AmeriSpan's Study Abroad blog.
Study Spanish at AmeriSpan’s school in Alajuela, Costa Rica. Alajuela is arguably AmeriSpan’s best Spanish program, with small class sizes and an extremely high quality academic program. Alajuela is also the location of our new Alajuela Recession Special. For a limited time, participants can save 15% on classes and lodging!
Glimpse Magazine, NAFSA, and AmeriSpan are looking for correspondents,
student diplomats, and bloggers to contribute during their study abroad experiences.
Glimpse Correspondent
Glimpse is seeking applicants for its Correspondents Program.
Supported in part by National Geographic Society, The Correspondents Program is
for especially talented students specializing in writing or photography.
Correspondents receive a $600 stipend, a professional editor, career training
in writing and photography, guaranteed publication on Glimpse.org, and
potential publication in National Geographic platforms. For more information,
visit: http://glimpse.org/correspondents.
NAFSA Student Diplomat Video Contest
Do you have a great study abroad story? Or, maybe you know
someone who does. The 2009 Student Diplomat Video Contest, launched today by
NAFSA: Association of International Educators and Abroad View, the global
magazine for students, invites undergraduate students to tell their story for a
chance to become the next Student Diplomat – and win $300.
Read more on “Study Abroad Writers, Photographers & Videographers Wanted!” »
By Katie P., Guestblogger from Coronado, Costa Rica Independent Teen program
I take in
stride all of the differences I’ve observed between the Latin American and
North American cultures. One of my favorites is the ‘Adios’ I hear every time
friends or acquaintances pass one another on the street. At first I was very
confused because the act sounded somewhat rude. But soon I realized the mere
sense of the act. We North Americans are accustomed to saying, ‘hello,’ as a
greeting but when one is not actually going to stay and chat with these friends
it makes perfect sense to just wave goodbye as you are passing through and
leaving. This habit of farewell has grown on me and I’m afraid I may start
doing it back home! My favorite is when the Ticos (Costa Rican Locals) insist
on using English when a group of gringos pass by. The translation is humorous
to hear: ‘Bye!’ or ‘Good Night!’ as in the US we would actually say, ‘Hello’
and ‘Good Evening.’
Read more on “Study Abroad Costa Rica: Cultural Differences” »
By Jamie F., Guestblogger from Cusco, Peru SALUD program
The week is really coming to a close so we’ve been trying to take advantage of our last few moments in Cusco. Monday was our first free afternoon I met up with some friends to go do some souvenir shopping. We met at the main central artesian shop on the corner of Tullyamayo and Av. del Sol. From the outside you wouldn’t know that the place is big but inside it is absolutely huge! There is shop after shop, mostly with the same things but sometimes that have some pretty different types of things. Shop around at a few places and ask for prices before settling on one and then bargaining with them.
By Katie P., Guestblogger from Coronado, Costa Rica Independent Teen program
During my
first week in Costa Rica my host mother told me that another student was coming
to live with us for two weeks. On Monday at school we did our introductions for
the new students and afterwards I approached her with a hug and excitedly
asked, ‘Do you speak English?!’ She is from Germany and like all the other
European students she speaks English very well. I wish that they made us learn
more languages in the US… but anyways, she and I have gotten to know each other
very well in the past week and I really like her a lot.
Read more on “Study Abroad Costa Rica: My German Housemate” »
Student travelers between the ages of 12 and 26 are eligible for student identity discount cards. There are two types of cards, the ISIC and ISEC.
The ISIC, or “International Student Identity Card,” offers discounts on airfare, hotels, tours, dining, shopping, and lots more. ISIC claims over 33,000 discounts available worldwide. Major stores such as Target and Apple offer discounts through ISIC, and discounts also can be found on basic sickness and accident travel insurance for international trips. There is also a 24-hour helpline offered through ISIC, great to have access to in case of emergency while abroad. Costing $22 per year, the ISIC card is well worth it to most student travelers.
By Jamie F., Guestblogger from Cusco, Peru SALUD program
So having returned from Machu Picchu we all realized our time
here was really coming to a close which is really quite frightening. But
nonetheless MP seemed to refresh us and maybe we did get some of that supposed
positive energy. When we were in MP the guide told us that we should rub our
hands together and ask for happiness for ourselves and our families and put our
hands out to feel the energy of the large rock on top of MP. I don’t know if it
was just the sensational feeling of being in MP or the fact that it was hot out
and we put our hands close to a large hot rock but either way we tried it to
see what would happen.
Read more on “Study Abroad Peru: Machu Picchu Reflections” »
AmeriSpan has been voted Best Agency in North America, winning the prestigious 2009 Star Award managed by Language Travel Magazine! Language schools throughout the world cast votes and each school may only vote for one North American Language Travel Agency. Schools generally vote for agencies who epitomize all the good aspects about study abroad organizations.
If you would like to read more about AmeriSpan's achievement, click here for our press release.
Watch this funny video of our Thai language school in Bangkok, Thailand. AmeriSpan has two Thai schools in Thailand, one in Bangkok and one in Chiang Mai. Our Bangkok school is located downtown in Ratchadamri, close to transportation and many of the most popular neighborhoods. Click to see all of AmeriSpan’s language school videos.
Read more on “Study Abroad to Learn Thai in Bangkok Video” »
By Katie P., Guestblogger from Coronado, Costa Rica Independent Teen program
This past weekend I ventured to Jaco, a popular beach along the Pacific Coast. I had heard that I was going to a dirty, dangerous, very touristy area but these are not the words I would use to describe Jaco. I absolutely loved it there! My three new friends and I just wanted to go to the beach and this was the closest beach we knew. The ride seemed to take forever and finally through the bus window I saw a bright building with the word ‘HOSTEL’ that matched the mental picture I had of an Internet page and we darted off the bus. After relieving ourselves in the bathrooms at KFC we began with our master plan of cheap living. Two stayed back while my friend and I approached the hostel to ask for a room. Amazingly they had just one room left for $15 a night. The owners were a cute couple from Hungary and they seemed extremely chill. They took us on a tour of the hostel and it was small, colorful, and perfect.
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