Gap Year Abroad Blog

We are always looking to hear how the experience of our students has been no matter which program they did. That’s why we take time to listen them and get... keep reading

Post submitted by Emma C, Gap Year in Japan '23 When I was 13 years old, I decided I wanted to study abroad. I had visited a museum that featured... keep reading

Thinking about taking a gap year abroad? You may have a lot of questions varying from cost to length of time, and even where to go. Big decisions can be... keep reading

Climate change is among the biggest concerns threatening Monteverde’s famously rich ecosystems. Due to rising global temperatures, the timing, strength, and frequency of cloud cover and rainfall is becoming increasingly... keep reading

Our GAP and HSA students got to visit these wonderful towns before they departed back to the States. Ecija is known as the City of Towers. Located in the centre... keep reading

Our GAP program ended last week and althought we are sad to see our participants go, we are extremelly happy to have been able to offer a program that offers... keep reading

For about a year before leaving for Toulouse, I studied Hebrew and Judaism mostly through Zoom with a private tutor and another student close to my age. In our last... keep reading

Our GAP students got the opportunity to explore two of the most important towns in the province of Seville: Alcalá de Guadaira and Utrera. Alcalá’s castle is the result of... keep reading

In the months leading up to my departure for Toulouse, my mom and friends told me that speaking French everyday with my host family would be the best way to... keep reading

See our GAP students in a typical poterry workshop where they get the chance to design and paint their own Spanish tile. Images speak for themself. Which colors would you... keep reading

Our GAP participants get to enjoy two activities per week. These activities can go from a varity of choices: cooking class, exploring museums, visiting churches, learning the rich history of... keep reading

Our GAP students went on a day trip to Itálica, Sevilla. Italica was an important Roman cultural center as well as one of the first Roman settlements in Spain. If... keep reading

Based on an interview of Mia Merk, CIEE Gap student in Fall 2020 (September 28-December 19) in Toulouse, France As early as her Junior year of High School, Mia had... keep reading

AND…Life must go on! Since the beginning of November, France has been under lockdown again. This means, for CIEE staff and student, that the program keeps going on…line. GYA students... keep reading

Occitanie region includes some of the most remarkable site in France. Carcassonne is one of them and is an absolute must-see when visiting the south-west of France. From Toulouse, it... keep reading

Our Gap students arrived in Toulouse on September 28, almost four weeks ago already! And yet, they continue asking themselves: is this real? It always takes time to fully grasp... keep reading

Follow our first Gap students to return to Spain this fall.

Wow, time flies here! At just over the two-month mark of my time here in Costa Rica, I finished the first significant part of my sustainable landscaping internship. This post... keep reading

Hey y'all! Have you ever heard of Carnival? I'm guessing that your mind first jumped to Rio de Janeiro and its Carnival. Carnaval dominicano is different, with its own particular... keep reading

Today I wanted to post a smaller blog on the city of San Luis. There are two main cities that people on the CIEE campus frequent often. They are Santa... keep reading

Adjusting to a new place and culture can be pretty jarring. One thing that can always make it easier, though, is being received with open arms by your new community... keep reading

Hello Everyone! My name is Owen, and I will be posting blogs and updates from CIEE's Monteverde campus in Costa Rica. Before I start posting about all my adventures and... keep reading

I would like to say I haven't been active on my log yet due to my extremely busy schedule. But to be absolutely truthful, I have been in a beautiful... keep reading

Hey y'all! It's been about a week since I first touched down in Santiago. Coming from North Carolina winter, such as it is, to winter in the Caribbean has been... keep reading

It simultaneously feels like I landed yesterday, and like I’ve been living here my entire life. I guess that’s what happens while living on Moroccan time. But in reality, I’ve... keep reading

By Raine Torres For Palma - Original Song This summer I and thirty-five other American high school students spent four weeks living as locals in Palma de Mallorca, Spain with... keep reading

The unwashed espresso cup sits next to the machine for hours. It goes through three transitions, I've noticed: white, then off-white and then finally, brown. This cup sits untouched from... keep reading

Two weeks ago, CIEE Rabat hosted what we’ve dubbed amongst ourselves “the worldwide conference”—a gathering for CIEE directors around the globe, over a hundred in total. It goes without saying... keep reading

A couple of weekends ago we went to Lisbon (or Lisboa in Spanish) with CIEE for a weekend excursion. It was a three day trip, and a great way to... keep reading

Although, I'm late in the game with uploading these blogs, don't worry I'm still here! Before I started my new life in Berlin, I expected two things: 1) It will... keep reading

Although Italy was the highlight of the tour I went on, I also really liked the parts of France that I saw. Since the trip left from Paris, and I... keep reading

"Where's your favorite place to be?", Francis asked. [Three weeks Later] There's something fascinating about looking outside the window during long train rides. It's the thrill of expectation about a... keep reading

Welcome to Italia! (Country names are pretty easy to remember in Spanish - they are basically the same in English!) For our first day in Italy, we didn't have a... keep reading

Back from Spring Break already! Honestly, it was a great experience and one that I am looking forward to sharing. I am going to be splitting my trip into three... keep reading

Two weeks ago, the CIEE study abroad students and I embarked on our first excursion. We left on a 4 hour bus drive to Cape Coast, Ghana. We first went... keep reading

I prayed for the Sun and the Sun came. It came every single morning. It comes at 7:30 am, it's golden hue waking the city from its slumber. In the... keep reading

I have been in Ghana for about six weeks now, and since I have had the opportunity to settle down and get my bearings, I felt that it was the... keep reading

There is something alluring about Parisian outdoor cafes. It's larger than the faint aromas of warmly-baked gâteaux or steamy mugs of chocolat chaud that reduce me into jitters each time... keep reading

Hey y’all! My name is Ivana Madeline Samson and I’m originally from Southern California. I’m currently 18 years old, but I’ll soon be 19 during abroad! I am part of... keep reading

So... First things first: spring break comes a lot quicker than you expect. And it also requires a lot more organization than you probably think. Because CIEE doesn't plan anything... keep reading

Hola, and welcome to a new place in Spain! Last Saturday we went on our first of a few CIEE weekend trips; the first one being to Córdoba. This lovely... keep reading

I still can’t decipher whether anxiety or excitement took center stage last Monday as I took the tram to the CIEE study center in Rabat for the first time in... keep reading

One of the prettiest views so far has been the Catedral, which we went on a tour of. Both the inside and outside are gorgeous, and it was really interesting... keep reading

My second weekend in Germany, I had the opportunity to go to Leipzig with the Open Campus students. We took a train on Friday an hour and a half south... keep reading

Hello and welcome to my blog about Seville! My name is Payton! I'm actually still a highschool student, but I'm finished will all my classes and am graduating when I... keep reading