What are your reasons for studying abroad? Many students want to improve their foreign language skills, while some thirst for new adventures. Still others seek to discover their heritage firsthand. Alicia Kennedy had all three goals on her mind when she set out to study with us in Spain, and she came back with an [...]
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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 [...] 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 [...] 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). [...] 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 [...] Do you want to budget some money for Italian leather in Florence? Remember how we said that taking a gap year was going to teach you valuable job and life skills? One of them is money management. Don’t forget to make a budget before you go. There are a lot of cool things to [...] Good advice One of the trickiest things for native English speakers when first learning a new language is mastering the often blurry line between formal and informal pronouns. Many world languages make the distinction, including Arabic, German, Hindi, and Mandarin Chinese. Interestingly, the English language used to make the distinction in Elizabethan times (thou/you), [...] Whether you’ve just started a gap semester abroad, or you’re planning on participating in a summer program, one of the things you can expect during your time overseas is adopting certain characteristics of your host culture. With Aspire by API’s immersion programs, this happens almost automatically—mainly because you’ll be around so many locals, and in [...] We here at Aspire by API encourage our students not to over pack for their time abroad. But there’s some baggage you won’t be able to help bringing along with you. Cultural baggage, that is. How NOT to be a tourist At some point while overseas, you’ll probably have to deal with someone assuming [...] Have you ever heard someone from Britain or Australia say something, and had to stop and think about it for a minute? Aspire Students at the Plaza Mayor, Salamanca Dialects can throw you for a loop now and then, and that’s not unique to the English language. There are some pretty big differences in [...] |
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