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From CIEE

Discoveries within the Daily Life of Kyoto

By High School Gap Year at CIEE

If you’re here, you’re looking right at the immersive program at CIEE. Maybe you have questions: What will life be like? What to expect, what to be aware of, and... keep reading

From CIEE

The GAP Program in Berlin: The experience of Henrik Rauch

By CIEE Berlin at CIEE

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

From CIEE

Taking a GAP Year in Japan

By High School Gap Year at CIEE

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

From CIEE

Everything You Need to Know About Taking a Gap Year

By High School Gap Year at CIEE

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

From CIEE

CIEE's Climate Warriors

By High School Gap Year at CIEE

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

From CIEE

GAP & HSA: palaces & gastronomy in Écija & Osuna, Sevilla

By Sergio Jimenez at CIEE

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

From CIEE

It´s not goodbye, it´s hasta luego

By Sergio Jimenez at CIEE

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

Judaism in Toulouse

By Jonah R.

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

From CIEE

Exploring medieval castles in Sevilla

By Sergio Jimenez at CIEE

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

My Homestay Experience

By Jonah R.

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

From CIEE

Make your own Spanish tile

By Sergio Jimenez at CIEE

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

From CIEE

This could be you!

By Sergio Jimenez at CIEE

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

From CIEE

Exploring Roman ruins...

By Sergio Jimenez at CIEE

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

From CIEE

Studying Abroad in the Time of COVID-19

By CIEE Toulouse at CIEE

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

From CIEE

From Onsite to Online Cultural Activities in Toulouse

By High School Gap Year at CIEE

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

From CIEE

A Day trip to Carcassonne

By High School Gap Year at CIEE

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

From CIEE

Is this real?

By High School Gap Year at CIEE

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

From CIEE

It feels so wonderful to be here in Madrid and to belong to the world again!

By High School Gap Year at CIEE

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

Internship Update: Project #1

By Owen R.

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

Carnival Characters: Mask-Making Workshop

By Grace D.

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

San Luis

By Owen R.

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

My Homestay Experience in Costa Rica

By Owen R.

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

Who am I?

By Owen R.

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

Update: first week

By Victoria A.

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

Una Semana en Santiago: See What's Here

By Grace D.

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

Exploring The Unknown

By Margaret G.

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

From CIEE

A nice video & original song about Palma, by Raine Torres

By High School Gap Year at CIEE

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

Laissez-les vivre: A story about talking plates

By Nicole B.

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

From CIEE

Epiphanies

By Anne Jiang at CIEE

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

Lisbon, Portugal

By Payton F.

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

Gap Student Meets Reality.

By Ivana Madeline S.

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

Spring Break Part Three: France

By Payton F.

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

I Wrote This In The Moment

By Nicole B.

"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

Spring Break Part Two: Italy

By Payton F.

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

Spring Break Part One: Switzerland

By Payton F.

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

Excursion #1: Slave River, Cape Coast Castle, and Kakum National Park

By Mollie W.

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

Sun in our hair, in our eyes, on our skin: a blissful week in the Sun

By Nicole B.

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

A Day in the Life of a Gap Year Student in Ghana, West Africa

By Mollie W.

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

Tales from behind a glistening mug of Hot Chocolate

By Nicole B.

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

Meet Ivana Madeline

By Ivana Madeline S.

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

The Struggles of Organizing Travel and How to Avoid Them

By Payton F.

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

Córdoba

By Payton F.

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

From CIEE

New Year, New Us

By Anne Jiang at CIEE

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

Cathedral of Seville

By Payton F.

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

The First Month in Germany

By Kelly T.

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

A Brief Intro

By Payton F.

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

From CIEE

Simple Nostalgia

By Anne Jiang at CIEE

Spending the last two weeks back in the US after my first semester in Morocco, I’ve been able to enjoy so many comforts of home that I’ve missed these last... keep reading

Orientation In Berlin

By Kelly T.

Today was a little bit of a hectic day. I had a Berlin city tour starting at 9:30 and it ended up raining for all of it. It was not... keep reading

A Little Introduction

By Kelly T.

My name is Kelly Tobin. Although I am only 18 years old, I am already a self-proclaimed globetrotter and aspiring linguist--I have lived throughout the United States, in the Netherlands... keep reading

From CIEE

Know Before You Go: Coordination

By High School Gap Year at CIEE

In the October Newsletter, we shared information about the Connection and Curriculum sections of the pre-departure orientation. This month, let’s take a look at Coordination . In this section, participants... keep reading

From CIEE

Cell Phones

By High School Gap Year at CIEE

We know you want your participant to stay connected while they are abroad. There are a few options to consider: Use their United States smartphone on WiFi: With internet calling... keep reading

From CIEE

Travel Day and Arrivals

By High School Gap Year at CIEE

What happens on travel day and when your participant arrives in their host country? On the day your participant travels to their program location, there are a few important things... keep reading

Ready Sète Go

By Reed F.

A couple of weekends ago we had one our first program excursions to Sète! Here is a little video recap of what the weekend was like.

Normandy

By Reed F.

We’ve been lucky enough to see a good amount of Southern France. Everything from the Mediterranean coasts of Sete, the college towns of Montpellier, a little bit north into the... keep reading

CIEE Weekly Excursions: Culture, Business, and Fun in Berlin

By Lucia H.

Some of the greatest parts of the gap year global internship program, in my own opinion, are the weekly CIEE-sponsored excursions across the city. Since my internship takes place on... keep reading

World War 2 D-Day Sites

By Reed F.

Visiting the D-Day beaches has been on my radar ever since I got to France. Yesterday I was fortunate enough to participate in the afternoon tour of three different WW2... keep reading

I Spent a Day in Giverny!

By Oliver H.

I have been living in Paris for almost two months now, and I have seen many museums, cathedrals, and more that are all fantastically captivating as well as beautiful. However... keep reading

Exploring the East Side Gallery: Art and History in Berlin

By Lucia H.

Earlier this week I visited the East Side Gallery, which is a large section of the Berlin wall that has been covered in beautiful works of graffiti art. The East... keep reading

A Free Day at Charlottenburg Palace and Gardens

By Lucia H.

Last week I found myself with a weekday free from any work or CIEE related commitments, and absolutely perfect sunny weather. So what did I do? I hopped on the... keep reading

From CIEE

October Parent Newsletter

By High School Gap Year at CIEE

Welcome to our 2nd bi-monthly pre-departure Parent Newsletter in which we will make sure all key logistical information provided to participants through their online course is also available to parents... keep reading