Etiam pulvinar consectetur dolor sed malesuada. Ut convallis
euismod dolor nec pretium. Nunc ut tristique massa.
Nam sodales mi vitae dolor ullamcorper et vulputate enim accumsan.
Morbi orci magna, tincidunt vitae molestie nec, molestie at mi. Nulla nulla lorem,
suscipit in posuere in, interdum non magna.
Aspire by API has recently been awarded a “recommended program” badge as a result of positive student feedback on GoOverseas.com! Take a look at the website and see what our former students had to say about their time abroad with us.
For those of you who haven’t seen it yet, here’s a new video we put together showing just some of what the students on our Salamanca program got to experience last July–awesome activities from surfing and horseback riding, to trying new foods in local restuarants, to basking in the beauty of the Plaza Mayor! Students had a fantastic time during their “Summer of Spain.”
A special thanks goes out to all of our alums who took the time to share their experiences, as well as our friends at GoOverseas.com for promoting international education.
Aspire by API is hitting the road again for the USA Gap Year Fairs circuit… this time, we’re saddling up and heading out west! Come join us to hear a discussion on the benefits of taking a gap year, and learn more about the many options available to you after graduating from high school–including Aspire by API’s gap year offerings. We would love to meet you in person!
Coming to a school near you!
Check the list below to see if we’ll be visiting a school near you. We look forward to meeting you and answering your questions.
Thursday, February 16–Peak to Peak Charter School, 800 Merlin Dr., Lafayette, CO @ 6:00PM
Friday, February 17–Denver Academy, 4400 E. Illif Ave., Denver, CO @ 9:00AM (Counselor Fair)
Saturday, February 18–Denver Academy, 4400 E. Illif Ave., Denver, CO @ 1:00PM
Tuesday, February 28–Francis Parker School, 6501 Linda Vista Rd., San Diego, CA @ 6:30PM
Thursday, March 1–Sir Francis Drake High School, 1327 Sir Francis Drake Blvd., San Anselmo, CA @ 6:00PM
Friday, March 2–Los Altos High School, 201 Almond Ave., Los Altos, CA @ 4:00PM
Sunday, March 4–Jewish Community High School, 1835 Ellis St., San Francisco, CA @ 1:00PM
Students jumping for joy at the University College Cork (UCC) campus
You may think that students who study in Cork don’t have to deal with a language barrier, but you would be mistaken. The Irish do speak English, of course, but they have their own phrases and sayings that make their dialect unique. Here are just a few examples of some terms that former students have overheard in the Irish streets, and their translations into American English.
Grand is used like we say great—as in, “That concert was grand, wasn’t it?”
The Irish use “lads” the same way we use “guys” (or “y’all” in certain parts of the country). It’s a general term for everyone, even when directed solely at girls.
Wellies are rainboots
Americans are Yanks (no matter which part you’re from)
The term foxy is used to describe redheads—although it may not be used all that much in Ireland, because contrary to popular belief, not every Irishman has red hair!
“Craic” (pronounced “crack”) is a term that means “fun,” so asking “What’s the craic?” is akin to asking “What’s going on/what’s the latest news?”
Calling someone “savage as a cabbage” means that you think they are attractive!
“Yer man” or “yer woman” is used when referring to a specific person in a conversation, but it doesn’t necessarily mean a boyfriend or girlfriend.
“Mi daza” (pronounced mee-da-zah) means excellent, fantastic
Even the time of day is stated differently. For example, instead of saying “four-thirty,” an Irish person would likely say “half four.” Isn’t it funny how something so simple can become so different?
“I was on a quest, but I did not know exactly for what I was searching. Europe is a beautiful and immense land, but the ancient, impressive monuments and stone buildings can seem unwelcoming in the dead cold of winter. Looking at my options for the winter break, I began to understand what I was yearning for. It had to be warm. It had to be different. It had to be a place where I could use my French. Most importantly, it had to be truly worthwhile. In the end, it had to be Morocco.”
Please join me as we look at some of my fondest memories from this alluring land through the photos I captured.
Shadows on a timeless land
The blue sky above Moroccan ruins
Local means of transportation
The doorway into a whole new world
A "proper" size door
Imagine
This post was contributed by Jacob, an Aspire by API student who is currently taking part in a gap year program in Grenoble, France. He will be updating the blog periodically throughout his time abroad.
“I was on a quest, but I did not know exactly for what I was searching. Europe is a beautiful and immense land, but the ancient, impressive monuments and stone buildings can seem unwelcoming in the dead cold of winter. Looking at my options for the winter break, I began to understand what I was yearning for. It had to be warm. It had to be different. It had to be a place where I could use my French. Most importantly, it had to be truly worthwhile. In the end, it had to be Morocco.”
Please join me as we look at some of my fondest memories from this alluring land through the photos I captured.
Carpet Sellers
The Minaret of Marrakesh
One begins to see the patterns..
The Menhara Pavillion
Desert Skiing
Always better fresh
This post was written by Jacob, an Aspire by API student who is currently taking part in a gap year program in Grenoble, France. He will be updating the blog periodically throughout his time abroad.
How well do you know your hometown? If you’ve lived there for a good portion of your life, I bet you know it pretty well—the nicest parks, the best restaurants, and whatever hot spots or quirky aspects that make the place unique. And if you ever had a visitor come through, I’m sure you’d take them to all the best locations, and maybe even suggest some
Arnaud on a weekend hike
sights a bit further away as well. The same goes for host families. They know their hometown, and they want to show you what it’s all about. The desire to share this part of their culture is one of the main reasons they become host families in the first place! They’re kind of like a guidebook—only without the strained eyes and paper cuts. And so, living with host families provides you with another benefit: they can really teach you a lot about your new home.
My host parents were always eager to suggest special places to check out during my time abroad— museums, restaurants, etc. And on top of that, they were constantly making time to ensure that I saw these places. I often went with them on family outings, whether it was a snowshoeing trek in the mountains, a trip to the newest art gallery exhibit, or a visit atop the Bastille. I think they were happy to see that I was learning a few things and sharing in their fun at the same time.
Their willingness to help me applied when the attractions were out of town as well: within minutes of announcing to them my plans of venturing south for Easter weekend, my host dad had about 4 different maps on the table, and was showing me all the options for the towns I could visit while I was there. He helped me coordinate the bus and train schedule that I would use to get there, and he even gave me some CDs of different guitarists from the region, so that I could listen to them beforehand.
Gaelle drinking some coffee on a winter picnic
What I’m trying to say here—and in the rest of my posts on life with a host family—is that if you really want to live like a local, then host families are the way to go. They want to share the different aspects of their lifestyle with you, be it their favorite foods, unusual lingo, or interesting places around town. So take the advice that your host family gives you—because, after all, nobody knows your host town better than they do.
Moving into with a host family for four or five months can seem pretty daunting. Before I even touched down in France, I had a lot of questions about what to expect: Would they like me? How close would we become? What if my host mom was a horrible cook?
Each host family is different, so I can’t tell you exactly how your experience will be. But, if you’re on the fence about the issue, I definitely recommend that you go for it—there are so many advantages to living with a host family! So go ahead, take the plunge into what will undoubtedly be an unforgettable immersive experience.
There’s no better way to learn a new language than by moving in with a host family for a few months. You’ll be reinforcing in the home what you’re learning in the classroom—which I’m sure you’ve already know is essential after years and years of homework. And while some of us may have dropped the ball on a few homework assignments here and there, living with a host family is like an assignment you can’t ignore (ahem, “forget about”). You gotta communicate, right?
My host family: (left to right) Antoine, me, Gaelle, Thibault, and Arnaud
Living with a family means that you’ll constantly be listening and speaking in your target language. You’ll be telling your host parents about your day. Asking them questions and responding to theirs. Making plans and getting advice on what to see when you travel. In short, you won’t have any other choice but to improve your language skills, and sometimes that kind of pressure is exactly what’s necessary when you’re trying to learn a language!
In my experience, I always found that I learned the most (linguistically speaking) around the table. While I understood my teachers pretty well, I found myself lost at dinnertime; so much slang was thrown around that my head was spinning for the first few weeks. (I’m pretty sure this is the same in a lot of places. Do you speak the same way with your friends as you do with your teachers?) There will be times when you won’t know what’s being discussed—and that’s OK! Ask your family what they’re talking about. Show them what you have followed from the conversation, and what isn’t making sense to you. They’ll appreciate that you’re trying to learn, and most likely they’ll be impressed by how much you’ve understood.
A backyard BBQ with my host bro
And if your host parents correct you when you speak, be glad! Even though I became pretty fluent in French, my host parents were correcting me until my last night in their home. Just remember, they chose to bring you into their home so that they could teach you, so take advantage of that.
Moving into with a host family for four or five months can seem pretty daunting. Before I even touched down in France, I had a lot of questions about what to expect: Would they like me? How close would we become? What if my host mom was a horrible cook?
Each host family is different, so I can’t tell you exactly how your experience will be. But, if you’re on the fence about the issue, I definitely recommend that you go for it—there are so many advantages to living with a host family! So go ahead, take the plunge into what will undoubtedly be an unforgettable immersive experience.
Without a doubt, one of the best things about living with a host family is all the awesome food you’ll get to try as a result. Since cooking and eating both make up a huge aspect of the culture in any region of the world, I’d advise you to try as many different foods as you can while abroad. Living with a family will provide you with a truly authentic way to accomplish this goal.
Food makes up a huge part of French culture. Different regions within the country, for example, are known for particular types of cheese—and they make a lot of ‘em. In fact, the French produce about400 different typesof cheese, which is why they say that in their country, there’s “a cheese for every day of the year.” Cheese was eaten almost every single time we sat down to dinner in Grenoble—after the main course and before dessert (which was usually fruit). A specialty cheese of the Rhône-Alpes region was called “raclette,” and my host mom used it to make a traditional dinner that I’ll never forget. The cheese was melted in a special tabletop heater and poured over a plate of pickles, cold cuts, and warm potatoes. As you can imagine, the meal was filling, and it made sense when my host dad explained to me that it had been developed as a hearty meal eaten by peasants after spending the day tending sheep in the harsher conditions of the French Alps. Today, raclette is a meal that’s popularly eaten after a long day on the ski slopes. Walnuts were another specialty of the region, and there was always a bowl full of them on the kitchen table.
Food also helped me learn about the recent history of France. Another popular meal at the dinner table was merguez sausages with couscous. The combination is a traditional North African dish, and started gaining popularity in France during its colonization of Algeria and Morocco. Döner kebab shops were a common sight around most French towns as well, owing to the substantial Turkish immigrant population.
Take note of how food is stored while abroad. Our eggs were kept on TOP of the fridge, and unopened bottles of milk were stored in a CLOSET (it had to do with the different ways they’re processed over there)!! Needless to say, I had some reservations about eating them at first, but it all turned out fine.
I ate my fair share of “different” foods while abroad, including gésier and andouillettes (look them up—if you dare!). Sometimes I found myself pleasantly surprised, and other times I was less enthusiastic about finishing dinner. But it’s all a learning experience, and you’ve gotta take the good with the bad. Before going overseas, you should make up your mind to try every kind of food that’s offered to you, at least once—after all, it’s a big part of what the whole experience is all about.
Learning another language isn’t easy. You need to know the vocabulary and the syntax. Once you have dialed those down, you have to know the essential idiomatic expressions. With these skills, you can read texts and answer prompted questions on a written evaluation. However, knowing is just one side of language acquisition (the recognition side). The true test of your ability, and also possibly the most ego–crushing, is the recall/production side. Spontaneous conversation with a native speaker and voluntary writing are a different kind of challenge altogether.
Find your inner peace wherever you can
So being an eager and naïve high school graduate, I had devised the perfect plan: all French, all the time. English would not be tolerated by any means. I would read, speak, listen to music, and dream in French. This would surely turn me into the perfect little polyglot that I had always hoped to be.
Then the fatigue began. I was waking up later and later, becoming baffled by basic French, and losing my drive. I needed to find a way to set my mind at ease. I was looking for a form of Zen meditation. And I found it in the tram rides.
In the mornings and late afternoons, the tram lines are crowded with students. Most are listening to their iPods and sipping coffee, while simultaneously reviewing class material. Normal collegiate behavior. Though for me, it is a time for relaxation and to absorb the French culture. My eyes discretely wander towards the women around me. They are often smartly dressed in high boots, tight jeans, and a chic jacket. Carrying themselves tall and proud, they emit this air of superiority that is coldly enticing. I mull over what it would feel like to just utter a mere “bonjour” to one of these angelic beings. Would she slap me with a glance of disapproval? Or rather, might she question the origin of my charming accent? I will have to find out another day because I am already at my tram stop. Yet, having been rejuvenated by that paradisiacal tram ride, I am now ready to get back to my French learning.
The point of all this rambling: when abroad and being immersed in a new language, remember to regularly take breaks. Go for a run or walk. Play a sport. Invest in an artistic endeavor. Play a game. Or like me, simply observe the beauty of the country. Do whatever it takes—just don’t allow yourself to get discouraged by the little bits and pieces that are tripping you up. The break will allow you rest your wearied mind. One recharged, you will be ready to get back in the fun. And with all of this meditation going on, there is certainly a transcendental lesson to be learned: appreciate the setbacks that you encounter. By keeping track of them, you’ll end up with a better idea of how much progress you’ve already made, and which challenges you need to tackle next.
This post was written by Jacob, an Aspire by API student who is currently taking part in a gap year program in Grenoble, France. He will be updating the blog periodically throughout his time abroad.
Believe it or not, the fall semester is coming to a close (I know, I know–when did that happen?!). After spending several months in a foreign country, living with a host family, studying in a new school, and traveling to a bunch of new places, you’ll probably have a lot you want to tell your friends and family when you get back home. So, while you’re still savoring your last few days abroad, the Aspire by API team would like to offer you some advice on readjusting, and on how (and when) to best relate your experiences. This week, we’re featuring a guest post from Erin Weinert, who spent a semester at Complutense University in Madrid.
Segovia
You know those people who are constantly telling stories about themselves? Always comparing whatever is happening in the moment with what they have done? Always relating your story with their own personal experience? Well, when I returned home from Spain…that was me. I became that person and I didn’t even realize it.
So your friends and family are obviously interested in your abroad experience and want to hear your stories. But it really becomes a problem when every sentence begins with, “When I was abroad….” Not only was I incessantly comparing everything to my time studying abroad, but I also developed a sort of Spanish language tick. Pretty often I would blurt out something in Spanish. Not an entire sentence, but maybe just one or two words like “perdón,” “por favor,” and “gracias.” At first people accepted it and went along with me because I had just returned. As time went on, however, people around me just started telling me to knock it off!
I can remember the exact moment I realized I need to cool it on my studying abroad stories. My friend was telling us about her experience going to the top of a sky scraper in Chicago. Without even recognizing what I was doing, I began explaining that Spain has hardly any sky scrapers because blah blah blah. As I’m telling this fun fact of the day that I learned in Spain, I began noticing some of my friends eyes rolling back. Whoa, that’s kind of rude. Why didn’t they like my story? I was definitely animated and excited enough to pull them in. Surely, I’m a great storyteller, so it can’t be a problem with my narrative skills. My story was fascinating! And then suddenly it dawned on me. It wasn’t my lack of storytelling ability but my non-stop story telling that was the problem! It became so easy for me to turn a conversation on what to have for dinner into a three hour story about how pork is cured in Spain.
Sightseeing in Paris
It occurred to me what the people on the receiving end of my stories might be thinking: “I didn’t go. I wasn’t a part of this. I’ve never experienced that. I don’t know those people.” My time abroad was just such an amazing experience that I was just so happy to talk about it any chance I got. I’ve now been able to put the mental brakes on in my head. I still stick in little stories here and there and throw in a few Spanish words now and then, but I’ve come to a realization: I can’t throw my experiences in other people’s faces because even though it was one of the biggest high points in my life, it wasn’t for them. Living in Spain and exploring Europe and beyond was unbelievable and something I plan to do again in the future. And hey, maybe next time I’ll go with those friends I assaulted with my European anecdotes so we can drive everyone crazy together with our new stories!
