MaureenB

I am not writing an article.
I meant to say that my journalistic instincts are inescapable-- once a reporter, always a reporter. Gotta do the research, gotta answer every question for every topic. It's one reason I'm an obsessive travel planner, too!

MaureenB

Thank you, Catbert! (We must have been posting at the same time.)

P.S. Is it snowing in Summit again? It just started flurrying in Denver. We should arrange our own GTG! Thanks again for your understanding and helpful information.

Catbert

Yes! And I hope it stops soon. I have some running around I need to do.

If you want to talk more about a GTG or would like to put your student in touch with mine, please feel free to email me. [email protected]

SiobhanP

I have had the opportunity to be an exchange student in HS and study abroad in Asia when in College. It is such a fantastic experience for a youn person and can really give them confidence and shape their perspective on the world. I cannot reccommend it enough. As there can be issues in some programmes you cannot research everything and hand hold. Its their opportunity to fend for themselves to a point.

I first was an AFS student in Finland for a summer after HS. It was a fanmtastic exoerience and I learned a lot. My second was in college on a study abroad to Asia for 3 months and it was a fantastic awakening into the other side of the world and opened so many doors for me in my life.

They will always meet up with other stidents and have a crowd of friends and if they are adventerous they will make some local friends too which is what it is about as well. I met some American Students in Florence 2 years ago and I was asking about their eperience and they loved it...also let me know where the good places to shop for reasonable priced clothes and places to eat. They were pretty spot on.

Both experiences on my study abroad travels have helped me in interviews, and jobs over the years. Most are quite surprised by the Asia one as I guess I "don't look the type" and they see another side to me

Ozarksbill

I am reminded of our daughter's senior year in Paris some years ago. She was a history major in a small Missouri college but almost ready to drop out (for personal reasons). She loved her year in a NY Univ. program in Paris including being au pair and added a French major.

But coming home she missed interviews and ended up in an office job for some years. What can you do with a history and French major and don't want to teach? Fast foward some years: she is now an educator in a history museum married to a Quebecois and living in Amesbury, MA. Actually, this professor husband's English is better than her French!

Also our son years ago spent a semester in Sweden in a college related program, in fact, could then speak fluent Swedish, is now a college prof. teaching political science & African studies and fluent in French.

A local university actually encourages every student to study abroad if at all possible because it changes their whole outlook.

ozarksbill

MaureenB

Ozarksbill, great success stories-- thanks! Sound like they are very well-balanced young adults now. Congrats.

SAnParis

Regardless of the reason behind the quest there is little reason to express rudeness. "...I'm looking for info, not advice..." "...Can we please just stick to the facts & travel experiences..." I'm fairly sure everyone on here is trying to be helpful. One could try to be a little more appreciative & a little less demanding.

ceb1222

Favorite topic of mine! Like some others, I'm not a parent, and I realized in reading through this why you're looking for a parent's experiences. There aren't many current or too recent college students on this board. My experience was five years ago. Technology, in that length of time, has changed drastically. Parents of current students who have studied abroad recently are more able to help with the technological side of things (we were encouraged NOT to bring computers of any sort, as the classes were tailored to ensure we wouldn't have to do any sort of word processing!).

One thing I can help with on the technology front: I did buy a cell phone in Spain, rather than take one with me (that, again, was not an option). At the time, cell phones could be purchased at the department store and minutes were pre-purchased. Any time I needed more minutes, I went in and bought more.

But I can answer some of your other questions...

I had plenty of time to travel. Our class schedule was set so we had Fridays off - my program encouraged travel on weekends. I think I stayed in Sevilla MAYBE four weekends the entire time I was there. Every other weekend, I traveled to different cities within Spain, and once to Morocco on a school-organized trip. The ability to travel really enhanced my experience. And it was relatively cheap. Studying in Florence (where my sister will most likely be studying next year!) will afford her the opportunity for cheap and easy weekend trips within Italy (Cinqueterre, Rome, Siena, even Naples).

I went to Sevilla, Spain. Best experience of my life.

Several tours were planned by the university through which I studied. I did a lot of independent traveling with friends, as well, but one trip I would not have made without the support of my program was to Morocco.

I stayed an additional three weeks at the end of the semester. I wish I had stayed longer, but I had a boyfriend at the time that drew me home. But in those three weeks, I traveled from Sevilla to Nice, Montecarlo, Cinqueterre, Pisa, Florence, Rome, Naples, Capri, Venice, Interlaken, Munich, Brussels, and Paris ( I may be forgetting some!). It was definitely a whirlwind trip (we're talking a city a day), which many on this board will eschew, but it was a great experience for me, and I knew I was just determining where I wanted to return!

In Sevilla, my friends and I found a travel agency that actually helped us find some great deals. We spent a week in the Canary Islands for an extremely low price. Your daughter may not even have to limit herself to hostels - there are some very nice lower-echelon hotels in Europe that, split among several people, are very budget-friendly.

On a final note, I was stranded on I-70 last weekend! I was visiting my aunt in Denver, and we drove over to Glenwood Springs for the day. We tried to head home, only to find the tunnel at Loveland Pass closed! We spent the night in Frisco!

Ozarksbill

MaureenB, thanks for your kind words. Yes, I guess our three adult children have turned out OK. They are not without their challenges but in addition to what I said before, let me add that over the years we did alot of family travel in the U.S. with our three children with focus on historic and scenic sites. Being in tent or popup was a cheap vacation getting out of town (away from phone). And I do believe this instilled a questing spirit in our kids. Also it created many family memories.

Thinking back to our daughter in France years ago as a college senior, I am reminded of a time when we heard nothing from her for weeks about this time of year. Turned out she was having a wonderful time traveling with Christmas in Rome, going by way of Carcasonne and Florence.

Still another facet of this topic. Over the years we had many international students in our homes. which of course broadened the scope of our kids. Thanksgiving is an excellent time to invite a student for an American holiday! Check with your local college. BTW, we had lots of fun playing table games which don't require conversation. Ever play Blockhead?

ozarksbill

MaureenB

SiobhanP, ceb1222, and ozarksbill-- thank you so much for all your helpful info. Siobhan, sorry you were stranded on I-70! I guess it's good you found a room.
Ozarksbill, opening your home to international students is such a nice thing to do. It's a great way that we in the U.S. can help students who are 'studying abroad' here.
Ceb1222, getting a cell phone there is probably the easiest way to go. Thanks for the tip. The program my daughter will do in Florence only gives them Friday afternoons and Monday afternoons off. A weird way to schedule, I think. Why not all of Friday off, all of Monday on? Or Friday afternoon off, Monday morning, off. Oh, well, not my call. I think she'll still have time to travel, and hope she can get to Turin during the Olympics. What a thrill that would be, even if she couldn't get event tickets, just to be there.

MelMarena1

Wow, this one is long! I've just logged on this week and the reason is that our whole family will be going to visit daughter #2 who is studying an hour north of Paris. I went to a Swiss university during my junior year of college and it was hard to say yes as she is a just a high school senior. But she has been in France since August and returns to her high school in February just in time for Prom, etc. AFS was full so she went through CIEE and has stayed with one host family until last week and then changed to a new family this week. We are going to visit her at Christmas. She has already been to the South of France to visit a family member during vacation. She has also had side trips with her host family. This experience allows her to be "taken care" of more than mine. Even though many colleges were involved in my experience, we had the "easy out" of speaking English if we had to. Her french is much better than I thought it would be and she is in school for up to 10 hours a day...that's true immersion. Any suggestions of what we could do over the holidays? I need something that is a surprise...off the beaten path.

MaureenB

MelMarena, maybe her French families could give you some great off-the-beaten track suggestions. Sounds like a fun trip!