experience, filled with culture and history. It was the first time I'd gone on my own trip without parents and really put the effort in of learning the native language. I learned so much more than just Italian; I learned how to get around a city of 3 million on a different bus and subway system.

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Miercoles Po!

Santiago_flowers By Jonathon L., guest blogger studying Spanish and skiing in Santiago, Chile

Exactly one week after the grand feast with the extended Chilean family, I went and enjoyed a "bluebird" (clear skies, sunny weather) day in Valley Nevado and made my way to and from the mountain in a timely fashion, because the roads work wonders when they aren’t covered in snow and ice.  And when I returned I took part in what Santiagans have dubbed ¡Miércoles Po!  Basically, every Wednesday (Miércoles) all the foreigners (Me!) make their way out to pubs, bars and discos to party the night away like its a thursday at UCLA (or in any other respectable college town).  So after a day of snowboarding, I prepartied (Hacer la Previa) at the student house (CASA LOCA) as we watched Lucky Number Seven (In English, BOO!). 

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Great Travel Abroad Contest – Launched

Contest_slide_250 AmeriSpan is excited to announce the start of our much-anticipated Great Travel Abroad Contest!

Contestants earn points for sharing, posting, liking and blogging travel stories, tips and advice. Points will help you “travel around the world” starting in Philadelphia (AmeriSpan’s headquarters) and finishing in Montreal. You can win study abroad programs, language learning aids, travel gear and electronic gizmos (iPod Touch, Kindles & more).

For details about the Great Travel Abroad contest and all of our other great specials, please visit our Great Travel Abroad Contest.