Francesca Cook
Program: High School Abroad in Germany
Bio: Francesca Cook is from a small town in Washington called Mill Creek, about half an hour north of Seattle, and about three to four hours south and east of the town from Twilight.
She travelled more miles than she has the energy to count (and even more kilometers) east to a slightly larger small town in Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany, called Herdecke. This blog is about this junior in high school and her five-month journey through bread, ice cream, Religion class, and many other fantastical death-defying adventures. Hopefullz, bz the end of these five months, she'll finallz stop tzping the "z" kez everz time she wants to tzpe "y".
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Eve Dorsey
Program: High School Abroad in Australia
Bio: My name is Eve Dorsey, I am 16 years old, and born and raised in Connecticut. I am going to be spending my junior year of high school abroad in Australia, and I thought it would be great if I could share my experiences with my family, friends, and the CIEE community.
Early on in my freshman year I decided that I wanted to try something totally new and different by studying abroad. I have been working towards this goal ever since, and I'm super excited that it's finally happening!
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Justin Ehringhaus
Program: High School Abroad in Japan
Bio:I grew up in the small city of Portland, Maine, and I am someone whose dreams expand beyond Maine’s rural borders to reach the international level. My first trip abroad was a little over a year ago when my family and I travelled to Costa Rica for a vacation.
This trip allowed me to practice speaking Spanish, which until then had been a purely academic subject for me. The following year, I became very interested in Asian languages and culture. I studied Japanese language both formally and on my own, and I read a number of books about Chinese and Japanese history. This summer, after completing my junior year of high school, I am living with two host families and traveling in China, studying language and culture through a Department of State scholarship. I return home at the end of August only to repack my bags and depart for Japan, where I will live with a host family in Kumamoto and attend my senior year at Fuzoku High School.
I have much to say. As a result of academic studies and international travel, I have begun to realize that the world is actually a very small place. With ever-expanding technology and improved methods of communication, the borders between countries continue to thin. Through writing this blog, I hope not only to inform, but also to convey that the world is very accessible. I encourage you to seize available opportunities and make your international dreams come true. I would like to welcome you to my blog, and throughout the coming year I hope you will follow my progression as a language learner as well as an individual experiencing a new culture.
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Caroline Hoskins
Program: High School Abroad in Spain
Bio: Living and studying abroad has been a goal and a dream of mine since I was very young. I come from a family that values and supports travel, language, and cultural experience, and so I’ve always been comfortable with different environments.
I attended a dual-immersion elementary school which alternated teaching English and Spanish every other week, and continued my Spanish education into high school. Now that I’ve recently graduated, I made the choice to attend a fifth year of high school in Spain, and I am thrilled to finally be spending an extended time abroad. I love speaking Spanish, I love making new friends, I love travel and new experiences, and so I am excited to embark on this cultural adventure.
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Fred Kayes
Program: High School Abroad in China
Bio: Ni hao. I grew up Kirkland, Washington about a twenty minute drive from Seattle. I am attending Juanita High school but for my junior year I decided to leap out into a year abroad in China. During my first year in high school I was part of my schools wrestling team, I participated in the Honors Society program, and I help the Theatre club during their productions. Prior to my abroad program I have studied five years of Spanish but had no Chinese language experience. I believe travelling is one of the greatest educational and influential activates in our world today. I look ahead with great anticipation to the next year of my life in Shanghai, China.
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Naomi Kline
Program: High School Abroad in Spain
Bio: Hi! My name is Naomi. I was born in Boulder, CO, but moved to the Sonoran Desert in Tucson, AZ about 5 years ago. Personally, I find the world around me fascinating and wish to travel it thoroughly. I haven’t had many opportunities in the past, except for trips to the nearby countries of Mexico and Canada. To begin my world travel wish, I am presently in Seville, Spain for a semester! I never really knew it was possible to study abroad while still in high school. When I found this was an option, I did everything I could to make my dream a reality. And now it is!
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Rachel Laster
Program: High School Abroad in Ireland
Bio: My name is Rachel Laster. I'll be studying in Ireland for the next few months. I'm beyond excited about this experience, and I can't wait to share my story with you!
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Ikwe (Jenna) Mennan
Program: High School Abroad in France
Bio: My philosophy is to always do interesting things; things that will make for a good story. Even if it goes wrong, at least it will never be boring. Consequently, I decided to spend my senior year in France.
Why France? I learned French at an immersion summer camp that is a reenactment of the French fur trappers—four weeks of canoeing in the boundary waters between Minnesota and Canada, speaking French. What else can I say to summarize myself? My room at home in California is covered in maps of the world and is half-filled with boxes of sheet music and musical instruments. I sleep in a hammock. I like laughing, music, good stories, theatre, cooking, history, the rain, and the great outdoors. I dislike shellfish. I hope to major in Undecided when I go to college, and I also wish I could attend all the colleges at once, because they all seem so interesting. My dream job, if I could be anything at all, would be the piccolo player in the Disney Symphony, Bill Bryson, or Steven Pinker. So far I appear to be furthest along the path to being Bill Bryson. I hope to write informatively and amusingly about my year in France.
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Juliette Nye
Program: High School Abroad in France
Bio: Hi! My name is Juliette Nye. I am 15 years old and am studying in France for the second semester of the school year! I am very excited. I have been taking French for 6 years at school and, over the summer, studied in Switzerland to learn more French. I am really passionate about the language and the culture, and I can't believe that I'm having this amazing opportunity!
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Alicia Collura
Program: High School Abroad in Spain
Bio: I'm a 16-year-old from a small town outside of Boston, called Lincoln. I signed up for the semester abroad to see Spain and the world, because I've barely ever been outside my hometown and definitely not as far as Europe. I'm excited to see what's to come during the semester. I'm just hoping to make it through and meet some amazing people along the way!
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Taylor Scott
Program: High School Abroad in Spain
Bio: I am 18-years-old and from a small town in Wisconsin. I love to play soccer and meet new friends. Traveling and learning about new place really interests me. I also really enjoy learning about the language of Spanish, and now I know that coming here, to Spain, is really going to help me excel!
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Zachary Slusher
Program: High School Abroad in Chile
Bio: I was raised in the small town of Solon, Iowa. In high school I was involved in many sports and clubs. Those activities gave me the opportunity to gain many friends, including a few foreign exchange students from countries like Japan, Germany, and Brazil.
During my sophomore year I fell in love with foreign languages/cultures. I took accelerated Spanish courses which allowed myself the opportunity to take higher level courses at the nearby university the following year.
I will be spending a semester in Santiago/Quillota, Chile. I hope to gain a better understanding of the Chilean culture and people, expand my Spanish skills, and make lifetime friends. I know that the trip will be a wonderful experience and is only the start of my world travels. Feel free to follow my blog and read about my trip.
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