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La Vida Salmantina

Are you ready to take on Spain this summer? Here’s the first entry in our “Postcards from Salamanca” series, designed to get you ready for an amazing experience. This post was written by Tom Durigan, and describes his impressions on daily life in Salamanca.

Tom and friends in front of the Catedral Nueva de [...]

A Day in the [Surreal] Life

So what is a typical day like in Rome for a study abroad student really like? How does it compare to life back home? I suppose every student’s experience is different, each with its own nuances and events, based on the preferences, perceptions, and desires of each respective student. However, I am quite partial to [...]

Meet me at the Plaza Mayor!

The Plaza Mayor, illuminated at night. Picture by Nick Welch

Without a doubt, one of the most iconic features of Salamanca is its Plaza Mayor, or main square. Built between 1729 and 1755 in the Baroque style, it was originally used as a center for bullfights. There are no more bullfights there today (those [...]

Photo Essay: A Birthday Abroad (Part Two)

 

Birthdays can evoke a wide variety of emotions, which are seldom of neutral nature. Some adore celebrating the beginning of new age and the joys that will go along with it. Whereas others may passionately try to hide/forget the fact that they are another year older. Some enjoy big celebrations with many friends and [...]

Photo Essay: A Birthday Abroad (Part One)

All of my new friends (French, American, and Chinese) gathered around the table.

Birthdays can evoke a wide variety of emotions, which are seldom of neutral nature. Some adore celebrating the beginning of new age and the joys that will go along with it. Whereas others may passionately try to hide/forget the [...]

If Only I Would Have Known… Faux Pas in Italy

With the semester in full swing, you should have noticed at least a few distinct cultural differences between your host country and home country by now! This week’s post features several observations made by Lily Sokolowski during her semester in Italy. What kind of differences are you experiencing? What are you learning about the values [...]

Aspire by API receives a Recommended Program Badge from GoOverseas.com!

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 [...]

Overheard on the Streets of Cork

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. [...]

Photo Essay: Winter Break in Morocco (Part Two)

“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 [...]

A surefire way to improve your skills

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 [...]