AmeriSpan does its homework when selecting its study abroad program locations, taking comfort, safety, fun and school quality into careful observation. So it was no surprise when CNN's Conde Nast Traveler listed five AmeriSpan location cities in its article rating the top 10 cities to visit in Asia.

Check out Bangkok, Hong Kong, and several other AmeriSpan locations by reading the full article here: Top 10 Cities in Asia

You too can learn Thai in Bangkok!

By Ryo H., guest blogger and Junior Immersion in Quito participant

Mucho gusto, me llamo Ryo. 

Today is the second day of a month long trip to Ecuador, and I am beat.  The trip just to get to Ecuador was something by itself.  The worst part wasn't the 10 hours spent in a plane or the 4 hour layover in the Miami airport.  It was waking up at 3 am, getting to the airport, and waiting for hours, just to find out our plane was cancelled.  To top it off, the next plane was not until the following day at the same time, 3am, so i had to wake up at the crack of dawn two days in a row.  We finally arrived in Quito late that night and my host mother, Susana Garcia, picked us up.  Once we arrived at their pad, we met the son Carlos, age 12, and daughter Andrea, age 21.  I slept very little that night and woke up not so bright but early for school the next morning.  Between fooling around at the airport, the long plane ride, lack of sleep, and the high altitude, Ecuador has made me a tired camper these first few days.

For months I have been waiting for this trip and finally I am here along with my two best friends, Garrett and Marcellus.  I am 16 years old and attend Albany High School in California.  I am participating in the Junior Immersion in Quito program, arranged by Amerispan.  Amerispan has tons of countries and programs to choose to visit and I ended up in Quito, Ecuador.  Amerispan works with a school in Quito, where I attend class 4 hours out of the day, eat lunch, and participate in the activities they host.

School, at least these first couple days, is long and tiring.  It's four hours in the morning from 8:30 to 10:00, a 30 minute break, and from 10:30 to 1:00.  Although that may not seem that long, concentrating on translating every word someone says and learning Spanish grammar is very exhausting.  After class, however, the school provides lunch for the group; today we had a warm creamy soup with garlic bread on the side.  The group is very diverse, 7 from Portland, Oregon, 1 from Washington D.C., 3 from Orlando, Florida, and 4 from California.  Many kids came by themselves- only 2 people from Oregon were friends before the trip to Ecuador. Since everyone is new to each other, making new friends is easy. 

After lunch is a group activity, today we went to an elementary school and played with the kids there. We played a game, where the objective was to introduce whatever kid had decided to latch onto you.  All the local kids are really nice, adorable, easy to befriend, and intrested in whatever someone does or says.  Ecuadorian kids seem like angels compared to those in the U.S.  I think this is because they do not have so many material goods in their life. They seemed much more happy and appreciative of their new buddies.  After that I returned home with my friends, ate dinner, did my homework, watched a movie with Carlos, and went to bed.

I like Ecuador.  I have only been here a few days but so far it seems fun, interesting, and best of all, it's a relief to get out of my hometown of Albany.  I was a bit worried that I might get homesick, but I'm sure by the end of the month I will not want to return back home.

See other Teenager Summer Abroad programs

See all of Ryo's blogs

Learning Arabic in Tetouan, Morocco is a fantastic option for the Arabic student seeking a comfortable or luxurious setting. Tetouan is a coastal Moroccan city and abundant with resorts, fine dining and the like. A mere one hour ferry ride from the coast of Spain, visitors can enjoy the old town, reminiscent of Moorish, Jewish and Spanish influence, or take a walk on el Paseo, a popular street with lots to do. See the video after the jump to learn about AmeriSpan's Tetouan partner school.

Study Arabic abroad with AmeriSpan

By Lucie C., a guest blogger volunteering in Honduras

Life in Honduras is very different than in Austin, Texas where I live. l've gotten into a routine, though, so I know (more or less) what to expect each day. Every morning my alarm wakes me up at 6:30 am. Then I take a shower and get dressed in the privacy of my own little bedroom. I am served breakfast around 7:00 by one of the girls who lives in the house. Breakfasts vary greatly. Some mornings is fruit like mango or watermelon, some mornings it is hot oatmeal, some mornings it is a tortilla with beans and cheese, and some mornings it is pancakes ("panqueques" en espanol). They also have cold cereal here, but only cornflakes! Literally, there is a whole isle in the grocery store dedicated to cornflakes, and I haven't seen any other kind of cereal. It makes me laugh. :) Then I walk to school, which is only about five minutes away from my house. The view is gorgeous. There are giant, colorful flowers everywhere, and the mountains are just behind me.

School starts at 7:30 and lasts until 12:00. Absolutely everything is in Spanish (the teachers don't speak English!) and the classes are very small, so I am learning incredibly fast. The first few days I was in a class of three, and we spent about half of our time having conversations in Spanish and the other half reading books aloud in Spanish and then answering questions about what we read. It was very hard for me because the other students in my class knew a lot more Spanish than I did, though, so I ended up moving to a different class. Then I was the only student in my class (so I had a teacher all to myself!). We spent almost all of our time pouring over textbooks, learning all the verb tenses, grammar, and vocabulary. What you learn really depends on your teacher. Some teachers spend more time using the textbooks, others stories or flash cards, and others focus more on conversation skills. We all switch teachers every two weeks (meaning that I will have a new teacher tomorrow) to ensure that we get a good balance. If there is a particular skill that you want to improve on (writing, reading, speaking, listening, etc.), be sure to mention that, as all of the teachers can personalize the curriculum to best suit your wants and needs.

After school I go home and eat lunch. Lunch is usually chicken, rice, and vegetables. Then I do my homework, which takes about an hour and a half. Meanwhile the girls in my house watch TV. Honduran TV shows are so different than the shows in the U.S.! Everything is ridiculously exaggerated, from the makeup to the music to the acting, but the girls here love it. They don't understand why I don't get as into it as they do, lol.

After I'm done with my homework, I have the whole afternoon to explore the city. Sometimes I hang out with friends from the language school and sometimes I spend time with my Honduran friends. One day I went to the ocean where all the ships are, and I got to go on many of the ships and see men unpacking lots of big fish. Another day I went to a different part of the ocean and ran along the edge of the water, chasing the tide. It's truly gorgeous by the water, and I'm always surprised by how few tourists there are.

Another day I walked all through the center of town, talking to the locals and looking at everything they were selling. I bought juice with my friends from a place that could make any kind of juice you can imagine! I got toronja (grapefruit) mixed with manzana (apple). There was also mango, pineapple, guava, cantaloupe, watermelon, grape, lemon, lime, orange, coconut, carrot, banana, papaya... more, too. I wish I could remember them all! Another day I went to the mall, where I saw a steel drum concert, and another time I played soccer with a bunch of kids from the neighborhood. One day I met a man who chopped down a coconut for me off of his tree and broke it open so that I could drink the juice! There is so much to do in La Ceiba. I only have two weeks before I start volunteering at the orphanage in the afternoons, so I want to do as much as I can while I still have time.

Around 7:00pm I make my way back to the house for dinner. I like to help prepare dinner, because the food is very different than what I eat in the United States, and I am learning how to cook Honduran food. We eat fried plantains every single night. Plantains look like large bananas but taste more like potatoes. Tortillas, rice, beans, eggs, vegetables, and chicken are also common dinner foods in Honduras. After eating, all of the boys crowd around the TV to watch futbol (soccer). They get very into their games, too, shouting and cheering for the teams. While this is going on, I usually go outside with the other girls to study, read a book, or just lounge around and talk. It's a very comfortable atmosphere, and I'm glad that I've made friends with everyone here. Eventually it's time to go to bed, and I do the same thing all over again in the morning!

See all of Lucie's blogs

Learn about AmeriSpan's Honduras Spanish Schools

Last week, we highlighted the New York Times' "36 Hours in Oaxaca", and this week we can't help but mention another of these features, "36 Hours in Hamburg." Why? Because when most people think of German cities, they think of Munich and Berlin, and Hamburg may not always get a fair shake. But, as this feature proves, studying at one of Hamburg's German schools is an excellent choice. Hamburg is an incredibly rich and metropolitan city, dotted with excellent shopping, dining and culture, and is not without gorgeous scenery.

An enticing snippet of the article:

Did you know about the lake? It’s smack dab in the city center and skirted by regal buildings, a postcard-ready tableau if there ever was one. And the canals? They lattice the part of the city nearest the Elbe River, allowing Hamburg to joust with Stockholm, Amsterdam and Bruges for informal rights to call itself the Venice of northern Europe.

Sign us up! See how you can study German in Germany

Read the New York Times' "36 Hours in Hamburg"

By Cameron R., Guest Blogger learning Arabic in Morocco

I have come.  I have seen.  I have not yet conquered.  I am now getting into my second week here in Morocco, and it is growing on me.  I arrived in Rabat with a comparative eye.  I had, over a year ago, tasted the Levantine region in the Middle East.  Therefore, I, just by feelings, attachment, previous experience, and my mind's pattern recognition, had been comparing what was going on in Morocco to Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon.  I do not mean conflict.  I mean cultural interactions, vibes and pulses and activities, language, and food. 

I am beginning to see a prettier picture of Morocco now.  I like the people more and more.  From my experience in Morocco, the people are friendlier, haggle less, and do not care all that much about foreigners.  However, I have heard different.  I heard horror stories about computers being stolen, marriages between American girls and Moroccan men, or sickness from the water.  Then again, who knows how true these statements are, but it is important to take them with a grain of salt.  Yes, there   is a hint of truth, but with a bit of common sense and wits about yourself, you should get along just fine.  For example, do not carry a purse on your side, let alone a computer or a camera.  Do not carry around more than 150 dirham, unless you know you are going to buy something more expensive.  In other words, plan.  Lastly, when you go shopping, make sure you take a Moroccan friend with you because if you do not have one, all of a sudden the price you will have to pay for toilet paper will have inflated by 100 percent.

Learn more about AmeriSpan's Rabat Arabic school

See all of Cameron R.'s blogs

Learning Spanish in Oaxaca, Mexico may not be the first option that comes to mind when weighing out your language immersion options, but make no mistake - it's a great one! Oaxaca was highlighted in the NYT's article entitled "36 Hours: Oaxaca, Mexico" a few weeks ago. If you're not familiar with the "36 Hours" feature, it is a regular NYT Travel column wherein the author spends 36 hours touring a foreign town and journals his or her experiences. Here is an excerpt:

"Combined with the city’s long-established studio art scene, a vibrant cafe culture, a mescal-fueled night life and one of Mexico’s most exciting regional cuisines, Oaxaca is as cosmopolitan as it is architecturally stunning."

The author of the article had a fantastic time, seeing an alley full of different smoked meats for sale, a burgeoning street art scene, lots of colorful sights and cuisine, and more. The city is clearly an incredible backdrop for language immersion!

See more about learning Spanish in Mexico

Every year, AmeriSpan has one big contest for all current and future participants, and this year's is especially exciting! Last year, we had our 'Great Travel Abroad Contest,' where students competed to receive prizes and AmeriSpan discounts by blogging, vlogging, Facebook friending, and more! Participants had a blast, and this year we want to make it even better! So first, we need your help designing the perfect AmeriSpan contest! So for now, fill out a form with your contest suggestions, and you can win a free week of AmeriSpan classes at ANY of our locations!

Check out the Contest Overview and Entry Form for details!

Our newest Special is red hot and will only last until the end of the day on Friday, January 20th!

It's called the "Plan Ahead" special and it goes like this:

Take 20% off any language program in Europe (max $349) or 15% off any of our other programs throughout the world (max $249). This is an incredible deal and may be the biggest of the year!

To qualify, register for any AmeriSpan program by the end of the day January 20 (2012), pay  in full by February 3 (2012) and use the discount code "Plan Ahead" when applying.

(Photo: Spanish school in Jaco Beach, Costa Rica)

For the past month, we've been highlighting some of our locations nearby global attractions which we think are worth visiting in a lifetime. Our final "Bucket List" recommendation is a festival that would be an incredible thing to experience during Mexico study abroad: the Day of the Dead, or "Dia de los muertos".

See Oaxaca Spanish schools

This blog series was inspired by an 'Organizing an Event's" article entitled "10 Events to Attend Before You Die.",

Join Garrett F. on his Ecuadorian quest with the Quito Junior Immersion program

My weekend was quite amazing I must say. On Saturday we left the school at 6:30 am for the Bella Vista cloud forest. After a two hour drive we arrived at a cool little lodge in the forest. We ate breakfast then set off on a hike through the cloud forest. Equipped with a guide and boots on our feet, we took a long hike through paths and rivers as we finally got to the water fall. Afterwards we hiked back to the lodge where we had some scrumptious trout for lunch, then it was off to the small town of Mindo.

As my first complete week has come to an end, I would like to share some things that I have learned and some tips you might want to know. In Ecuadorian culture they do not waste food. Unlike in the United States where we often don´t finish plates and take food for granite, in Ecuador you finish ALL the food on your plate and you only have three meals a day unless you decide to buy your own snacks in between. Although you often have to be careful of pickpockets and petty crime, overall the people in Quito are very kind and the city is vibrant.

Chao!

Garrett

See all of Garrett F.'s blogs from Quito

Learn more about AmeriSpan's Teen Programs Abroad

AmeriSpan's Teenager summer abroad programs are ideal for teens wishing to immerse themselves in a language in between school years. They can be a great way to get a boost foreign language skills while opening minds and boosting resumes or college applications!

Check out AmeriSpan's Salamanca Summer Camp

By Nichole D., Guest Blogger and SALUD Medical Spanish in Peru participant

Finally I have made it to my final destination of Cusco, Peru.  I was greeted at the airport by my gracious house mom, Nancy.  She has many children and two grandchildren Fabio and Francesca who are over at the house all the time and are so fun! We take turns singing the alphabet (them in English, me in Spanish) and practice our colors, shapes, numbers etc.  It´s like I´m in 1st grade all over again!  

Read all of Nichole's blogs

See all Peru Spanish schools

Inspired by 'Organizing an Event's" article entitled "10 Events to Attend Before You Die.", AmeriSpan has been compiling a list of its own "bucket list" locations. Today we explore The Great Wall of China, a wonder of the world so monstrous that it's visible from the moon! It is a must-see attraction for those learning Chinese in China, and a jaw-dropping sight for all.

Discover China study abroad