Guanajuato, the childhood home of Diego Rivera, is a charmingly unique colonial city, located in central Mexico. A mid-sized university town brimming with history and art, copious plazas filled with cafés and restaurants and narrow, pedestrianized streets lined with colorful houses – a perfect city for strolling. La Bohemia is a small restaurant in Jardín De La Unión, Guanajuato’s main plaza. It is open seven days a week from eight in the morning till eleven at night. For fifty-five pesos (that’s just over 3 euros) the restaurant offers a meal of the day which includes a bowl of homemade soup, a starter, freshly prepared rice and salad, a round piece of bread known as a bolillo and a refillable glass of agua fresca (a Mexican fruit drink). The restaurant owner has about 50 dishes that he rotates for the meal of the day. It appears that the prices at the restaurant are about the same, if not a bit lower, than other eateries in downtown Guanajuato.

Oaxaca is one of the best places in Mexico to enjoy cultural holidays. Around Day of the Dead (on the 1st and 2nd November) families descend upon the local cemeteries to clean the grave stones of their deceased ancestors and have a picnic in their honor. In the city center, street vendor’s spring up selling marigolds and coxcombs (a velvety red flower typical of this season) and market stall owners attract customers with wonderful displays of candy skulls and special bread known as Pan de Muerto. The cuisine in Oaxaca is very rich and varied: from the chocolate-infused meat sauce known as mole to the crunchy fried grasshoppers not for the faint-hearted! As well as a selection of exotic dishes, Oaxaca is also famous for its alcoholic beverages: tequila always took center stage in the past; but over the years, it has risen considerably in price so its “brother drink” mescal has become the tipple of choice for all those who appreciate fine liquor.

Mexico City, the fifteenth most populous city in the world, might seem a bit daunting at first, but it doesn’t have to be. The most popular tourist attractions are mainly concentrated in the heart of the historic city center, for example, the main plaza (known as the Zócalo), the Alameda Park and the Palace of Fine Arts. The Plaza Garibaldi, located a few meters away from the Palace is the best place in Mexico City to listen to live Mariachi musicians. The Rosa, Roma and San Angel zones, home to some lovely parks, shops and cafés are considered to be the “artsy” areas in town. The affluent neighborhood of Polanco is the place to be if you’re looking for a good night out. Further south, the UNAM campus (Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México) is renowned for its famous work created by some of Mexico’s most well-known artists.

Italian universities
Everyone knows that Italy has the tastiest pizza, the richest coffee and the creamiest gelato but not many people know that some Italian universities are among the world’s best ever. For example, the University of Bologna is the highest ranked university in Italy whilst Sapienza University of Rome ranks as the 190th best university in the world. The aforementioned universities specialize in the following subjects: health, humanities, sciences, social studies and technology. Students travel from far and wide to take advantage of Italy’s excellent education system.

Expats in Italy – how to choose the best school for your child…

When selecting an Italian school for your son or daughter, it is necessary to choose whether you want your child to attend an Italian state school or one of the few schools in Italy that uses English as their main teaching language. If you send your child to an Italian state school, he/she will be studying all of their subjects in Italian. It is noteworthy that after the age of 12, children tend to learn languages more slowly. Young children, on the other hand, adapt fairly easily.
While English is taught as a second language throughout state schools in Italy, the quality of the education your child is likely to receive is probably not going to allow your child to maintain a high level of reading and writing in English. Consequently, many parents pay for an English tutor to allow their child to hold onto their knowledge of the English language. This is especially important for parents planning on returning to the UK while their children are still of school-age to keep them from falling behind in their English studies.
You should also take into account the following five pieces of advice when selecting the best school for your child…

1.    Parents usually send their children to private school for religious reasons or to find support for children with special needs. Italian private schools do not offer a higher quality of education; state schools are perceived to be of an equal standard.

2.    If you are planning on living in Italy for a short period of time, it may not be worth enrolling your child in a Spanish speaking school. It may be said that the length of your stay needs to be at least one year to make becoming a student at an Italian school worth your child’s while. For example, two months in an all-Italian-speaking educational institution is not enough time to allow your son or daughter to progress and is likely to do more harm than good to your child’s confidence.

3.    Expat parents need to be aware that the majority of Italian students are required to attend school on a Saturday morning. Therefore, it may be necessary for the family to rearrange their leisure activities around Saturday classes.

4.    Undoubtedly, the younger your child is, the easier it will be for them to integrate into Italian school life.

5.    If you choose single-gender education for your child, you have no alternative but to send your child to private school.

The LTM Star Awards are an elegant awards ceremony for educational institutions offering students the opportunity to work or study overseas. Companies worldwide nominate one North American organization who represents all that is positive about study abroad schemes.

Amerispan Study Abroad has been voted Star Agency in North America four years consecutively.

Amerispan – “the bridge between cultures” was first established in 1993 by two friends who wanted to spread the word about affordable language institutes in Latin America. Amerispan began as a business plan dreamt up on a beach in a small town North of Rio and is now a successful business that offers courses in over 15 different languages in more than 45 countries!

This recognition pushes Amerispan towards our goal of bringing intercultural experiences to everyone.   

We want to thank all of those that support everyday Amerispan as well as those who have helped to make our dreams a reality: bringing cultures closer. Also, we must mention all the partners and schools involved in our project. Thank you very much.

You can find out more about AmeriSpan's "Pronto Special" on our Specials page.

Scoring high marks in the categories of Ambience, Friendliniess, Lodging, Restaurants, Culture/Sites and Shopping, the city of Bangkok, Thailand made it to #2 on the list. We agree that it's a great destination for an Asian getaway and would be an incredible journey for any traveler. Thailand is nicknamed "Land of Smiles" with reason; it's a lively and friendly place! Never colonized, Thai culture thrives and lives happily.

Check out Bangkok, Hong Kong, and several other AmeriSpan locations by reading the full article here: Top 10 Cities in Asia

You too can learn Thai in Bangkok!

It's called the "Plan Ahead" special and it goes like this:

Take 20% off any language program in Europe (max $349) or 15% off any of our other programs throughout the world (max $249). This is an incredible deal and may be the biggest of the year!

To qualify, register for any AmeriSpan program by the end of the day January 20 (2012), pay  in full by February 3 (2012) and use the discount code "Plan Ahead" when applying.

(Photo: Spanish school in Jaco Beach, Costa Rica)

AmeriSpan's high school study abroad programs are carefully organized with teens and parents in mind. In addition to locations and languages all over the world, there are three tiers of independence and supervision to choose from: Teen Summer Camp, Junior Immersion and Independent Teen programs. Please visit our website for more information. 

Learn about High school summer abroad in Paris, France.

 

Check out the interview and Teen Program slide show below the jump!

 Dr. Richard Horowitz and his wife, Jane, are partners in Growing Great Relationships (GGR). GGR is a relationship and parenting coaching practice serving couples and families seeking to enhance family life and improve communication skills. Richard holds a doctorate in education from Rutgers University and for over 40 years has worked with families and children in a variety of educational and institutional settings.

Richard is the author of Peaceful Parenting: Parent Empowerment And Child Empowerment and Family Centered Parenting – Your Guide For Growing Great Families. Dr. Horowitz has served as adjunct faculty at two universities, is a past–president, trustee and group facilitator for Men Mentoring Men, a non-profit organization supporting men and the redefining of masculinity, and he is also a former Peace Corps volunteer.

Jane Horowitz is a relationship coach who has worked for over 25 years with organizations, individuals and families on problem resolution and life-skills enhancement. She has served as Executive Director of a non-profit agency providing services, advocacy and coaching to individuals and families with disabilities. Jane is the 2010 recipient of the New Jersey Council on Developmental Disabilities Family Advocate Award.

Together, they are the parents and step parents of six children and have three grandchildren.

Check out AmeriSpan's #1 Teenager Programs Abroad: Summer Camp in Marbella, Spain

Go to High school study abroad radio interview part 2.

Now, we were only supposed to award one Kindle for the first person to 501 points but they both arrived within 30 minutes of each other.  We tried to ascertain who was first but it was too close. So we decided both deserved a Kindle.  Don't forget that our Grand Prize drawing is only two weeks away, and the more points you rack up, the better!