A Week in Rome, Italy

Author: Amanda Lowrey

In February 2019, a group of 6th-8th graders and chaperones were exposed to bountiful aspects of Rome including history, cuisine, art, and culture! With the amazing assistance of Italy’s Program Coordinator, Rachel Zitin, the group uncovered a richer understanding of life in Rome, as it was in ancient times and present day! 

For travelers who love history, architecture, art, churches, fountains, piazzas, ancient buildings, and tasty cuisine, Rome is not a destination to miss! There are takeaways that everyone benefits from that allow students to receive hands-on experience in a culture different from their own. At the same time, teachers explore aspects of a city’s history with a dynamic that makes classroom material come alive through the culture.

Within a week in Rome, students got to know the city quite well and appreciated the top attractions while exploring the less popular ones!

Read on to find out what the group got to see and participate in during their week in Italy!

A Roman Welcome

Following a long day of travel from the U.S. to Italy, the group enjoyed a relaxing dinner of authentic Roman pizza to start off their week! The Esquilino neighborhood acted as their home away from home and playground for exploration, which also houses important basilicas, such as Santa Maria Maggiore and San Giovanni in Laterano. 

Closely located to their accommodations was the Colosseum and Roman Forum! Considered one of the world’s most popular attractions, the magnificent Colosseum was once a grand spectacle for gladiators, and the group got the chance to tour the arena from 80 AD! Ancient Rome’s city center was also explored within the Roman Forum and students got to take in the sights of the beautiful ruins. 

Let’s not forget about Italian cuisine! The group partook in a flavorsome dinner at a local favorite nearby their neighborhood, which included hearty pasta, vegetables, and a delicious tiramisu dessert to wrap up their third day! 

Pompeii

Additionally, students and chaperones thoroughly appreciated the day excursion to Pompeii, a famous Roman city located 150 miles south of Rome, which was buried under volcanic ash in AD 79 as a result of the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius! 

The group had the chance to explore the UNESCO World Heritage Site with Rachel and an archaeological guide. Though the city is known to be “frozen in time,” the ruins gave students a unique insider’s look into ancient Roman life.  

Speaking of Mt. Vesuvius, did you know that it is still considered an active volcano today? The group had the opportunity to climb to the top, where they were able to see the Bay of Naples, Herculaneum and the Mediterranean Sea!

Art & Gastronomy 

Moreover, the group had the chance to become artists for the day! Since Italy is greatly known for its abundant art and culture, students walked around iconic sites and attended a watercolor workshop with an artist, where they created their own masterpiece to take home! 

Besides marvelous art and architecture, Italian gastronomy is hard to beat! The group prepared a three-course meal with a local chef, with a menu including Rome’s most famous dishes! Students and chaperones had a wonderful time and loved the experience in the kitchen! 

Correspondingly, Testaccio Neighborhood used to be the central port for food supply in ancient Roman days, and now accommodates some of Rome’s greatest eateries! In particular, Testaccio’s food market offered local delicacies that the group savored together! 

The Historic Center 

Furthermore, Rome’s historic center is rich in piazzas, cobblestone streets, and architecture, but also the headquarters of massive attractions, including the Spanish Steps and the Pantheon! This 135 step staircase was completed in 1725! The Pantheon is a two-thousand year old temple, which is now a church, and features the largest unreinforced concrete dome. 

In a similar manner, the Trevi Fountain is arguably the most famous fountain in the world! Tradition states that visitors toss a coin into the water to ensure a return to the Eternal City! Our students got to try this tradition out for themselves!

Vatican City 

Situated west of the Tiber River, the Vatican City is the world’s smallest independent national site and the epicenter for the Catholic Church. Covering a little over 100 acres, this city possesses stunning buildings, gardens, museums, churches, and maintains its own banking and media stations. 

The group ventured inside the Vatican Museums, which feature the world’s greatest art collections, including frescoed rooms by Raphael and Egyptian mummies! The Sistine Chapel was another fascinating and momentous building the group toured, which houses Michelangelo’s frescoes and The Last Judgement. 

Located within Vatican City, St. Peter’s Basilica is one of the world’s holiest catholic shrines and enormous central church in Rome. In the fourth century, the church was built on the site of St. Peter’s grave, but the original building was replaced with the current Basilica millions of visitors tour each year.

The group toured the aforementioned areas and learned about the plans and purpose of the city. In the evening, the group enjoyed a family-style Italian meal, including appetizers, pasta dishes and main courses! 

In closing, the group had an amazing time and took away lessons and knowledge that they’ll cherish for life! After having so many immersive experiences within one week, it’s no wonder that the group departed Italy with suitcases full of educational and captivating moments!  This type of program in Italy grants students, teachers, and chaperones, the ability to pursue an interest in international education, improve their second language skills, and see another part of the world.  

It’s important that programs feel connected and understood. Reflecting on experiences provides students with the opportunity to express their own thoughts and build trust in the team. For this reason, EdOdyssey directs groups to participate in group reflections each day, in order to unpack observations and takeaways together. 

For more insight into the importance of these meaningful moments together, check out our past blog, “Three Main Reasons Why We Do Group Reflections”!

How to Define the Study Abroad "Immersion" Experience

Immersion during study abroad involves a deep involvement and understanding of the culture of a different country. It is not just an overview or a checklist of that country’s features, but a thorough encounter into the sublayers of social, political, ideological, and economic factors that define it as a culture. 

If you are involved in the education field as an administrator, teacher or faculty member, your role in a study abroad program comes from preparing and supporting your students in making the most of their experiences within another culture. For students and travelers, your job starts with embracing the challenges that another country presents and finding the best ways to connect with this new culture.

Our team supports educators from across the academic spectrum, from middle schools to higher education, in creating programs that immerse students in another culture. You’ll learn more about how educators collaborate with us to build programs that authentically educate and inspire students through valuable experiences.

Our students organized over 1,000 pounds of food in Córdoba during their immersion in Spain!

Defining Your Immersion

Immersion is an experience that allows you to go deeper into layers of culture and what it really means to live in another society, despite any stereotypes you may have heard. An immersion experience helps students build a sense of appreciation for all the things that make us different: language, history, race, cultural background and cultural expressions, assets and challenges. As students understand challenges and differences in this new culture, they’ll approach the unknown, but all of our teachers will have a team of experts supporting the program as your group faces culture shock so the group can go into the experience with an open mind and heart.

Certain aspects of daily life cannot be captured in pre-packaged programs that don’t differentiate for learning objectives. That is why EdOdyssey focuses on experiences that are specific to what teachers and educators want their students to learn and value from their visits.

We plan accordingly. If a class’ focus is on improving students’ language proficiency, then every moment becomes an opportunity to teach language. For example, if the group of students has been waiting in line for our scheduled Welcome Lunch, our Cultural Advisor takes this time as a teachable moment. He takes opportunity to educate your students on common phrases used by waiters to tell you that your table is about to be ready. Then we help you and your students find out that the meaning of ahorita, or “right away”, is actually a time construct that can mean either right now or in half an hour, depending on the context.

In all of our countries around the world, our team of educators embrace the quiet moments as teachable moments, time for reflection, and an opportunity for teachers and educators to bond with their students. 

If the focus of the program is more a cultural-type immersion, that restaurant visit becomes a visit to el mercado, or a farmer’s market of sorts, is a more permanent sight in countries like Peru. We take that opportunity to educate your students about the struggles of daily life in certain areas of countries, making ends and how a place like el mercado is a place where the less fortunate can have a high-value meal for a fraction of the price of a restaurant, and where bargaining is not disrespectful but a way to get the most out of whatever budget you have for that day.

Immersion helps students understand culture and cherish it, and our mission comes from wanting to support educators and providing the best possible experience for the students.

The Immersion Experience & The Role of Educators

As an educator, your goal goes beyond taking your students on vacation and expanding their perspective. A vacation by definition is an extended period of leisure and recreation. Vacationers keep away from the daily stresses found back home. However, from our over five years working with educators, the goal of an immersion experience comes from becoming part of the cultural community of the country and embracing the challenges that come with us.

Furthermore, when teachers collaborate with us, the teachers can focus on bonding with their students and all of us as educators can support students to build context around the culture and support them through culture shock.

Our study abroad students in Lima visited one of our local partners!

For short term programs, it is understandable that you may be eager to have your class visit and have a look at the most popular or important places the other country has to offer to you, but remember that teachers and your group are not tourists. The students will approach these sights with the aim of becoming familiar with not only their history, but how that history defines their culture today and how their society behaves in relation to that history.

A short experience does not mean it can’t be a deeply enriching experience.

Managing Your Expectations

In another country, some services or situations may not always work or happen as you expect. Certain places might require cash and credit cards may not exist or be widely used in certain areas. 

Conveniences that we have taken for granted at home may not be available and we need to adjust when abroad. Before students go abroad, we share important notes and packing tips that will support them. That way, students will start to appreciate the nuances and particularities of their new home country, and by the end of their time abroad, they will tell stories of how they are now ready to take on challenges that life presents them.

Your Perspective Matters

Even if the program is short, teachers and students can still make the most of their stay by simply maintaining focus. It is not a vacation, it’s an immersion. As such, if the allotted time for your group is short then our team will aim for your group to gain the most authentic experience possible in that time. Your group will get a taste of what living there really is like, and everyone involved will be amazed at how much can be learned from a country in just a few days with an educational approach.

The right approach can turn challenges into opportunities, and that is the change of mindset we want our students and teachers to enjoy when they’re abroad. That is a positive change, a change of feeling empowered rather than hopeless. A feeling they will carry with them for the rest of their lives because they may be on the other side of the world, but they will be just fine.

Are you interested in taking the first step and building a truly meaningful immersion experience abroad?

It’s never too early or too late to start planning or to improve a past program! Please shoot us a message here and tell us about your idea for prospective program abroad!

6 Major Program 2019 Highlights Across Our 5 Locations

As we close up shop on 2019, we’re excited to share with you some notable highlights, including amazing activities and famous sites, that groups of students and faculty were able to enjoy all around the globe! 

Here’s a closer look into our custom programs during 2019: 

Madrid, Cordoba, and Seville, Spain

A group of students visited Spain in March, 2019 for a Spanish Immersion program, full of rich cultural heritage. Students participated in a many interactive activities during the stay, such as a scavenger hunt in Madrid, where they explored an area of the city center and searched for objects within the area. The group absorbed Spanish art, culture, and language while touring the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, and incorporated the use of the Spanish language with Spanish artwork. Students also had the opportunity to visit the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, home to the soccer team, Real Madrid! 

Following Madrid, students were immersed into a variety of classes and instruction in Cordoba, Spain, as they attended school with their host brothers and sisters. Students had time to become acquainted with their host families and explore the city together. The group also visited Fundación de Banco de Alimentos, a non-profit organization that provides support to lower income families and serves the community. 

Students also learned about Spain’s ancient history during a visit to La Mezquita, the historic area of Cordoba. One of the best examples was the Mezquita-Catedral, which was originally constructed as a Mosque and now is a Catholic Cathedral. As the program came to a close, students put on their dancing shoes as they worked with a local musician to learn about the folkloric music of flamenco, its roots, and history in Southern Spain.

Rome, Italy 

March was a busy month for travel as an additional group of students and faculty visited Italy.  One of the faculty leaders for EdOdyssey’s Rome Program enjoyed a program inspired from the work Walking with a Palladio: A Passport to Rome that helped give students valuable insight into the history of Rome. After settling in, the group explored important basilicas, including Santa Maria Maggiore, San Giovanni in Laterano, and the Basilica of San Clemente. Following a long first day of travel, students enjoyed a group dinner with roman style pizza. 

Rome’s historic center is incredibly generous with its architecture and rich history, including some of the biggest attractions, such as the Pantheon, a nearly 2,000 year old former Roman temple that is now a church, and the Colosseum, Rome’s greatest gladiatorial arena inaugurated in 80 A.D. Next, students toured surrounding ancient ruins, where they traced origins back to Palantine Hill and spent time in the Roman Forum, known as the downtown district of temples. 

The group also ventured over to one of the most famous fountains in the world, the Trevi Fountain. Tradition requires that visitors toss a coin into the fountain to ensure a return to the Eternal City! St. Peter’s Square and St. Peter’s Basilica could not be missed! Students spent a full day in the Vatican City and visited the Sistine Chapel and the Vatican Museum, home to some of the world’s greatest art collections.

Students were also able to spend time with local students, volunteer, and gain insight into a typical italian school atmosphere. Another interactive, hands-on activity included a special group dinner prepared by the group with a local chef, and delicious samplings of famous dishes! 

“The best part of the trip was going to the school because we met so many new people and got to experience another culture with kids that were our ages. I would definitely recommend this trip to anyone and I would personally go back again.” - Cole, Student

Shanghai, Guilin, Yangshuo and Daxu, China

EdOdyssey also travelled to China in 2019 with students studying Mandarin to understand the importance of Chinese culture and their way of life. Beginning in Shanghai, students spent time with their sister school, Shanghai High School. Afterward, the group traveled to Guilin and engaged in intensive small group Chinese classes to strengthen language skills used during the remainder of the program. 

Additional interactive activities included Taiji Quan with a Taiji master. Taiji Quan, often spelled Tai Chi in the West, is a Chinese martial art practiced for defense training and health benefits. Students also met with local students to hike Chuan Shan, Guilin’s karst mountain scenery, and participated in a Chinese calligraphy lesson led by a local artist. To dive deeper into China’s religious roots, the group explored a Buddhist monastery, chatted with monks, and meandered through the underground prayer caves.  

“The mountainous view was gorgeous and unreal. We learned a lot about the religious culture as it [Guilin] was a more rural part of China compared to Shanghai but I definitely enjoyed both totally different experiences a lot.” - Ikwo, Student 

Students enjoyed learning about tea culture through a traditional Chinese tea ceremony and savored a hot pot dinner followed by karaoke with Chinese friends. The group also cruised down the famous Li River to Yangshuo and explored the famous shopping and cultural district. 

Lima and Cusco, Peru 

During April of 2019, a group of students traveled to Peru for a Solidarity & Service Trip. They improved on their Spanish language skills through authentic immersion and service with local communities. Corazón de Jesús, a K-12 school located in a low-income area of Lima, was the students’ first immersive experience where they played with children and had lunch in the school cafeteria with local students. 

Upon arrival to Cusco, the group got acquainted with a city tour, then visited a local ceramic class and made their own Torito de Pucará, which is well known in Cusco due to its representation of the Peruvian South-Andean identity.

The group rode PeruRail Train from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes, the base town of Machu Picchu, and explored the ancient ruins with a local guide. After a short bus ride to Amaru, the group lived like the local community, prepared their own food with the help of Amaru friends, and visited other local residents, such as the alpaca and vicuña. 

Their return to the States included one last stop in Lima, and students spent the afternoon exploring the center of Lima, along with it’s beautiful architecture. However, their program wasn’t complete without taking part in a Peruvian cooking class!

The final service project in Lima was in Pamplona Alta, a special community EdOdyssey has maintained a close bond with. There, students worked together with leaders to build stairs up in the hills where access to water and electricity is limited. 

“This trip was one that I will never forget, and one that I would never change. This trip changed the way I view the world. It also allowed me to connect further with who I truly am as a person. Throughout this trip I gained a deeper understanding of how other people around the world live everyday. The amazing people in Peru who accepted us from the moment we arrived to our departure showed me what it meant to embrace your culture and where you come from.” - Grace, Student 

Quebec and Montreal, Canada

As the fall semester began for students, French language students visited Canada in October, 2019 to focus on the past and present of Quebec. At the beginning, the students were welcomed by their host families and spent time getting to know them. Students also attended French language classes at a local school to utilize the target language as much as possible and had lunch in the cafeteria with the locals. 

Students participated in a scavenger hunt in Quebec City and visited a local Sugar Shack to learn how maple syrup is collected and sampled the delicious sweet. In addition to learning about Canada’s sweet traditions, the group also had the chance to taste a traditional speciality known as Poutine! 

After a short journey to Montreal, students had time to discover the historic neighborhood and see sites such as the Notre-Dame Basilica with a local certified bilingual guide. Students also prepared traditional Quebec cuisine with a local chef for dinner! Their program concluded with an entertaining workshop about local graffiti art where students created their own masterpieces!

Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú, Lima, Peru

Groups of our study abroad students arrived in Lima, Peru for spring, summer, and fall semesters, where they met up with the EdOdyssey team in preparation for their semester or academic year abroad at PUCP. During their first month, our students began to familiarize themselves with the area, visited other districts in Lima, volunteered with local organizations to serve their community, got to know their homestay families, and attended an 80-hour language booster course to become comfortable with Spanish as their primary language of communication. 

Additionally, our groups of students went on in-depth journeys to explore Peru’s incredible diversity through excursions to Iquitos, Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu, Cusco, and Huacachina, and Ica. All excursions displayed different landscapes and components of Peru, including the cuisine and history, in hopes of students continuing to seek out adventures during their travels. 

As this fall semester comes to a close, we hope our current study abroad students can enjoy their last few weeks in Lima and reflect on all of the enriching experiences Peru has brought into their lives. 

“Soon Peru became like a home to me, thanks to the program coordinator and the other staff who constantly went above and beyond what was expected of them to ensure that we all were well accommodated. The additional trips that were offered throughout the semester and the volunteer opportunities were definitely a huge part of my experience and I am grateful to have been a part of such a beautiful thing.” - Yarlenis, EdOdyssey Study Abroad 2019 Alum 

Some of these EdOdyssey 2019 highlights have made for a fun-filled year! We look forward to all of our programs happening in 2020! 

Interested in designing your own custom program with EdOdyssey? Visit our webpage for more information on how you can get involved with immersive international experiences with your students during 2020. Below is a video highlighting EdOdyssey and why we believe travel changes people!

Check out our new welcome video!

Three Tips on Starting Your Semester Strong

Whether you’re beginning your senior year in high school, or second year in college, starting your semester strong is an important foundation for the year! It may seem cliché but being conscientious of how you begin your year can really affect the rest of the semester.

Below are three tips on maintaining an efficient semester!  

Organize & Strategize 

Life gets more hectic once the school year starts! The homework and assignments can start to pile up if you don’t start off on the right foot because you’ll have to start managing your activities, sports, work and homework as the school year goes on!

If you start with good habits, you’ll set a good pace to run the semester in a marathon and not sprinting to finish assignments at the last second. It’s also a good time to strategize for your spring semester and not procrastinate. Don’t be afraid to ask for help from teachers or friends! 

Create a schedule for yourself to follow and really try your best to stay on schedule - this will help you get back into the swing of things. If you map out your assignments beyond just the week ahead, you’ll have the ability to create a roadmap to stay on top of those assignments and you’ll be less likely to feel overwhelmed if you start your projects and papers early on to get ahead. 

If a planner seems like too much work, you can use apps like Evernote or My Study Life to help manage all of the class notes you’ll be taking, and assignments you’ll be completing. 

Stay Ahead of The Game 

Meet with your academic advisor, or academic counselor, within the first month to go over expectations for the year. Check on what courses are left to complete before graduation and keep a checklist of courses that are higher priority that should be completed sooner than later. 

Staying ahead of the game can also relate to studying abroad! If you're contemplating going overseas, it’s never too early to plan for it! You can get organized on which schools offer the study abroad program of your desired choice, and understand what going abroad truly entails.

Make Your Dream of Going Abroad a Reality

If you’re in high school, you don’t necessarily need to wait until college to go abroad! EdOdyssey works with high schools and teachers to create mission-aligned programs so high school students can immerse themselves in cultural experiences. You can go abroad with your friends, make new memories, and get a taste at what international travel is all about. 

If you’re in college, you can contact your study abroad office, or speak with an administrator, to get information on programs available for studying abroad and see if there are peer advisors you can meet with to get more insight into what a semester abroad might look like.

Plan ahead about where you might want to travel to, so that you can keep in mind what language classes will be required or which semesters are available to apply for. 

Curious how studying abroad impacts a student’s life? Check out Finding the True Meaning Behind Studying Abroad to read on about an EdOdyssey Alumni’s experience overseas. 

Three Ways Immersion Develops Language

My classmates and I in Madrid, Spain.

On my first day of Spanish class in Madrid, my fellow students and I came prepared with pens and notebooks. When my professor arrived, the first piece of instruction she gave us was to put our materials away. She said,

“The only thing we will be using today are our eyes, ears, and mouths.”

The feeling of panic was palpable in the room. None of us were accustomed to language classes that placed an emphasis on speaking. Although I learned so much about vocabulary and grammar in my high school and college Spanish courses, they didn’t do much to improve my speaking skills.

Total Immersion Keeps You on Your Toes

She proceeded to address the students randomly, asking them questions about what they like and dislike about Spain. She often used colloquial Spanish terms, which was a refreshing yet difficult departure from my classes in the States. The majority of us struggled with formulating sentences on the spot, but were able to answer her after a moment of reflection. When she addressed my friend and I, we looked at each other and immediately froze. With the combination of her unfamiliar accent and use of vosotros, we were at a loss for words.

The Freedom to Make Mistakes

After some laughs from the class, my natural instinct was to open up my notebook and look for the correct answer. In that moment, I realized that this exact situation is what I hoped to experience when I enrolled in the study abroad program.

I wanted to be linguistically challenged. Although I was grateful for the ability to decently express myself through written Spanish, it is not nearly as useful as speaking the language. I knew I would have to speak Spanish whenever entering a store or restaurant, so what better way to practice than in a classroom setting?

Language exchanges are a great way for students to practice Spanish in a casual, real-life setting.

Consistency Creates Confidence

I embraced the moment and answered my professor’s questions to the best of my ability. Later, I completed a difficult speaking exercise with my classmates. The more we practiced speaking, the easier it became Although the 6-week course was challenging, I gained so much clarity and confidence with the language. During my program, I attended numerous intercambios, or language exchanges with Madrileños seeking to learn English.

Each day in Madrid, I made a conscious effort to use Spanish whenever possible that helped strengthen and reinforce knowledge from my classes. During my fifth week in Spain, I finally felt comfortable using the vosotros tense and began to overcome my fear of making mistakes. After this valuable experience, I have full confidence that total immersion is the best way to fully develop speaking skills in the language.

Have you ever wanted to strengthen your Spanish speaking abilities and connect with another culture?

We offer 80 hours of intensive Spanish classes to any student who participates in our study abroad program in Lima, Peru. Check out our study abroad page to learn more!

Five Tips For Diving Deep Into A New Culture

Our immersion programs start with an intense, authentic look into another country, language and culture which make it extra important for students of all ages to go into their trip abroad with an open mind and ready to take on each activity. However, the initial challenge of jumping into an unknown place gives each student an amazing opportunity to embrace new experiences.

After you get off the plane, you'll quickly feel exposed to a new language and a different culture. We want you to feel mentally prepared and confident as possible and we want you to have some resources for those instances when you, or another group member, feel stuck in an awkward moment.  

We want you to feel comfortable doing from the start and we know that the unknown can seem scary but we want you to be mentally ready for these so you get the most out of your experience abroad.

Here are five pieces of advice to taking that deep five into a new culture:

1. Embrace The Unknown: We’re Your Safety Net!

When you get off the plane, you'll probably feel some combination of tired, hungry and groggy so we want to keep you moving and exploring your first day so you get a good night's rest.

As you get over the jetlag, you'll have an opportunity to try speaking the local language! If you don’t say a word or phrase correctly the first time, you have us to help you and you’ll have more opportunities. We recommend starting with a word or short phrase and build from there and feel free to keep an EdOdyssey team member or friend who speaks the language well nearby. Don't be embarrassed!  

For newer (and veteran) language learners, you can keep a menu nearby in case you want to point to what you’re referring to if you want to try and do it yourself. A safety net can never hurt as continue learning so eventually you can build on that confident and start taking on longer, more complicated interactions on your own.  

2. Always Celebrate Your Victories

After you order successfully order food for the first time, or you try a new food, you can’t forget to take a second and appreciate a sense of accomplishment. If you’re more of a picky eater, or an introvert, we can all easily get wrapped up in feeling like we need to look to the next challenge or milestone without fully respecting that we continue to improve.

3. Make New Mistakes & Learn From Them

As we dive into a new culture and language, sometimes we accidentally send the wrong message with our words or our body language. Whether we don’t use the correct tone, or mix up masculine and feminine, which is normal. Find a simple way to say what you

All language learners at all levels confuse words or phrases, and that’s okay!  we just have to figure out how to get around these obstacles as they get in front of us.  

4. Asking For Help Is Okay!

If you’re confused, you have friends and EdOdyssey staff members who are ready to help! We want to hear your questions because there are teachable moments and universal lessons that helps all of us learn together. At the end of each day together, we enjoy group reflections and we like to explore these questions and observations together so we can grow and share the same experience together.

5. Celebrate Your Vocabulary

As educators, we encourage all of our students to complete sentences in the other language but sometimes it’s best to start with the core vocabulary!  If you find that you’re conveying the correct message in the target language, we encourage you to go to the basics and focus on the vocabulary. If you focus on pronouncing the word or short phrase with “please” to any reasonable request, you should be well received!

Unfortunately, no one becomes completely fluent in another language during our 7-10 day immersion programs. However, our students gain an appreciation for their language skills and see how the language works in real life. We want to challenge you to think about how you view language and ways to communicate with other native speakers.

We’ve seen our students step out of their own comfort zone and have the best time abroad so we hope that you’ll embrace your journey!  If you want to learn more about language, please check out our Four Tips For Embracing The Language Learning Process!